Laurel and Hardy: Atoll K

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Movie
German title Dick and Doof inherit an island
Original title Atoll K
Country of production France
original language English
Publishing year 1951
length 98 minutes
Rod
Director Léo Joannon
script John D. Klorer ,
Friedrich Kohner ,
René Wheeler ,
Piero Tellini ,
Monte Collins ,
Léo Joannon
production Raymond Eger
music Paul Misraki
camera Armand Thirard
cut Raymond Isnardon
occupation

Atoll K (also shown in Germany and Austria as Dick and Doof inherit an island and The Two Robinsons on Atoll K , in the USA as Utopia ) is a Franco-Italian comedy film with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy . It was the last film the duo starred in.

action

Mr. Laurel travels to London to inherit his late uncle. Oliver Hardy accompanies him as his "treasurer" (financial exchequer). The attorneys involved keep so much of the inherited large sum of money for deductions, fees, taxes, etc. that almost nothing is left. The inheritance also includes a yacht moored in Marseille and a South Sea island.

In Marseille, Laurel and Hardy take possession of their yacht and load the provisions for the long journey. Antoine, a stateless person, tries again unsuccessfully to come ashore. Giovanni, an Italian bricklayer who no longer wants to be bossed around by bosses and customers, tries just as unsuccessfully to leave Marseille as a stowaway. A compassionate captain places Antoine as a mechanic and has him set down on Laurel and Hardy's yacht with a crane. The journey starts. Giovanni, who had secretly sneaked aboard the yacht, is discovered on the high seas. For better or worse, the four of them continue the journey. After the engine fails and the sail goes overboard, the seafarers are surprised by a storm. You end up stranded on an island that emerged from the sea. The island, rich in fish, fertile and large enough to be taken over following the example of Robinson Crusoe, turns out to be a true paradise.

The action jumps to Papeete , capital of Tahiti . There the wedding of naval officer Jack Frazer and nightclub singer Chérie Lamour is to be closed. However, the bride and groom quarrel over the question of whether Chérie can continue her career as a singer after the wedding. Jack lets her ultimatum expire and Chérie flees on Captain Dolan's ship. However, his jealous wife abandons her near the island and Chérie is welcomed into the men's society.

Frazer, who leads an expedition to survey the island, discovers uranium there. The question now arises as to which country the island with its valuable treasure belongs to. The country whose citizen entered the country first should be granted the territory. But since that was Antoine, the stateless person, no state can claim ownership of the island (now officially called "Atoll K") and the four Robinsons and Chérie found their own state "Crusoeland" with a constitution ("No laws, none Passports, no prisons, no taxes and no money "), government and flag. Ollie becomes president, the other ministers, Stan only has the role of the people. The island and its free constitution attract countless people of all nationalities, including shady characters, who want to take their personal advantage of the situation. When the government tries to take legal action against it, the manipulated masses under the leadership of the villain Alecto imprison them and are supposed to be executed. Chérie succeeds in getting Lt. Calling Frazer over the radio for help and freeing her friends.

Another storm causes the island to sink back into the sea. Frazer saves Chérie and her friends. Chérie finally marries her lieutenant, Giovanni goes back to Italy and sullenly builds wooden fences there, Antoine falls victim to a hungry lion when he tries to smuggle himself ashore again. Stan and Ollie finally reach their South Sea island and are met by Lt. Frazer supplied with plenty of provisions. Unfortunately, they have to find out that the island has been seized due to outstanding tax payments and that their provisions have been confiscated as a late payment penalty. Oliver Hardy commented this to Stan Laurel for the last time with "That's another nice mess you got me into!".

background

This was Laurel and Hardy's last film. Laurel and Hardy hadn't made a film in five years, and during that time they toured the United States and Europe several times. In 1950 she received the offer to make a movie for the first time in Europe: Atoll K . Stan Laurel completely revised the script, which (as always) is not mentioned in the credits . He got help from US director John Berry , who, denounced as a communist before the Committee for Un-American Activities , could no longer find work in Hollywood and therefore accepted work on films in Europe . That is why he was not mentioned in the credits either. The outdoor shots began in the extremely hot summer of 1950 near Marseille . The shooting took place under very difficult, unprofessional conditions. They were aggravated by the health problems of Ollie and Stan (which is especially evident in Stan in the film) as well as communication problems (Laurel and Hardy spoke no French and director Joannon only little English) and even had to stay for more than two because of Stan Laurel's hospitalization Months are interrupted and ended with a considerable delay in April 1951. Stan Laurel is said to have never seen the finished film.

German version

The film appeared under the titles Atoll K , Dick and Doof on Atoll K and later as Dick and Doof inherit an island in a synchronization from 1951, which was created at the International Film Union (IFU) in Remagen . Werner Völger and Wolfgang Schnitzler wrote the dialogues. Walter Bluhm spoke to Stan and Hermann Pfeiffer Ollie. It is the only dubbed version of this film that was also released on DVD.

Reviews

The reviews were largely negative, and the film is now considered one of the duo's worst. The lexicon of international films wrote: " Despite some good gags, a sad departure for comedians who are too sick and old ". The TV Spielfilm also commented: "Sad exit of the comedian geniuses" .

Premieres

date country
17th October 1951 France
October 25, 1951 Italy
December 14, 1951 Austria
December 21, 1951 Germany
April 25, 1952 Finland
1953 Great Britain
December 14, 1954 United States

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Documentation "Laurel and Hardy: The comical love story of 'Dick and Doof'" by Andreas Baum, 2011
  2. ↑ Laurel and Hardy: Atoll K in the German synchronous file
  3. ^ Norbert Aping: Das kleine Dick-und-Doof-Buch Schüren, Marburg 2014, appendix p. 437f.
  4. ↑ TV feature film online: Dick and Doof inherit an island - film review - film - TV SPIELFILM . In: TV feature film online . ( tvspielfilm.de [accessed on August 31, 2018]).