Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Vol. 1
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Popeye the SailorBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Black & White, Box set, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC, Original recording remastered
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 416 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Vol. 1
Movie Review: A middle-aged superhero, with one eye and a speech impediment
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I say that hasn't already been said about this collection? Oh well, I'll say it anyway.
I can't remember the last time I had so much fun watching cartoons. I grew up with these. When I was a kid, I was completely entertained, but simply accepted them at face value. Now, as an adult, I can fully appreciate the undercurrent of total absurdity that flows through them. Some of them make me laugh out loud. It's so refreshing seeing these restored to their original crisp, black and white glory. It's like seeing them for the first time. The depression era New York Setting featured in many of them was a real departure from what the other animation studios we're doing. I love the often gritty backgrounds framing all of the nonsense going on in the foreground. The Sindbad and Ali Baba color two reelers are absolutely stunning. I've seen them so many times over the years I practically have them memorized, but they never looked anything like they do here. Not even close. This collection is worth every penny just for those two. I just got my hands on Volume 2 and it looks like the same for the Aladdin color two-reeler. I haven't started watching that collection yet, but I had to take a peek.
There's an embarrassment of riches with the supplementary materials which strike a good balance between scholarly and entertaining. The brief "Popumentaries" sprinkled throughout the collection provide great insight and fun facts on selected cartoons. The audio commentaries are a lot of fun even if they don't always reveal a lot of in-depth information. The "Out of the Inkwell" cartoons provide a fascinating look at early animation. Even if you just have a casual interest in animation, you'll find most of the supplementary materials well worth your time. If you are more of an aficionado, you might learn something new or see something you haven't seen before.
I have one criticism. The advertising at the beginning of disc four is extremely irritating. I watch these two or three at a time rather than going through a whole disc in one sitting (why eat the whole carton of ice cream when a couple of scoops will do?). Every time I put on disc four, I had to fast forward through the advertising. Hitting the menu button didn't seem to bypass it. It was annoying the first time, but after dealing with it repeatedly, it was beyond tedious. Even with that, I still have to give this collection five stars. It really delivers. Now, on to Volume 2! Popeye the Sailor, Vol. 2: 1938-1940
Summary of Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Vol. 1
The plot lines in the animated cartoons tended to be simple. A villain usually Bluto makes a move on Popeye's "sweetie" Olive Oyl. The bad guy then clobbers Popeye until Popeye eats spinach which gives him superhuman strength. The fundamental character of Popeye paralleling that of another 1930's icon Superman also invokes traditional values possessing uncompromising moral standards and resorting to force only when threatened or when he "can't stands no more"! The first volume includes 58 (7-10 min) theatrical blk & white shorts from 1933 to 1938 and 2 two-reeler 20 minute color cartoons. (Notable shorts: * POPEYE THE SAILOR MEETS SINDBAD THE SAILOR was an Academy Award? Nominee. Betty Boop appears in a cameo as a hula dancer in the 1st short "Popeye The Sailor")Running Time: 550 min.System Requirements:Running Time: 550 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM UPC: 012569797963 Manufacturer No: 79796In 1933, a squint-eyed sailor with outsized forearms danced a hula with Betty Boop--and began one of the great series in American cartoon history. Popeye had made his debut in Elzie Segar's comic strip "Thimble Theater" four years earlier, and the jump to animation only increased his popularity: by 1938, he rivaled Mickey Mouse. During the '30s, when Disney was creating lushly colored, realistic animation, the Fleischer Studio presented a gritty black-and-white world that was ideally suited to the bizarre misadventures of Popeye, Olive, and Bluto. The animators ignored anatomy, with hilarious results: Olive Oyl's rubbery arms wrap around her body like twin anacondas, and her legs often end up in knots. Exactly what Popeye and Bluto saw in this scrawny, capricious inamorata was never clear, but they fought over her endlessly. As the series progressed, the artists grew more sophisticated: in "Blow Me Down" (1933), Olive does some clumsy steps to "The Mexican Hat Dance;" one year later, in "The Dance Contest," she and Popeye perform deft spoofs of tango, tap, and apache steps. The stories are little more than strings of gags linked by a theme: Popeye and Bluto as rival artists; Popeye and Olive as nightclub dancers or caf? owners. But the minimal stories allow the artists to fill the screen with jokes, over-the-top fights, and muttered asides from the characters. Cartoon fans have waited for years for the "Popeye" shorts to appear on disc, and the Popeye the Sailor 1933-1938 was worth waiting for. The transfers were made from beautifully clear prints with only minimal dust and scratches. The set is loaded with extras, including eight "Popumentaries," numerous commentaries, and 16 silent cartoons. It's a set to treasure. (Unrated, suitable for ages 10 and older: violence, tobacco use, ethnic stereotypes) --Charles Solomon
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