The Mikado
by Stuart Burge
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DVD details
Actor: Anthony Raffell, Donald Adams, George Cook, Philip Potter, Valerie MastersonDirector: Stuart Burge
Brand: VIDEO ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL
Producer: D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Writer: W. S. Gilbert
Writer: Arthur Sullivan
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-09-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: VAI
DVD Reviews of The Mikado
DVD Review: Huh? What did they say?
Summary: 3 Stars
I suspect this was an excellent performance, based solely on the fact that it was D'Oyly Carte in the 1960s, it looks expertly performed, and it's received excellent reviews. But... the sound on this DVD is like "two cats in a sack", and the video isn't so great either. Maybe the VHS version is loads better, but you have to be a dedicated fan to want to watch this.
If you have the lyrics memorized it might be comprehensible, as I was able to mostly follow along after finding a text copy of the lyrics/dialogue on the web. The first time I tried to watch it, I listened for about five minutes, realized I had no idea what the *#&@! they were saying, and started looking for other resources beacuse otherwise I was going to return it. No subtitles, more's the pity.
Frankly, it sounds like a typical Frumpies album: literally taped in someone's bathroom. It's musical, but with a ton of echo... maybe this was originally filmed in mono? The audio stream claims to be 2-channel Dolby. Impressively awful, whatever it is.
As for the video, it looks like it was filmed in Ektachrome, exposed to UV light for about twenty years, then soaked in water for another twenty. My inexpert guess is that it was actually filmed in Technicolor and not preserved very well, and whoever did the DVD transfer either did it from a poor VHS copy (unlikely) or didn't try to do any restoration/enhancement to the film transfer. A bit grainy, but the worst problem by far is the washed-out colors; everyone looks like they've been living in a cave, wearing the same clothes, for the last 40 years. Odd flashes of color, but it's mostly drab.
I recommend this one, but only because the vast majority of G&S video productions are horrid things guaranteed to induce agony and irritation. All of them (and I *do* mean all of them) have major problems. This one is the least wretched because the quality of the performance makes up for not being able to understand or really see it.
Frankly, I have given up on the idea of ever seeing a truly enjoyable Gilbert & Sullivan production. I am unlikely to see a decent live performance. Nobody's going to film a new one "straight" because that would require effort, and only a few people these days would want to see it. Most modern versions have been heavily rewritten and the older ones are poorly filmed or badly performed.
From now on, I'll stick to the sound recordings.
Description of The Mikado
MIKADO - DVD MovieClassical Music CDs
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