Popeye (1980)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

E.C. Segar (comic strip Thimble Theatre)
Jules Feiffer (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 December 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Haves a happy holiday wit me an' Olive!

Plot:

The sailor man travels to Sweethaven, falls in love with Olive Oyl, adopts Sweetpea and makes an enemy with Bluto.

Plot Keywords:

Popeye | Spinach | Sailor | Abandoned Baby | Baby

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Popeye
Shelley Duvall	...	Olive Oyl
Ray Walston	...	Poopdeck Pappy
Paul Dooley	...	Wimpy
Paul L. Smith	...	Bluto
Richard Libertini	...	Geezil
Donald Moffat	...	The Taxman
MacIntyre Dixon	...	Cole Oyl
Roberta Maxwell	...	Nana Oyl
Donovan Scott	...	Castor Oyl
Allan F. Nicholls	...	Rough House (as Allan Nicholls)
Wesley Ivan Hurt	...	Swee'pea
Bill Irwin	...	Ham Gravy, the Old Boyfriend
Robert Fortier	...	Bill Barnacle, the Town Drunk
David McCharen	...	Harry Hotcash, the Gambler

Runtime:

114 min | Argentina:115 min | Finland:97 min (1981)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vistasonic

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Canada:G (Canadian Home Video rating) | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:PG (Approved No. 26147) | Singapore:PG | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Anchor Bay, Malta

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Mike Nichols, Arthur Penn, and Hal Ashby were each originally slated to direct this movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Popeye finds his pappy tied to the chair hanging from the ceiling in Bluto's ship, he takes his pipe out of his mouth before he hugs his pappy. Seconds later, the pipe is back in his mouth.

Quotes:

Poopdeck Pappy: Eat that spinach.
Popeye: I don't wanna. I don't wanna. Waaaaah. Waaaaah.
Poopdeck Pappy: You disobedient brat. You was disobedient when you was two and you're still disobedient now.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

Soundtrack:

Blow Me Down

Perfectly captures the pre-militarized Popeye

Robert Altman was just the right director to bring "Popeye" to live action. His use of naturalistic, overlapping and mumbled speech patterns, used to such good effect in "M*A*S*H," is the perfect fit for the residents of the shanty town of Sweethaven. Along with his production crew, he expertly reconstructs the environs and reanimates the zany spirit of the early black and white Popeye cartoons, the ones before Popeye was cleaned up and turned into a tool of U.S. war propaganda. Robin Williams carries off the title role with expert skill in a performance that he, especially he, very easily could have gone over the top with. Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl and the kid who played Swee'Pea are likewise letter perfect for their roles.

One of the things I always liked about this movie is the music. Harry Nilsson, a greatly underappreciated talent, came up with a delightful batch of songs that are that are as rich in character as the atmosphere of Sweethaven is full of sodium. Altman's "Popeye," along with Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy," is one of the rare film versions of a cartoon that succeeds. It does so by staying true to the look and spirit of the original. It wasn't created by committee to be a summer blockbuster, hence it is allowed to have a personality and flavor -- a flavor that blooms with repeat viewings.