|
Often times, I start my reviews with a spoiler disclaimer if I don’t want to inadvertently reveal an ending to a film. More often it will be a mock author’s note attempting to be silly or to just begrudgingly make a statement. This one doesn’t fall in either category. The Optimists is a British film, and although I’m more than accustomed to British customs, lingo and accents, the combination of these thick accents, poor quality sound, and this DVD’s lack of subtitles made the film almost completely impossible for me to enjoy. We’ll get to more of that, but I want this known because it’s possible the review itself may contain inaccuracies. If this review resembles a deaf man’s critique of a Metallica concert, I want you to know in advance why.
I hate Oliver Twist. Seriously.
I’ve always found the book to be a complete bore, and it was probably made worse because I clearly remember Movie-of-the-Week TV spots playing constantly in the early 80’s for the 1974 version of the film, where Oliver gives the infamous “Please, Sir, I want some more” cry, which made even a wee tyke like myself want to beat his ass. I like Charles Dickens as much as anyone, but Oliver Twist was no Great Expectations, and even Polanski couldn’t make that any more enjoyable for me.
 The Optimists is about two kids from a fairly impoverished family in the early 1970s. Both parents have to work – neither one educated – and this leaves the children without any real guidance for most of the time. These kids may not be orphans, but they are dirty little street brats with no manners and remind me instantly of Oliver Twist, which means I want them to meet a grisly demise. Unfortunately, the “song-and-dance” man (i.e. bum) Sam (Peter Sellers, no doubt trying to branch out, and doth did bow break) and his sickly dog Bella do not, respectively, murder them and feast upon their young bones.
Instead, they become quite good friends and although at first Sam couldn’t possibly be bothered with them, he eventually allows them to come along everywhere with them. They make some money together as Sam sings the most depressing songs ears can imagine. The kids buy a dog and their parents won’t let them keep it, but it’s just so fortunate that Bella dies and the kids give the dog to Sam after burying Bella. Roll credits.
 If you take a look at the cover of The Optimists via the Amazon link below (not advising a purchase, so don’t call me a whore), you’ll see an old style painted cover with Peter Sellers dancing jovially, with dog beside him and a large grin on his face. I don’t recall him smiling that big at all throughout the entire film. Largely, this is because there isn’t that much humor to be found, and while there might be a few insightful smirks here and there, it’s largely a draining and fucking depressing movie.
Perhaps something is lost in the translation (see disclaimer above) but the packaging blurb stats that Sam has “a unique outlook on life” and he teaches the kids to “look at life from a new perspective.” I didn’t see this at all. It looks to me that Sam’s outlook can be summed up as, “I wish to be left alone. I wish to be back in the circus. I wish to drink myself into depression.” Christ, that doesn’t sound all too unique to me as two-out-of-three of those I share about every day. For the record circuses suck because elephants smell bad, clowns are ridiculously unfunny and trapeze artists and tightrope walkers who use safety nets are just pussies.
Call me a pessimist, but The Optimists sucks.
 Presentation
As more than alluded to in the opening paragraph, the presentation of The Optimists is pretty vile and no doubt contributed to my overall disgust with the film. The audio is not clear at all, and in fact sounds a lot like a VHS audio track. There is a steady his going through it which, when added to the overall low volume of the film, only helps to make the dialog completely indiscernible. The video fares better, but not much. It’s watchable, and it’s great to see that older, more obscure films are getting anamorphic widescreen releases, even this late into the DVD format’s existence. It doesn’t look like much, if any, restoration effort was done with it though. One can expect and overlook the grain, but I clearly saw print damage, and in fact a few frames looked like they suffered water damage. There are no subtitles either. I’m more than a bit disappointed here. Maybe listening in headphones would help the experience, but I shouldn’t really have to do that.
 Extras
Life sucks and then your dog dies: The making of The Optimists – (25:60)
Just kidding. There are no extras here unless “Chapter Selections” are your thing, but they aren’t mine. I’m pretty happy with this too. Less work for me to write and you to read when you should be doing your job anyway.
The Bottom Line
Again, I can’t be prouder than to see studios like Legend releasing older films previously unavailable on DVD, but Peter Sellers fans should know this: You now have The Optimists on DVD, which is a shitty movie with an even shittier presentation, while The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu and The Prisoner of Zenda remain unavailable.
There is little justice in this world.
Please, Sir. I want some more.
|
