BUGSY MALONE
UK, 1976, 93 minutes, Colour.
Scott Baio, Jodie Foster.
Directed by Alan Parker.
Bugsy Malone is a delightful film for family audiences. Parents should enjoy children acting out the special kind of adult behaviour of the U.S. gangster world, and children should enjoy a 90 minute fantasy game. The children are very good indeed. Paul Williams provides catchy songs and the costumes, sets and attention to detail are excellent. The conventions are well known and anticipating them is part of the fun. The pantomime actually shows how childish, child like, is gangster behaviour, especially when the violence is spoofed by cream and pies. And who (except a hardened Mafia and mob boss) could resist the good-natured ending?
1. The appeal of this film for children, adults? why? Children in pantomime, acting out adult roles. acting out an adult film genre? The imaginative presentation of an accepted film genre? The addition of song and dance, wit and comedy?
2. The film as a British production, produced in prison? A British view of an American genre? The importance of the use of mainly non professional children? Their acting ability? Paul Williams' music and songs, appropriate, vocalised by adults and mimed by children?
3. The importance of the sets: the New York streets, Fat Sam's, Dan's Mansion, the laundry. the mission down and out house, the wharf? New York 1929 and the detail of re-creation?
4. The appeal of the basic idea and the presentation of children in pantomime, the childlike aspects, the childish aspects of adult behaviour? The parody, the mocking of attitudes. children aping adult models? The importance of the overtones of violence and yet their being humorously presented with the mush from the splurge gun? The overtones of custard pies? The happiness of the ending and everyone united?
5. The use of the old style narrative and the explanation of what was going on? The invitation to the audience to be interested, enjoy, participate?
6. The contribution of the music and the songs.. the linking with themes, the highlighting and explaining of characters, the situations? Bugsy Malone, Fat Sam's speak-easy, Tomorrow, We Could Have Been, Blousie Song, My Name's Tallulah, So You Want to be a Boxer, 1 Shouldn't Cry but I Do, Down and out,, You Give a Little Love?
7. The conventions of musical comedy: Fat Sam's, the stage presentation of the songs, the choreography? The auditioned conventions of movies of the 30s? The Hollywood dream conventions? Tallulah's song? The dancing of the gangsters?
8. How well created and communicated was the atmosphere of gangsters and gangster films. gangster wars? The purpose of gangsters and their control. dominance? The language and jargon? The drinks (the humour of the parody of alcohol and prohibition?)? The rackets, childish ambitions? The parodied detail of killings, raids, the police?
9. The parody of show biz, Hollywood dreams, Blousie and her dreams? The parody of the toughs. police. Chinese laundries, car chases and shoot-outs?
10. The humour in the characterization of Fat Sam and his Italian background, his gang and their inefficiency? Knuckles and the explanation of his name? Bugsy as a nice guy amongst all this and his being hired by Fat Sam. the driver, his initiative in helping Fat Sam? Tallulah and the parody of the gangster's moll? Blousie as the ambitious young girl trying to succeed in this world?
11. The contrast with Dandy Dan and the wealthy gangster? His skill, control, aping the mannerisms of the wealthy self-made gangster? His gang and his reviewing them (and the execution of the inefficient gangster?)f the raids, the ambush and the double dealing?
12. How did Bugsy appear as a hero within this context: ordinary young man, good, the explanation of his origins, his work in boxing, his discovery and training of Leroy after being rescued by Leroy? Tallulah making passes at him, Blousie in love but wary of him? Their initial meeting, their meal and his skill with the phone and not paying? Helping her with auditions? The drive in the countryside, the lyrical atmosphere for an outside love scene? Her spurning him when she was a success? Her hopes for his getting tickets? The raid and his skill at the end, becoming more of a hero by his achievement?
13. Blousie as the tough heroine, her background, arrival in the city, her baseball bat, meals? Auditions, jealousy? Her dreams and the way these were visualized? A happy ending?
14. Jodie Foster's skill in communicating the vamp and moral aspects of Tallulah, her song, relationship with Fat Sam, passes at Bugsy, jealousy? Her style and singing in Fat Sam's Speakeasy?
15. The humour with Leroy and his rescuing Bugsy in the dead-end street? His strength, capacity for fighting, training, the sequences in the boxing gym. and the parody of boxing films? His devotion to Bugsy and helping him in the raid?
16. The portrayal of life at Fat Sam's, their keeping up appearances even when disaster struck, Razzamatazz the janitor and his wanting an audition, his song and dance with one of the dancers? Hiring the special killer and yet his inefficiency?
17. The humour of the various detailed songs and acts at the audition? The scene in the theatre and Bugsy watching from on high?
18. The importance of the parody of violence with the pies and the splurge guns? The raid at the end? Everybody covered with mush at the end except the hero and heroine?
19. The appropriateness of the happy ending and the highlighting of the themes?
