STAN & OLLIE [2018 / 2019] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
The Untold Story Of The World’s Greatest Comedy Act!
Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly star as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the untold story of the world’s greatest comedy act. ‘STAN & OLLIE’ film wonderfully portray the unique and precious partnership of the legendary duo as they set out on a tour of Britain in the twilight of their career. Whilst they face an uncertain future the charm and beauty of their performances shine through, making each other and their audiences laugh, re-connecting them with legions of adoring fans, old and new.
Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly star as famous comedy double act Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as they embark on a tour of Britain and Ireland during their final years. Playing to half-empty halls the pair is no longer as popular as they once were and as they attempt to boost ticket sales with a number of public appearances their relationship is tested by the emotional strain of touring. After many years of great success Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are made to face up to the harsh realities of their twilight years. The cast also features Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda.
With stunning performances from Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, critics are calling ‘STAN & OLLIE’ “absolute perfection” (IGN), “incredibly funny” (The Telegraph), “an absolute delight” (Radio Times) and a film which “reaches genuinely sublime heights” (The Times).
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2018 Boston Society of Film Critics’ Awards: Win: Best Actor for John C. Reilly. 2018 British Independent Film Awards: Nominated: Best Actor for Steve Coogan. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Nina Arianda. Nominated: Breakthrough Producer for Faye Ward. Nominated: Best Casting for Andy Pryor. Nominated: Best Costume Design for Guy Speranza. Nominated: Best Make Up and Hair Design for Jeremy Woodhead and Mark Coulier. Nominated: Best Production Design for John Paul Kelly. 2018 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Nina Arianda. Nominated: Best Costume Design for Guy Speranza. Nominated: Best Production Design for John Paul Kelly. 2019 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in a Musical or Comedy for John C. Reilly. 2019 BAFTA Film Awards: Nominated: Outstanding British Film of the Year for Faye Ward, Jeff Pope and Jon S. Baird. Nominated: Best Leading Actor for Steve Coogan. Nominated: Best Make Up and Hair for Jeremy Woodhead and Mark Coulier. 2019 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: Nominated: Best Actor for John C. Reilly. 2019 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated: Critics Choice Award for Best Actor in a Comedy for John C. Reilly. 2019 Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards: Nominated: Best Special Makeup Effects in a Feature-Length Motion Picture for Jeremy Woodhead and Mark Coulier. Nominated: Best Period for Character Makeup in a Feature-Length Motion Picture for Jeremy Woodhead and Mark Coulier. 2019 Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: Win: Nuovo Imaie Premio per il Doppiaggio for Angelo Maggi and Simone Mori.
FILM FACT No.2: Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly were announced in January 2016 as lined up to play the duo in a biopic to be directed by Jon S. Baird. The film was written by Jeff Pope, who had previously collaborated with Steve Coogan on the Oscar-nominated screenplay for ‘Philomena.’ Jon S. Baird described the comedy duo as being his “heroes.” Principal UK photography began in spring 2017. It took place in Dudley, in the West Midlands of England, as well as The Old Rep theatre Birmingham, the West London Film Studios, and Bristol in South West England. Various locations along the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire were used for the rail sequences. Filming hours were limited due to John C. Reilly needing four hours in the make-up chair each day. The film premiered on 21st October, 2018 at the closing night gala of the BFI London Film Festival. It was released in the United States on 28th December, 2018 and in the United Kingdom on 11th January, 2019.
