Whatever your opinion on Alan Parker's "Bugsy Malone", it's probably not as strong as his views on the gangster musical he made entirely with children cast in adult parts. Find out his thoughts on what is a good quality, if somewhat unambitious, DVD release.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture The 1.66:1 ratio of the film is preserved and presented as a 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer with slim black bands. Colours are bright, and the print is in good condition. The film looks deceptively new.

Sound An opportunity has been missed here by leaving the sound as mono. It's a gutsy track, though, and handles the music with strength and clarity.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio Commentary Writer-director Alan Parker does not mince his words about his creation: "I look at it now and I think it's the work of a madman, quite frankly." Yet Parker is even franker, describing the film as "a ludicrous, ridiculous idea".

Parker is clearly fond of his creation however, and has plenty of anecdotes to share. The splurge guns were "always a complete and utter disaster", and a lot of cheating had to be done in order to effectively splatter the cast with over 1,000 custard pies.

From Sketch to Screen This is a good multi-angle feature. It should ideally have been used for more scenes, as only the opening four minutes of the movie are covered. You can switch between Alan Parker's detailed storyboards, the Graham Thompson comic book, and a composite of the two, set against the finished movie.

Additional Extra Features Also on the DVD is a character guide, animated photo gallery, animated art gallery, trivia notes, teaser trailer, trailer, and promo reel. Included in the DVD packaging is a 12-page booklet written by Alan Parker.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Region: 2
Chapters: 10
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono)
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: English
Captions: English
Menus: Static, with music
Special Features Subtitles: None of the special features come with subtitles.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.