《龙蛇小霸王》是一部兼具喜剧、歌舞、家庭和犯罪元素的电影。故事围绕着BugsyMalone展开,他渴望一举击垮纽约的黑帮,并号召全城的人加入他的行动。与FatSam和DandyDan展开的一幕幕枪战引发了一连串轻松惹笑的情节,同时也让人佩服制作人员的创意。
这部电影是70年代的经典音乐剧,所有角色都由小童饰演,他们穿上西装和华丽的舞衣登场,手持忌廉枪进行战斗。这种独特的设定不仅令人开怀大笑,也让人不得不佩服制作人员的心思。
《龙蛇小霸王》曾获得第49届学院奖原创或改编配乐奖的提名,同时也获得了第34届金球奖最佳影片(音乐剧/喜剧类)以及原创歌曲“BugsyMalone”和原创配乐的三项提名。
Ushering in UK televisual and advertising practitioner Alan Parker ’s foray into the form of feature film, BUGSY MALONE is one of a kind, a comical pastiche amalgamating American Prohibition era gangster turf war with vintage musical numbers, and idiosyncratically, all the players on screen are prepubescent teens, an ingenious wrinkle hasn’t been imitated ever since (directing children is never a cakewalk, kudos to Parker for the resolution).
NYC speakeasy boss Fat Sam (Cassisi, a would-be luvvie in the making has he not retired from acting in 1982), is bedeviled by the surging attack of “splurge guns”, a new weapon devised by his nemesis Dandy Dan (Lev) to eliminate his cohorts and take over his business. He turns to our hero, the street-smart boxer scout Bugsy Malone (Baio) for help, who is struck by coup de foudre with a budding singer Blousey Brown (Dugger) in the speakeasy, who is aspiring for a Hollywood career.
Although the story-line digresses and slacks off erratically, BUGSY MALONE’s main allure comes from the novel discrepancy and amusement spawned by putting grown-up material into the mouth of a bevy of underage amateurs (save Jodie Foster’s minxy moll), and by whom Paul Williams’ retro adult-voiced strains are lip-synced, the titular theme song is a standout, and a barnstorming Foster steals the limelight as easy as falling off a log in her number “MY NAME IS TALLULAH”.
As a family-friendly novelty, machine guns are substituted with toy guns, blood with cream, automobile with pedal vehicles, and everything leads to a havoc-wreaking custard pie throwing climax to top off house-playing hilarity. No denying it is lots of fun to watch such a finely manufactured gallimaufry, yet the movie only intrigues us but never evolves into compelling, partially thanks to a disgruntled Florrie Dugger (who wisely stays away from acting afterwards) hasn’t got a scintilla of chemistry with a more proactive Baio, only prompts any spectator to wonder why doesn’t Parker cast Foster in the leading role instead, who struts and slinks way heads and shoulders above everyone else with a palatable air of insouciance and va-va-voom, such a pity.
referential entries: Parker’s SHOOT THE MOON (1982, 5.4/10), MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978, 7.9/10)