Cast: Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Rufus Jones, Danny Huston, Joseph Balderrama, John Henshaw, Tapiwa Mugweni, Keith MacPherson, Stewart Alexander, Kevin Millington, Toby Sedgwick, Rebecca Yeo, Stephanie Hyam, Kate Okello, Sanjeev Kohli, Richard Cant, Ashley Robinson, Greg Canestrari, Roger Ringrose, Ella Kenion, Susy Kane, Veronica Clifford, Elizabeth Bennett, Conrad Asquith, Owen Findlay, Danny Scheinmann, Bentley Kalu, Tom Bates, Ella Baird, Josh Connor, Joshua Alexander, Matt Dunkley, Simon Ager (uncredited), Henrihs Ahmadejevs (uncredited), James Francis Andrews (uncredited), Lucy Appleton (uncredited), Paul Bailey (uncredited), Martin Bratanov (uncredited), Robert William Carlisle (uncredited), Pamela Betsy Cooper (uncredited), Sinéad Daly (uncredited), Laraine Dix (uncredited), Julie Eagleton (uncredited), Daniel Fearn (uncredited), Callum Forman (uncredited), David Gambier (uncredited), Caroline Garnell (uncredited), Eve Harding (uncredited), Michael Haydon (uncredited), Steve Healey (uncredited), Harry Hepple (uncredited), Alex Jaep (uncredited), Karl Jenkins (uncredited), Gary Kiely (uncredited), Elise Lamb (uncredited), Swaylee Loughnane (uncredited), Grace McKenzie (uncredited), Alex McLeish (uncredited), Andy Mihalache (uncredited), Paul A Munday (uncredited), Niall D O'Loughlin (uncredited), Geoffrey Osborne (uncredited), Ross Owen (uncredited), Nick Owenford (uncredited), Matteo Paciletti (uncredited), Richard Price (uncredited), Steve Price (uncredited), Lewis Reynolds (uncredited), Paul Riddell (uncredited), Charlie Robinson (uncredited), James Thomas Scott (uncredited), Sindri Swan (uncredited), Charles Walters (uncredited), (uncredited), Sophie Wardlow (uncredited) and Stuart Whelan (uncredited)
Director: Jon S. Baird
Producers: Andy Harries, Christine Langan, Eugenio Pérez, Faye Ward, Gabrielle Tana, Jeff Pope, Jim Spencer, Joe Oppenheimer, Kate Fasulo, Nichola, Martin Saurabh Kakkar and Xavier Marchand
Screenplay: Jeff Pope (screenplay)
Composer: Rolfe Kent
Make-up and Hair Department: Aimee Spiers [Make-up Artist], Anna Kießer [Prosthetics painter], Annette Field [Crowd Make-up Artist], Bea Garcia [Make-up trainee: crowd, daily] (uncredited), Colum Mangan [Prosthetic Make-up technician], Elen Thomas [Make-up Artist: crowd daily] (uncredited), Josh Weston [Key prosthetic Make-up Artist: John C. Reilly], Marianna Kelleher [Make-up Artist: crowd dailies] (uncredited), Mark Coulier [Prosthetic Make-up Designer], Nora Robertson [Make-up Artist: crowd] (uncredited), Rona Skuodas [Crowd Make-up trainee: daily] (uncredited), Barbara Taylor [Crowd hair supervisor / Crowd Make-up supervisor], Adam James Phillips [Hair stylist: crowd] (uncredited), Anita Brolly [Hair stylist / Make-up Artist], Betsan Dafydd [Hair stylist: crowd (uncredited) / Make-up Artist: crowd] (uncredited), Jeremy Woodhead [Hair designer / Make-up Designer], John Fallows [Hair Stylist: Crowd] (credit only), Julio Parodi [Hair Stylist] (uncredited), Kelly Stewart [Hair and Make-up daily: crowd] (uncredited), Luca Saccuman [Hair stylist / Make-up Artist], Moira Thomson [Hair and Make-up Artist: crowd] (uncredited), Morag Smith [Make-up Artist: crowd], Nabeel Hussain [Crowd hair trainee / Crowd Make-up trainee], Chris Lyons [Special effects teeth], Giulia Scati [Mould maker], Heenal Patel [Standby contact lens optician], Kristie Southcott [Lead silicone technician] and Richard Glass [Contact lens optician]
Costume Design: Guy Speranza
Cinematography: Laurie Rose, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: : 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio [Audio Description]
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 97 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Entertainment One / BBC Films / Baby Cow Films / Fable Pictures
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: With the film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ [2018] we get to find out about the real life comedy duo Laurel and Hardy who were truly two of the greatest comedy performers ever to grace the big silver screen. So it’s surprising how long it has taken to see their true-life tale bought to life on said-screen, especially considering the goldmine of behind-the-scenes stories with which to draw upon. At last though, we have just such a film, one that goes to greater depths then one would have expected.
By the summer of 1937 in Culver City, California, the comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were the biggest comedy stars in Hollywood, Loved by audiences and critics alike, and their films were subbed into multiple languages and were watched by millions around the world. They had reached the top . . .
‘STAN & OLLIE’ were the men behind Laurel and Hardy’s Hollywood’s greatest comedy double act. Starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly in delightfully bang-on-target performances as the legendary movie icons, ‘STAN & OLLIE’ is the heart-warming story of what would become the pair’s triumphant farewell tour.
In 1953, several years after their last film and with their immense celebrity on the wane, Stan Laurel and Ollie Hardy embark on a gig tour of British seaside towns and music halls. Surprised by the modesty of the bookings and cramped little guesthouses, the tour starts off subdued. But with the support of their wives Lucille Hardy [Shirley Henderson] and Ida Kitaeva Laurel [Nina Arianda] – a formidable double act in their own right – the pair’s love of performing, as well as for each other, they secure their enduring place in the hearts of their adoring public as they head towards a big London finale.
