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4.0 out of 5 stars
A must for fans, 31 Oct 2005
Laurel & Hardy's final movie was made in France in 1950. It was released the next year in Italy as 'Atollo K' and in Britain as 'Robinson Crusoeland'. The USA release was 'Utopia', in 1954.Scheduled to take a few weeks, it took a whole year and a considerable toll on the patience and health of the two stars. Stan fell ill and was hospitalized during filming. It is quite unlike any other L&H movie, not least because Stan did not write it. If you are a fan, you absolutely must see it. If you are new to their films, you should avoid it. Start instead with 'Sons of the Desert', 'Way out West', 'Laughing Gravy' or any other of a dozen or more classics. Utopia is not a complete write-off. It has some good gags, including Stan's encounter with a very mobile table aboard a storm-tossed boat. It also has some very uncharacteristic moments, such as a joke about Ollie's size, and some attempts at political satire. The co-director, Leo Joannon, also wrote the story. Stan described Joannon as "funnier than the film, though that's not saying much". Clearly this was not a fun production. Joannon's other claim to fame is his prize-winning "Le Défroqué" the greatness of which is usually regarded to be due to the acting performance of Pierre Fresnay, and is despite the script rather than because of it. Suzy Delair as Chérie Lamour is very good, and suitably scrumptious. The humour is very much of its time and is an early example of the fifties silliness that Norman Wisdom and Abbott and Costello later exemplified. Humour that seemed hilarious at the time but now is mostly embarrassing. But, just like the films of those latter stars, 'Utopia' has its moments. The final frame is almost unbearably poignant. It is Stan and Ollie's very last screen appearance, and Ollie's final, and no doubt heartfelt, "This is another fine mess you've gotten me into".
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