Popeye (film)

Popeye was a 1980 live-action movie directed by Robert Altman, based on the comic strip and cartoon character Popeye the Sailor.

The movie was a musical, which was uncommon for the time. Its songs were by Harry Nilsson, and they are very unusual in that there were almost no rhymes in any of the songs instead, the songs were structured by using a great deal of repetition, and cross-cutting inside songs to non-musical sequences. It starred Robin Williams (in his first film role) as Popeye and Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl.

Popeye was a joint production between Paramount Pictures (distributors/producers of the 1933 – 1957 Popeye theatrical cartoons) and Walt Disney Productions, and was released by Paramount. It was filmed almost entirely on Malta, in the village of Mellieħa, where the set is still a tourist attraction. The movie won a Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. The film's tagline is The sailor man with the spinach can!

Plot summary

Template:Spoiler After he's thrown from a ship during a storm, Popeye arrives in the quaint seaside community of Sweethaven in search of his long-lost father. There he rents a room from the Oyls, and Popeye quickly meets and falls for their daughter Olive. Olive's hand has already been promised to Captain Bluto, a bully and ruffian who is in charge of collecting taxes for the mysterious Commodore. Eventually Popeye and Olive are brought together by Swee'Pea, an adorable foundling, and Popeye finally meets his father, Poopdeck Pappy.

Main cast

• Robin Williams as Popeye the Sailor
• Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl
• Ray Walston as Poopdeck Pappy
• Paul L. Smith as Bluto
• Paul Dooley as J. Wellington Wimpy
• Richard Libertini as Geezil
• Linda Hunt as Mrs. Oxheart
• Donald Moffat as The Taxman
• MacIntyre Dixon as Cole Oyl
• Roberta Maxwell as Nana Oyl
• Donavan Scott as Castor Oyl

Soundtrack

(all songs written by Harry Nilsson except "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man")

1. I Yam What I Yam
2. He Needs Me
3. Swee' Pea's Lullaby
4. Din' We
5. Sweethaven
6. Blow Me Down
7. Sailin'
8. It's Not Easy Being Me
9. He's Large
10. I'm Mean
11. Kids
12. I'm Popeye The Sailor Man

The song "He Needs Me" was featured in the movie Punch-Drunk Love.

External links

• Popeye at IMDb
• Popeye at Rotten Tomatoes