Stan Laurel and Ollie Hardy returned to America after their totally successful United Kingdom tour, but they never performed together again. Ollie Hardy’s health didn’t recover and sadly passed away in 1957. Stan Laurel refused all offers to perform without his old partner Ollie Hardy and went into retirement. But for the next eight years, continued writing comedy material for Laurel and Hardy. Sadly, Stan Laurel passed away in in 1965.
The ‘STAN & OLLIE’ film begins with a wonderful single tracking shot that introduces the pair on the set of arguably their best film, 1937’s ‘Way Out West.’ From the off, we are invited to see the contrast between performer and character, with much of the dialogue and action providing an insight into the pair’s more complex, fractious relationship. Fast forward ten years, and things have clearly soured, as the two reunite in a dingy Inn to embark on the start of a nationwide theatre tour across Britain in the hope of rekindling their ailing careers.
From the moment their casting was announced, it was obvious that Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly would exceed expectations as the famous twosome. Both performances are a startling transformation, the two actors becoming almost indistinguishable from the subjects they are playing. Steve Coogan brings a real air of exhaustive sadness to his role as Stan, a constant comedian despite the obvious distaste for his current circumstances. Where at times Stan Laurel teeters precariously on the edge of unsympathetic, Steve Coogan’s charming portrayal keeps the character just about on the right level.
John C. Reilly, meanwhile, cuts a clownish but vulnerable figure under a transformative make-up work. Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda complete the cast as Stan Laurel and Ollie Hardy’s partners, Lucille Hardy and Ida Kitaeva Laurel respectively, with the script giving both some of the funniest lines and meatier scenes – Nina Arianda is especially delightful to watch as Stan Laurel’s cutting, blunt-forced wife Ida Kitaeva Laurel.
With the film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ [2018] we get to find out about the real life comedy duo Laurel and Hardy who were truly two of the greatest comedy performers ever to grace the big silver screen. So it’s surprising how long it has taken to see their true-life tale bought to life on said-screen, especially considering the goldmine of behind-the-scenes stories with which to draw upon. At last though, we have just such a film, one that goes to greater depths then one would have expected.
Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly are known for their brilliance as physical comedians, but their body language, mannerism and routines rise to a new comedic level in ‘STAN & OLLIE.’ Together with director Jon S. Baird, screenwriter Jeff Pope and producer Faye Ward, the cast and crew have succeeded in creating a fitting tribute to two of cinema’s comedy geniuses that had the honour of having a World Premiere of ‘STAN & OLLIE’ for the Closing Night Gala at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival in 2019.
The film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ was inspired by the book “LAUREL & HARDY – THE BRITISH TOURS” by A.J. Marriot. The film was also in memory of LOUIS LAUREL 1927 – 2017.
STAN & OLLIE MUSIC TRACK LIST
DANCE OF THE CUCKOOS (Written by Marvin Hatley)
TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (Written by Harry Carroll & Ballard MacDonald) [Performed by John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Entertainment One, BBC Films, Baby Cow Films and Fable Pictures present us the film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ with an outstanding 1080p image quality and of course it is shown in the exceptional 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The movie's period textures come alive, including the make-up stages, hotel rooms, and other locations seen throughout the film. Costumes of the era are excellent, showcasing fine fabric and stitch definition in close-up. Skin details are excellent, with special note of the seamless prosthetics, in particular the actor John C. Reilly. The subtle colours are really excellent in showing off the period of the film in the United Kingdom. Skin tones are healthy and black levels are consistently deep. All in all, the image presentation is totally excellent and makes watching the movie a wonderful experience. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Entertainment One, BBC Films, Baby Cow Films and Fable Pictures brings us the film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ with a totally all encompassed wonderful 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience and is front-heavy with scant surround usage and nothing of prominence. Essentials are presented with perfectly acceptable clarity, whether music, effects, or dialogue. Crowd applause and laughter, environmental city sound details is very good clarity and the dialogue is totally excellent also and you can hear all of the actor’s dialogue with very good clarity and makes watching the film a total joy.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Making of [2018] [1080p] [2.40:1 / 1.78:1] [4:37] With this featurette, we get an in-depth look and the film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ and how the duo had a great affection and love for each other. We also get to view behind-the-scene filming as well as scenes of some of the actors getting their make-up done. They say with the film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ they wanted to show how the duo worked together, but also concentrates on their tour around the United Kingdom, because they were totally broke and of course needed to make a lot of money very quickly. They also say they wanted to show us their workout routines and to make you feel you are actually watching Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and they inform us that Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly really worked well together throughout shooting the film. We also get to see the fat prosthetic suit that John C. Reilly had to wear and more scenes with John C. Reilly having his make-up session done. They also said that they did not want to make a a conventional bio=pic, instead they wanted to create something which is totally new concept and something the older cinema audiences would enjoy, especially for fans of the original real duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy around the world, because it is a very universal story, and it is also about friendship, relationships and to show the audiences a very heart-warming story. As an added bonus we get to view scenes from the film ‘STAN & OLLIE.’ Contributors include: Faye Ward [Producer], Jeff Pope [Screenwriter], John C. Reilly [Oliver Hardy], John S. Baird [Director] and Steve Coogan [Stan Laurel].
