Popeye
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Paul L. Smith, Ray Walston, Paul Dooley, Wesley Ivan Hurt.
Looking for the father (Ray Walston) who deserted him as a baby, a sailor named Popeye (Robin Williams) journeys to the quaint town of Sweethaven. Popeye befriends an assortment of eccentrics and falls in love with Olive Oyl (Shelley Duvall), who already has a suitor, the bully Bluto (Paul L. Smith). Popeye also discovers an abandoned baby, Swee'Pea, whom he raises as his own. But when the spurned Bluto kidnaps Olive and the child, Popeye takes action, with the help of his magic spinach.
Fatherhood plays a strong symbolic role in this film and nowhere is it better illustrated than in the character of Popeye and his relationship with his adopted son, Sweetpea and his long-lost father, the mysterious and elusive Commodore.
When Popeye first comes to Sweethaven, he tells Olive Oyl that his reason for coming to the quaint little town is that he is searching for his father, who he lost when he was a child. Although he resents his father for abandoning him at such a fragile age, Popeye tells Olive that his mother came to him in a dream and told Popeye that his father was alive, and that Popeye must find his father and forgive him. Popeye’s bond with his long-lost father is illustrated in the picture frame that he has held onto since he was a child. While the child-like affection Popeye feels may seem insignificant to most, this picture-less frame is the only tangible link that Popeye has to his absent father and he finds some measure of comfort and guidance when he talks it. When we encounter the mysterious Commodore, who is revealed to be Popeye’s beloved Pappy, we learn that the secret treasure that he has kept hidden for all these years is not a chest filled with gold and jewels, but something far more precious; remembrances from his son’s childhood…including his own picture frame.
The theme of fatherhood is illustrated again in the letters that connect Popeye and his adopted son, Swee’pea. When Popeye and Olive Oyl discover a baby hidden in a basket, they find a letter pinned to the child’s blanket, instructing Popeye that the baby’s mother can no longer care for him and wishes Popeye to care for the baby and love him “as only a mother could”. While initially Popeye and Olive can’t seem to agree on how best to raise the child, who Popeye christens Swee’pea, it is their love for him that compels Popeye to realize his feelings for Olive. Popeye soon sees a very keen reflection of his own life in the child as he writes Swee’pea a letter and sings his missing son a heartfelt lullaby. Ironically, Swee’pea is also the catalyst that reunites Popeye with his long-lost Pappy and restores their relationship after Bluto kidnaps Olive and Swee’pea.
While Popeye is not the greatest musical that I have ever critiqued, there is a certain eccentric charm to this film that one has to admire. The casting for this movie is as close to perfect as one could get, particularly for Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall who bring their characters to life with such genuine sincerity that one would think they had fallen right into the pages of the Elzie Segar comic strip from which this movie was inspired. The story also has an endearing charm to it and one can't help hoping that Popeye will be reunited with his Pappy. Overall, this is a film I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2019 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Paul L. Smith, Ray Walston, Paul Dooley, Wesley Ivan Hurt.
Looking for the father (Ray Walston) who deserted him as a baby, a sailor named Popeye (Robin Williams) journeys to the quaint town of Sweethaven. Popeye befriends an assortment of eccentrics and falls in love with Olive Oyl (Shelley Duvall), who already has a suitor, the bully Bluto (Paul L. Smith). Popeye also discovers an abandoned baby, Swee'Pea, whom he raises as his own. But when the spurned Bluto kidnaps Olive and the child, Popeye takes action, with the help of his magic spinach.
Fatherhood plays a strong symbolic role in this film and nowhere is it better illustrated than in the character of Popeye and his relationship with his adopted son, Sweetpea and his long-lost father, the mysterious and elusive Commodore.
When Popeye first comes to Sweethaven, he tells Olive Oyl that his reason for coming to the quaint little town is that he is searching for his father, who he lost when he was a child. Although he resents his father for abandoning him at such a fragile age, Popeye tells Olive that his mother came to him in a dream and told Popeye that his father was alive, and that Popeye must find his father and forgive him. Popeye’s bond with his long-lost father is illustrated in the picture frame that he has held onto since he was a child. While the child-like affection Popeye feels may seem insignificant to most, this picture-less frame is the only tangible link that Popeye has to his absent father and he finds some measure of comfort and guidance when he talks it. When we encounter the mysterious Commodore, who is revealed to be Popeye’s beloved Pappy, we learn that the secret treasure that he has kept hidden for all these years is not a chest filled with gold and jewels, but something far more precious; remembrances from his son’s childhood…including his own picture frame.
The theme of fatherhood is illustrated again in the letters that connect Popeye and his adopted son, Swee’pea. When Popeye and Olive Oyl discover a baby hidden in a basket, they find a letter pinned to the child’s blanket, instructing Popeye that the baby’s mother can no longer care for him and wishes Popeye to care for the baby and love him “as only a mother could”. While initially Popeye and Olive can’t seem to agree on how best to raise the child, who Popeye christens Swee’pea, it is their love for him that compels Popeye to realize his feelings for Olive. Popeye soon sees a very keen reflection of his own life in the child as he writes Swee’pea a letter and sings his missing son a heartfelt lullaby. Ironically, Swee’pea is also the catalyst that reunites Popeye with his long-lost Pappy and restores their relationship after Bluto kidnaps Olive and Swee’pea.
While Popeye is not the greatest musical that I have ever critiqued, there is a certain eccentric charm to this film that one has to admire. The casting for this movie is as close to perfect as one could get, particularly for Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall who bring their characters to life with such genuine sincerity that one would think they had fallen right into the pages of the Elzie Segar comic strip from which this movie was inspired. The story also has an endearing charm to it and one can't help hoping that Popeye will be reunited with his Pappy. Overall, this is a film I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2019 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.