Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Conrad, Stewart, Revill, Opera World
by Rodney Greenberg
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DVD details
Actor: Anne Collins, Clive Revill, John Stewart, Kate Flowers, William ConradDirector: Rodney Greenberg
Brand: Acorn
Editor: Barry Stevens
Producer: Edward Simons
Producer: George Walker
Producer: Judith de Paul
Writer: William S. Gilbert
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-10-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media
DVD Reviews of Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Conrad, Stewart, Revill, Opera World
DVD Review: Great version of The Mikado
Summary: 5 Stars
Have been watching versions of The Mikado for over 50 years and this one is really excellent.DVD Review: Bless my heart...my son
Summary: 3 Stars
One of the only two in the so-called "complete" Gilbert & Sullivan series(and it isn't complete at all) which actually has all of the complete dialog and music, even though the film, especially in Act Two, seems to have been performed at breakneck speed in order to squeeze everything in. However, in all fairness, there were some rather interesting things also done in this performance. Set more or less in Meiji Japan, we see hot-air balloons, a contemporary railway, Pish-Tush dressed in the odd semi-western finery so often seen in late Victorian Japan - and most delightful, Nanki-Poo actually carrying a trombone. I have mixed feelings about William Conrad as the Mikado, who really couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and stumbled over the lyrics as well. All the same, he looked wonderful, more like a huge Chinese Manadrin than the Emperor of Japan, but his disappointed delivery of "Bless my heart, my son." was worth all the rest of it. My own personal disappointment, however, was Clive Reville as Koko. He is a veteran stage comedian with impressive credits, including the original Emperor Palpatine in "The Empire Strikes Back" - but he simply looked and acted too much like Mel Brooks to convince me that he was Koko. Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed this production. But it might have worked better on stage, where timing isn't so crucial. DVD Review: Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado
Summary: 5 Stars
I originally saw this production over 20 years ago on PBS. It was the first time I saw The Mikado and I thought it was rightfully one of G&S's best works. I have seen a couple of other versions, one in a live professional production ($50 a seat) and another that was televised and I think this is still ther better of the three. Just as a lark I thought I would see if it was somehow available on DVD and I knew William Conrad was in it. All I needed to search was Conrad and Mikado and, by golly, it did exist.
DVD Review: Imitation of much better
Summary: 2 Stars
If you want accurate renditions of the venerable Gilbert & Sullivan, try to find the D'Orly Carte Company's version. They are the original company that G&S started and tutored to perform their operettas.DVD Review: Overlook the flaws and enjoy this movie.
Summary: 4 Stars
This 1982, BBC/PBS, made-for-TV production is somewhat dated. The technical aspects, including sound work would be done better today. It is easy to hear and to understand the play, but there is very little stereo effect, and today's 5.1 sound would make it even better.
One feature I appreciated was the included libretto, which follows the one from Bradley's book closely. There are no captions of any kind.
I was surprised to see Joseph Conrad cast as the Mikado; I didn't know he could sing. As it turns out, he will never be known for it, but he acquitted himself well in the few solos he had. John Stewart, as Nanki-Poo, was excellent, but the best singing was from the two female leads, Kate Flowers and Anne Collins, who played Yum-Yum and Katisha respectively.
In spite of the truly poor choreography and cheap-looking sets and costumes, this is the best production of The Mikado that I have seen to date, but I would very much like to see the complete play done by the actors from the movie, Topsy-Turvy (another recommended movie, but not for children). (It's at: Topsy-Turvy)
If you are inclined to be picky about your Gilbert & Sullivan, you may find this DVD to deliver less than you desire, but I am happy to enjoy the lighthearted show in a lighthearted manner and forgive the few flaws.
Recommended.
Description of Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Conrad, Stewart, Revill, Opera World
Featuring the london symphony orchestra and a host of international stars including vincent price joel gray peter marshall keith mitchell frankie howerd and peter allen. Filmed in england and created especially for tv they have delighted fans on pbs and the bbc. Studio: Acorn Media Release Date: 01/20/2004 Run time: 96 minutesAn uneasy cross between a movie and a theater production, this version of Gilbert and Sullivan's masterpiece The Mikado is on the clumsy side. Obviously taped on a stage (there are just two settings, a town square and a landscape) but without an audience, it lacks the spark of live performance and the versatility of film. The action is weighed down by jejune attempts at comedy. When Nanki-Poo (disguised as a musician) receives the devastating news that the woman he loves is promised to another man, he doesn't react at all, but instead plays trombone accompaniment. And after he describes his catalog of musical offerings, the court gentlemen--for no reason except that the song's final word is "lullaby"--drop to the ground and fall asleep. Besides not being funny, these gags are unconnected to anything in the story.
A couple of performances partly redeem things. Kate Flowers sings very well and, even better, actually creates a character. Her Yum-Yum is mischievous, blunt, sarcastic--just the kind of person who would compare herself to the sun and the moon. And as Ko-Ko, Clive Revill is a terrific combination of wily and sympathetic. Slightly hunched and wearing a jester's costume, Revill is a nervous little schemer who's vividly believable. William Conrad's bland Mikado doesn't have much impact. This is one of the less distinguished entries in the Opera World series of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. --David Olivenbaum
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