Special Feature: Prosthetics [2018] [1080p] [2.40:1 / 1.78:1] [3:14] With this featurette, we get to see behind-the-scenes with all the prosthetic that the actors had to wear, and we get to see the fat body prosthetic and fat face for John E. Reilly had to wear and the special ears that Steve Coogan had to wear. We also see the two actors getting ready to shoot a scene for the film while having their make-up applied. We also get to hear in-depth about the process of the make-up and about the prosthetic fat body outfit and fat face especially for John C. Reilly who talks about the long process with his make-up and especially wearing the prosthetic fat body outfit and how it affected him when walking. But when John C. Reilly after each shoot he had to take off his prosthetic fat body outfit and fat face and had to be destroyed and with each new scene shoot had to put on a brand new prosthetic fat body outfit and fat face and we also get a close at some of the smaller prosthetic that Steve Coogan had to wear, as well as seeing Steve Coogan having his make-up applied. Once again, we get to view several scenes from the film we ‘STAN & OLLIE.’ Contributors include: Jon S. Baird [Director], Mark Coulier [Prosthetic Make-up Designer], John C. Reilly [Oliver Hardy] and Steve Coogan [Stan Laurel].
Special Feature: Relationships [2018] [1080p] [2.40:1 / 1.78:1] [3:29] With this featurette, we get to hear about the deep relationship that Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and throughout their working life and how they wanted to capture this situation throughout the movie ‘STAN & OLLE.’ They also mention that when you are watching a Laurel & Hardy film, that they had compassion for the human condition, and that the joke was on them and they would poke fun at society at the time they made their comedy films, and also showing that the human species was totally ridiculous. We also find out that in reality they worked well together, but outside of the studio they did their own separate things, like Stan Laurel was a workaholic and was always typing up scripts and also oved to get involved with directing scenes in their films, whereas Oliver hardy would rather be away from the studio and always wanting to put but best of the horses, but most of the time he would lose big monies, But what they say is that despite the passing of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, people still enjoyed watching the comedy duo’s films. Once again, we get to view several scenes from the film we ‘STAN & OLLIE.’ Contributors include: Jon S. Baird [Director], Steve Coogan [Stan Laurel] and John C. Reilly [Oliver Hardy].
Special Feature: ‘STAN & OLLIE’ VFX Breakdown [2018] [1080p] [2.40:1] [2:20] With this featurette, The team at UNION VFX were engaged to help place Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the locations in the 1930’s and 1950’s. On top of all that the team at UNION VFX would show the dressing room was shot on location at Eltham Palace in Greenwich, the Roach Studio lot was filmed at Pinewood, after a lot of wrangling by the locations department asking very kindly to remove Stormtroopers and Raptor cages from shot, and the sound stage at Twickenham Studios. The team at UNION VFX would add exterior buildings and background elements such as the water tower and Hollywood hills along with CGI cars and Iconic buildings modelled from photo references. The team at UNION VFX had to do lots of prep work and tracking to remove road markings etc., that were not period appropriate and then had to repaint shadows. Much of UNION VFX’s work was returning Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s British tour locations to the 1950’s era. We got a clear brief and accompanying concept artwork from Production Designer John Paul Kelly and used a combination of 2.5 and 3D approaches. The team at UNION VFX had also conducted their own research amassing hundreds of period photographic reference of signs etc., and built a set of assets from props used on set which we could then be used to dress the exteriors. The team at UNION VFX had their central location in Central London, which came in handy for the Piccadilly Circus shot which involved creating a view that doesn’t exist in real life. UNION VFX were able to nip out to Trafalgar Square and take photos that we used to build assets and place into our scenes complete with CGI people, cars etc. To fill the theatre, we had 100 extras that we filmed in different parts of The Hackney Empire, which were then doubled for The Lyceum theatre scenes. The team at UNION VFX also used a similar technique with 350 extras on location in Bristol Harbour to recreate the pair’s arrival at Cobh Harbour in Ireland and fleshed this out with a bit with set extension and crowd replication. With Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s British tour journey, you get view both of them on a vintage ship