Amazon.com

This video is one of the Opera World series of12 Gilbert & Sullivan operettas produced for television in 1982. Aimingfor a broad public, the series' producers assembled crossover casts ofSavoyards, comedians, song-and-dance types, and Americans affectingBritish accents. The results are erratic, and H.M.S. Pinafore isas mixed as they come. Musically, it is of generally high quality (theopera singer Della Jones as Buttercup, for instance). It is full ofenergetic dance numbers, and there's a hefty dose of music-hall comedy.It just doesn't add up.

Peter Marshall, best known as the host of Hollywood Squares,turns out to be a credible singer and dancer. But his performance isbizarre. With his prancing movements and incessant grin, he's aVictorian cartoon that scarcely resembles the genial but uprightCaptain Corcoran. It's similar with the British TV comedian FrankieHowerd, who, in the role of Sir Joseph, plays himself. Expertly drawingon a large stock of mannerisms, he hoists his eyebrows, purses hislips, levitates his voice an octave in surprise. Howerd's speak-singingis more effective than you might think; he tramples on Gilbert'sdialogue, however. Adlibbing many of his lines, he is sometimes visiblyat a loss for what to say next.

The number of such wobbly moments suggests that the production wastaped in a hurry. Things are further constrained by the shipboard set,which is too cramped for all those sailors, sisters, cousins, andaunts. During the dance segments, you can observe them bumping into thescenery and each other. --David Olivenbaum ... Read more

Reviews (14)

An enjoyable performance
I know that some Gilbert and Sullivan fanatics may complain loudly about tis video, but I am going to say how fantastic this production of Pinafore really is. Peter Marshal, despite some small imperfections in his role of Captain Corcoran, is a well-versed singer-actor. Equally up to his calibre is Frankie Howerd's Sir Joseph Porter. Howerd in his part ad-libs his dialogue not because he didn't learn his lines, but because he brings out the character of Sir Joseph perfectly well. He makes the character feel like a person with scrambled eggs in his brain, and I'm sure that his portrayal can spark off a laugh or two. The two lovers and Little Buttercup, excellently played, help to match those two principals, and the choruses of sailors and female relatives are very supportive. Alexander Faris's musical direction is a sheer delight form first bar to last. The only minor quibble is about the sound-quality. It seems so low-quality and the mixing is not well done. However, this does not detract from such an outstanding performance of this G&S great and this will be sure to find a happy fome in any classical video library.

A disappointment to G&S fans
As a Gilbert & Sullivan fan (and a member of the Pittsburgh Savoyards G&S company), I was thrilled to learn that there is a series of videos of most G&S shows. But the series is very disappointing, and Pinafore is a good example of the series. Peter Marshall is a poor choice for Captain Corcoran, and Frankie Howerd is an incomprehensible choice for Sir Joseph Porter, KCB. Howerd appears to be making up the role as he goes along. The singing is credible (although far from the best I've heard), and the dancing is very good. But the staging is poor, and the entire effect is that the fun of a good Gilbert & Sullivan show is lost.

An Absurd Attempt
A video only a mother could love.

I've heard the original D'Oyly Carte records of most G&S operettas and seen the D'Oyly Carte videotape of "The Mikado". I was hoping to get a better look at the stagings of these operettas by looking in the "Opera World" series.

Bad idea. The staging for this is just absurd and the captain is overplayed while Sir Joseph Porter doesn't even sing. Everybody's dancing around the stage like a fool and destroying what little is left of G&S these days.

Sullivan would be pleased because his music is performed beautifully. With the exception of Sir Joseph, the vocal aspect of the video is great. If only it came on CD...

Gilbert would be astonished, ashamed, and confounded at how horrible his clever production became in the hands of these hacks. If you're a true G&S fan, you'll wince at this ridiculous staging.

Brilliant rendition--Could hardly be better!
This is the best presentation of Pinafore and of Gilbert and Sullivan that my family has ever seen. The casting is a work of genius, with a felicitous mixing of singers (for the operatic parts),comedians (for the comic parts) and dancers. The London Symphony Orchestra's music is excellent, as is the singing of the Ambrosian Opera Chorus. The choreography is fast-paced, creative, and amusing. Dick Deadeye, Buttercup, lord of the admiralty, captain, lovers, crew, and "cousins and aunts" all come colorfully and hilariously to life. There is never a dull moment. Entertaining, delightful, and fast-moving from beginning to end. We watch it over and over. We recommend it wholeheartedly and without reservation. There is no better introduction to Gilbert and Sullivan.

LIVELY!!!!
I have watched this tape four times and liked it better and better each time. Lucretia Grindle is right but not enthusiastic enough! The production works! I showed it to a group of 60 seniors and they all loved it. ... Read more

Description

In the Japanese town of Titipu, a wandering minstrel, Nanki-Poo, is searching for Yum-Yum, one of the "Three little maids from school" with whom he has fallen in love. But Yum-Yum is betrothed to Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. Ko-Ko is under pressure from the absent Mikado to perform an execution and persuades the suicidal Nanki-Poo to be his victim. The fact that Nanki-Poo is in fact the heir to the throne of Japan creates an awkward situation when the Mikado arrives in person. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Low Burlesque instead of Kibuki
On the whole, this was an exceptionally disapointing and in some respects offensive presentation. Not only were the vocalists weak (especially, unfortunately, William Conrad as the Mikado, who was uneven and even squeaky at times), but the scenery was garish and the costumes bordered on cheap. The choreography was also extremely spasmodic, and the work with the fans was flabby and erratic. An absolute low point was reached with Pish Tush, who not only wore the outfit of a Japanese ambassador from the mid 1930s, but also sported a set of genuine buck teeth. What was next on the list, one wonders, perhaps a set of "coke bottle" eyeglasses?

