Popeye

“The legendary, beloved anvil-armed sailor of the seven seas comes magically to life in a delightful musical, starring Robin Williams as Popeye, directed by Robert Altman (Nashville). Shelley Duvall is Popeye’s devoted long-limbed sweetie, Olive Oyl, one of many loveable characters who join the “sailor man” in his adventures in the harbor town of Sweethaven.”

Popeye had a lot of firsts attached to it. It was Robin Williams first starring role, the first collaboration between Paramount and Disney, let alone Disney’s first collaboration with any major studio. The film is renowned for going over-budget as well as plagued with production troubles, especially the last encounter with a giant octopus. However, one thing that it does succeed in is to bring the characters of the Thimble Theatre to life, characters I had long forgotten existed since I watched the cartoons and read the comic strips as a child.

The plan for Popeye was an ambitious one. After failing to secure the rights to the musical Annie, the studio was looking for something they already owned that could be adapted into a musical. When Popeye was suggested, it moved forward, with Robert Altman at the helm. The musical part of the film still confuses me to this day. Popeye didn’t really seem ripe with musical potential, save for the instantly recognizable theme song. The guy is barely understandable, and this is exactly the problem that we run in to in the film. Robin Williams does a fantastic job at the character, but due to the physical limitations of the voice and permanent corn pipe fixture in his mouth, the singing can be a bit hard to understand at times. Harry Nilsson is a legend in the musical world, but for me, the majority of all the musical numbers in the film just didn’t work. They were oddly spaced, and didn’t invoke any type of feeling or emotion whatsoever. It feels like the entire film wants to be a musical but doesn’t fully commit to it, which makes the entire thing suffer. As much as I hate to say it, the musical portions are the worst thing about Popeye.

This film wouldn’t launch Robin Williams’s career, but looking back at it after all this time does put a lot of things into perspective. One of the characters traits is the low, constant muttering, which caused problems in production being able to hear it. With Williams having to go back and dub over a lot of his scenes, there was a lot of friction between him and Altman due to his improvisational nature. When you see what Robin Williams went on to accomplish in his life and the iconic roles he brought to life, most notably The Genie when you are speaking directly about improv, I really do think this limitation was one of the key factors of the film not standing out more. If he was able to do what he did best, he could have brought so much more laughter and comedy into the role. Still, what he does have to work with he makes the very best of, which is definitely the best thing about Popeye. His character is sad and alone at the beginning, as he searches for his long-lost father, eventually having a child dropped off literally at his feet that he must now be a father to. His gradual growth into a respected member of Sweethaven whom the citizens all look to to save them is the heart of the film.

As Robert Ebert said in his initial review, Shelley Duvall was born to play Olive Oyl, a statement that I fully agree with. Out of all the characters in the film, hers is one of the most faithful, most entertaining ones of them all. As much as the cartoon Olive Oyl could get annoying always screaming for help from Popeye, she brings independence to the character as well, providing a lot of good laughs, not simply the damsel in distress.

As far as the story goes, there really isn’t much of one. Popeye is looking for his dad, shunned by the town, finds a baby, finds out it can tell the future by whistling, then it’s kidnapped, with a few more surprises in store and songs scattered throughout. In short, it’s a jumbled mess. The story is hard to follow at times, incoherently told through its musical numbers and changes tone so many times you lose track of what kind of film you’re watching. The final act of the film ends up being so totally different from the beginning, which is a good thing, because the final act does provide a glimpse of the cartoon Popeye that the majority of us know. Altman insists that people just don’t get the film, which I can understand. He wanted the film to be more intellectual at the start, gradually becoming more cartoonish as it unfolded. As much as I respect Altman as a director, as well as his dedication to his vision, Popeye ends up failing to provide consistency.

Video

Popeye is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1. This transfer looks very good. The level of detail is surprising in this release, with some rich and vibrant colors that really pop. The costumes, namely Olive Oyl’s iconic red shirt, look exceptional. There is a beautiful contrast in the dreariness of the town of Sweethaven and some of the other costumes, highlighting the great look of this film seen on the first time in High Definition.

Audio

The audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. The track sounds good for the most part. The musical sequences come through nicely through the surrounds. Dialogue can sound a bit low, especially the mutterings of Popeye. Although a lot of these were dubbed over due to this very problem, it can still be hard to hear them clearly. These mutterings don’t contain vital plot information by any means, so while it isn’t necessary to hear each individual syllable, turning on the subtitles will help for those wanting to know some of those indistinguishable words you may not hear the first time around. Overall though, the track does sound good.

Special Features

This set features some new extras, including older interviews intercut with some newer ones. Hearing Robin Williams and Robert Altman talk about the movie does give you a deeper appreciation for it, worth checking out.

• NEW Return to Sweethaven: A Look Back with Robin and the Altmans
• The Popeye Company Players
• Popeye’s Premiere
• The Sailor Man Medleys
• Theatrical Trailer

Popeye can be an absolute mess at times. For those who have never seen it, it is not what you’d expect a Robin Williams film to be. Despite the inconsistencies of the film, it does provide some good laughs, and a somewhat exciting third act reminiscent of the cartoons everyone grew up with. With the low price this new release currently sits at, it’s a good purchase for fans of the late Robin Williams that want to celebrate his earlier work.