which also involved the creation of CGI water in Houdini to provide wake, spray and interaction with the boat filmed in Bristol Harbour. UNION VFX combined this with some live action plates filmed from a drone. The project also involved green screen work; most notably recreating the duo’s iconic ‘Way out West’ dance routine. The original was filmed in front of in front of a rear projection screen and the production miraculously managed to track down the original providing two pieces of the original backdrop as reference. UNION VFX Supervisor Adam Gascoyne comments: “Having worked with producer Faye Ward on Suffragette and Dancing on the Edge, it was great to join the team to deliver this special film. Director Jon S. Baird and Production Designer John Kelly provided a very clear vision and we’re really proud of the results. The ‘STAN & OLLIE’ project has deservedly received critical acclaim and it was great to be a part of it.” All in all, this featurette is absolutely brilliant and totally amazing in showing us what the brilliant people at the UNION VFX organisation in showing us the amazing advancement in CGI technology. The UNION VFX organisation is an independent visual-effects facility founded in 2008 to provide a creative service for feature film and television productions. UNION VFX organisation headquarters are based in Soho in London and has a sister company in Montréal. UNION VFX has established an unrivalled reputation for seamless invisible effects on a wide range of projects building strong creative relationships with really interesting directors including Danny Boyle, Susanne Bier, Martin McDonagh, Marjane Satrapi, Sam Mendez and Fernando Meirelles.
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [2018] [1080p] [1.47:1 / 2.40:1] [10:14] With this featurette, we get to see three deleted scenes that did not make it into the movie ‘STAN & OLLIE.’
Special Feature: World Premier – The Red Carpet [2018] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:06] With this featurette, we are informed that the film ‘STAN & OLLIE’ had its World Premiere to close 62nd BFI London Film Festival on the 21st October, 2018 at the Cineworld, Leicester Square, attended by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, who star as the legendary movie comedy duo. Director Jon S. Baird, BAFTA award-winning writer Jeff Pope, producer Faye Ward and cast members were also in attendance. BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director, Tricia Tuttle says: “We’re delighted to be closing the BFI London Film Festival with this beautiful tribute to cinema’s early comedy odd couple, Laurel & Hardy. A truly funny and touching story about a tender life-long friendship, Jon S. Baird’s film is also a must for movie fans, exploring the twilight years of two megawatt performers Laurel & Hardy who had a meteoric rise to fame. These two prove that true comic timing is eternal, and it’s a perfect end to the Festival as the BFI looks ahead to our major UK-wide Comedy Genius season this 2018 autumn.” This featurette was produced by Spoon Jar Films. Contributors include: Steve Coogan [Stan Laurel], Danny Baker [Broadcaster], Jon S. Baird [Director], Ross Own [Film Consultant], Jeff Pope [Screenwriter], Rufus Jones [Bernard Delfont] Cassidy Cook [Stan Laurel’s Great Granddaughter], Shirley Henderson [Lucille Hardy] and John C. Reilly [Oliver hardy].
BONUS Trailers: With this featurette, we get to view the following two Blu-ray Trailers and they are as follows:
Where’D You Go, Bernadette [2018] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:36]
On The Basis Of Sex [2018] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:20]
Finally, ‘STAN & OLLIE’ [2018] is a tribute to the two comedy icons of Hollywood and is a probing examination of their eventual decline in popularity, the film balances the more rose-tinted aspects of its narrative with the stark nature of the inevitable heartbreak of the short moment when they fell out with one another. The audience knows this won’t be a jolly knees-up affair, but Jon S. Baird’s direction and Jeff Pope’s screenplay never favours one aspect over the other, resulting in a film that is well-measured, complex, clever and poignant. The comedy complements the sadder moments nicely, with no uncomfortable tonal shifts – instead, we are eased into the more melancholy nature of the story, which makes the later scenes all the more investing. Combining astonishing, almost metamorphic performances with a light-hearted yet powerful script and confident, polished direction, ‘STAN & OLLIE’ serves not only as an emotional and enlightening biopic, but equally as an insightful and hilarious reminder of Laurel and Hardy’s success and talent, epitomized by the painstakingly realised reconstructions of their best routines. It’s another fine mess in the best possible way. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
