yes, the original full length version finally came out a few years ago and strangely it has (suddenly) become rather scarce! the fan is certainly encouraged to look for that edition...it puts every single previous edition to shame. (yes, a Public Domain print was used all over the place).to the film: it was made in France in 1950-51 and the backstory is very well known at this point, even to casual fans.if the viewer just watches L & H then he/she is treated to the real L & H, albeit older and "playing hurt". Stan looks terrible (once back home he quickly recovered!) for most of the shoot and Ollie is heavier than ever. BUT...let's all enjoy the boys "back in character"...first time in a decade! we can easily say that the backstory makes a funnier movie..with a multi language cast and a script girl who must have gone bonkers before the shoot even took place! but not so fast: there are a lot of very funny bits and pieces and intelligent dialogue > Laurel & hardy's only politically-charged film, with plenty of jabs at government and taxes. on their way to their inherited island they barrel onto a new atoll...Ollie becomes President! (along the way they have acquired a few "passengers" on their broken down yacht, another gift from Stan's Uncle).when uranium is found by a rescue ship, the whole world heads for this..."utopia".for what it's worth, we must assume that the creator of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND watched this mixed up but funny mess of a movie, more than once.buy this DVD now! you can bring all the earlier issues to the Library. :)

This movie has a terrible reputation but I like to make up my own mind on things . The omens weren't good however and the fact that this movie is known by at least three titles , has three directors who are uncredited and four screenwriters who are then instinct tells you that you're going to be watching something of a mess . Alongside this a common criticism for the movie is that Stan and Ollie have lost their spark some six years after making there last film together and about fifteen years after they'd reached their peak . I wasn't filled with optimism and expected to hate every unfunny moment of it Perhaps because I had so low expectations I found ATOLL K not as bad as I was expecting . That said I wasn't expecting much . Stan and Ollie do retain a natural genius for slapstick and one liners but they're let down by everything surrounding them . This is also a public domain film and the picture and sound quality is very poor so right away you're irritated by the mis-en-scene. Having four directors didn't help either and what was needed was a mere one director and it's a pity he wasn't James Parrot or any of the other directors who worked with the duo in the 1930s . As you probably know this is a French/Italian co-production which means the supporting cast are non English speakers whose lines have been dubbed . This is apparent when someone talks and their mouths never match their words . They also speak in a dull monotone notorious in dubbed movies Not to be too negative because Stan and Ollie still sometimes show the almost supernatural ability to make an audience smile . Ollie is his usual arrogant bullying self and Stan ( despite looking slightly ill ) still manages the occasional laugh out loud one liner such as " There's something wrong with your eyes . When we get to the island you'll need to see an optimist " . I'm certainly not saying it's a great film but what I am saying it's a slightly mediocre comedy saved by Stan and Ollie

This was part of a 3-DVD box-set, and it came with the Laurel and Hardy shorts Mud & Sand, Just Ramblin' Along, Oranges and Lemons, and the Three Stooges ones Brideless Groom and Sing a Song of Six Pants; it also came with another feature, Flying Deuces. The disc this was on came with The Tree in a Test Tube & Malice in the Palace. I haven't watched an awful lot of the duo, and other than the aforementioned ones, it has been years since I did. Not sure why this has such a low rating; it is genuinely funny and clever at its best(honestly, few of the light, goofy and, at times, cartoon-style slapstick gags fall flat), and it seldom, if ever, drags, for the 82 minute running time. It makes fun of politeness, taxes, and other everyday subjects, in spite of the unusual plot of a deceased eccentric uncle(always popular) leaving them an island. Inbetween clumsiness, knocking stuff over, falling, and other natural occurrences that are not presented as if they hurt, weepy Laurel(who looks so old and worn here) and dominating Hardy also explore social issues and government. Is that a good thing? Well, a lot of the way, the treatment of it is great. I don't think they quite keep up the quality all the way, though. Near the end(when this gets "big", with "action", as expected), this gets somewhat unrealistic, employs a sort of deus ex machina, and the conclusion has darkness to it. The FX are decent. Editing and cinematography are fine. A nice amount of laughs, and not boring. I recommend this to big fans of the two. 6/10

I love Laurel & Hardy. God knows how many times they pulled me out of a depression or an illness and I will always love them. You might imagine how painful it is to see an obviously ill Stan Laurel and a grossly overweight Ollie struggle through this last of their movies. The plot is silly, but possible, in earlier days it might have been funnier. All through the movie I kept fixating on Stan who really looked sick, and how Ollie had aged and blown up and wondered why these two national treasures were persuaded to make this movie. If you are a rabid L&H fan, see it, but it will depress you.