was "bogged down in a welter of obvious slapstick." When Utopia ultimately played in Los Angeles in early 1955 as a double feature with Blackboard Jungle, the Los Angeles Times critic said: "The film gets off with some welcome chuckles but grows progressively worse." Copyright status and availability Over the years, the prints of three of the four versions have degraded. No U.S. copyright was filed for Utopia and the version lapsed into the public domain, resulting in duplicated prints of poor quality used for distribution. Until recently, the only known print of the original 98-minute English version was in private hands and this version has never been released on video. However, on January 1, 2012, the French/German TV station ARTE aired a restored 100-minute English version of the film, claiming an international television premiere. The restored copy is based on a copy rediscovered in 2010 in the United States. It was released to DVD by Fun Factory Films on January 3, 2013. Truncated 85/88-minute prints available in Italy on VHS and DVD are all that remain of the Italian version. The original French Atoll K was released on VHS in 1996. On October 10, 2012, the French version of the film was released by Gaumont à la demande on DVD. In 2018, a Blu-ray version of Atoll K was released in the UK (Region B only). The film has also been televised in the U.S. under the Utopia title by the Movies! network as part of its Saturday morning Laurel and Hardy Show series. References Notes Bibliography Aping, Norbert. The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy: A Study of the Chaotic Making and Marketing of Atoll K. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2008. . Bowers, Judith. Stan Laurel and Other Stars of the Panopticon: The Story of the Britannia Music Hall. Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd, 2007. . Everson, William K. The Complete Films of Laurel and Hardy. New York: Citadel, 2000, (first edition 1967). . Louvish, Simon. Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy. London: Faber & Faber, 2001. . Marriot, A.J. Laurel & Hardy: The British Tours. Hitchen, Herts, UK: AJ Marriot, 1993. . McCabe, John. Babe: The Life of Oliver Hardy. London: Robson Books Ltd., 2004. . McCabe, John with Al Kilgore and Richard W. Bann. Laurel & Hardy. New York: Bonanza Books, 1983, first edition 1975, E.P. Dutton. . McGarry, Annie. Laurel & Hardy. London: Bison Group, 1992.