ATOLL K was the final film Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made. Produced in France in 1950, it was the first film the team had made in about five years. Production on the film was chaotic, with language barriers (Laurel and Hardy were among the few on the set that spoke English), illnesses (Stan's being the worse), and a somewhat incompetent director (Léo Joannon spent three days filming a lake that he thought looked nice).
The basic premise is that the Boys have inherited a yacht and an island from Stan's late uncle. The duo journey to their island, but get caught in a storm along the way, eventually landing on an atoll. Joining them are stateless man Antione (Max Elloy), Italian immigrant Giovanni (Adriano Rimoldi), and Chérie (Suzy Delair), a nightclub singer running from her workaholic fiancé. Pretty soon, the rest of the world takes interest in the atoll, leading the castaways to form their own government - with no laws!
This film can be enjoyed if one gets beyond its obvious flaws:
1. Health-wise, neither Laurel nor Hardy was particularly well during most of production, and it shows. But one adjusts to their appearance after awhile. Besides, their performances are still top-notch.
2. The dubbing in the English-language print is atrocious. Tons of studio 'noise' can be heard in the background. Incidentally, the great Paul Frees did the English dubbing for Max Elloy's character.
3. The plot gets a bit dark during the film's second half, with the comedy taking second place to the story.
However, the first half of the film is quite enjoyable. Unlike some of their previous efforts for 20th Century Fox and MGM, Stan and Ollie are entirely in character here. And there is enough fresh material to keep one invested. And the second half does have some memorable bits sprinkled in.
Check the film out for yourself and form your own opinion. One word of advice: try to get the uncut 100 minute version of the film. The plot makes more sense in that print than in UTOPIA, the American edit.
The basic premise is that the Boys have inherited a yacht and an island from Stan's late uncle. The duo journey to their island, but get caught in a storm along the way, eventually landing on an atoll. Joining them are stateless man Antione (Max Elloy), Italian immigrant Giovanni (Adriano Rimoldi), and Chérie (Suzy Delair), a nightclub singer running from her workaholic fiancé. Pretty soon, the rest of the world takes interest in the atoll, leading the castaways to form their own government - with no laws!
This film can be enjoyed if one gets beyond its obvious flaws:
1. Health-wise, neither Laurel nor Hardy was particularly well during most of production, and it shows. But one adjusts to their appearance after awhile. Besides, their performances are still top-notch.
2. The dubbing in the English-language print is atrocious. Tons of studio 'noise' can be heard in the background. Incidentally, the great Paul Frees did the English dubbing for Max Elloy's character.
3. The plot gets a bit dark during the film's second half, with the comedy taking second place to the story.
However, the first half of the film is quite enjoyable. Unlike some of their previous efforts for 20th Century Fox and MGM, Stan and Ollie are entirely in character here. And there is enough fresh material to keep one invested. And the second half does have some memorable bits sprinkled in.
Check the film out for yourself and form your own opinion. One word of advice: try to get the uncut 100 minute version of the film. The plot makes more sense in that print than in UTOPIA, the American edit.