To see a happier performance of this material, in a style that respects the perfectionist production qualities of W.S. Gilbert, I highly recommend the 1966 D'Oyly Carte production instead. The difference between that performance and this abomination is the difference between the stylized elegance of kibuki and the low burlesque of, um, someplace that does really low burlesque.

Brilliantly done
This MIKADO video is an excellent production on every level. William Conrad does an excellent job as the eponymous title-role, even going as far as speaking in a so-called Japanese-English accent. Clive Revill, after many many years of playing the role of Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, gives a marvellous and believable portrayal of the role here. The lovers and Katisha are all top-knoth, with Nanki-Poo as sweet and romantic as Yum-Yum, and Katisha fierry and commanding. As for the chorus, they are all supportive, and Alexander Faris's spirited musical direction is a treat as always. As with most of the other Brent-Walker G&S videos, the sound quality seems a little bit poor, but every word is still as crisp and clear as possible. The sets and costumes are all lush and sumptuous. Overall, this is a more traditionsal film compared to the 1987 English National Opera production, that I don't recommend very highly, that can hold its own with the best G&S films in the Brent-Walker series.

My 2 year old loves it
Cartoonish staging, amateurish costumes, some annaoying mugging for the camera but... THE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES ARE TOP_KNOTCH

A superb performance except for Conrad.
This is a wonderful performance of the Mikado--well choreographed and directed, very well acted and marvelously sung by a great cast--with the exception of Conrad who is merely passable. Even with his shortcomings, it is hard to imagine a better performance. Much preferable to the Eric Idle version.

An all star cast performing classical Gilbert and Sullivan
The English are the ones who really do justice to Gilbert and Sullivan.The singers are all great.Some Isuspect are opera performers.The Lord High Executioner is quite a ham but he does much to make it enjoyable.Conrad does a decent job as the mikado....he can even sing. ... Read more

Description

On the quarter-deck of H.M.S. Pinafore, Captain Corcoran and his crew await the arrival of Sir Joseph Porter, First Sea Lord, to inspect the ship. Sir Joseph wishes to marry the captain's daughter Josephine, but she is secretly in love with Ralph Rackstraw, a member of the crew. They attempt to elope but are apprehended. Through a strange twist revealed by Buttercup, the bumboat woman, Ralph and the Captain end up exchanging places, and all ends happily after all. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

An enjoyable performance
I know that some Gilbert and Sullivan fanatics may complain loudly about tis video, but I am going to say how fantastic this production of Pinafore really is. Peter Marshal, despite some small imperfections in his role of Captain Corcoran, is a well-versed singer-actor. Equally up to his calibre is Frankie Howerd's Sir Joseph Porter. Howerd in his part ad-libs his dialogue not because he didn't learn his lines, but because he brings out the character of Sir Joseph perfectly well. He makes the character feel like a person with scrambled eggs in his brain, and I'm sure that his portrayal can spark off a laugh or two. The two lovers and Little Buttercup, excellently played, help to match those two principals, and the choruses of sailors and female relatives are very supportive. Alexander Faris's musical direction is a sheer delight form first bar to last. The only minor quibble is about the sound-quality. It seems so low-quality and the mixing is not well done. However, this does not detract from such an outstanding performance of this G&S great and this will be sure to find a happy fome in any classical video library.

A disappointment to G&S fans
As a Gilbert & Sullivan fan (and a member of the Pittsburgh Savoyards G&S company), I was thrilled to learn that there is a series of videos of most G&S shows. But the series is very disappointing, and Pinafore is a good example of the series. Peter Marshall is a poor choice for Captain Corcoran, and Frankie Howerd is an incomprehensible choice for Sir Joseph Porter, KCB. Howerd appears to be making up the role as he goes along. The singing is credible (although far from the best I've heard), and the dancing is very good. But the staging is poor, and the entire effect is that the fun of a good Gilbert & Sullivan show is lost.

An Absurd Attempt
A video only a mother could love.

I've heard the original D'Oyly Carte records of most G&S operettas and seen the D'Oyly Carte videotape of "The Mikado". I was hoping to get a better look at the stagings of these operettas by looking in the "Opera World" series.

Bad idea. The staging for this is just absurd and the captain is overplayed while Sir Joseph Porter doesn't even sing. Everybody's dancing around the stage like a fool and destroying what little is left of G&S these days.

Sullivan would be pleased because his music is performed beautifully. With the exception of Sir Joseph, the vocal aspect of the video is great. If only it came on CD...

Gilbert would be astonished, ashamed, and confounded at how horrible his clever production became in the hands of these hacks. If you're a true G&S fan, you'll wince at this ridiculous staging.

Brilliant rendition--Could hardly be better!
This is the best presentation of Pinafore and of Gilbert and Sullivan that my family has ever seen. The casting is a work of genius, with a felicitous mixing of singers (for the operatic parts),comedians (for the comic parts) and dancers. The London Symphony Orchestra's music is excellent, as is the singing of the Ambrosian Opera Chorus. The choreography is fast-paced, creative, and amusing. Dick Deadeye, Buttercup, lord of the admiralty, captain, lovers, crew, and "cousins and aunts" all come colorfully and hilariously to life. There is never a dull moment. Entertaining, delightful, and fast-moving from beginning to end. We watch it over and over. We recommend it wholeheartedly and without reservation. There is no better introduction to Gilbert and Sullivan.

LIVELY!!!!
I have watched this tape four times and liked it better and better each time. Lucretia Grindle is right but not enthusiastic enough! The production works! I showed it to a group of 60 seniors and they all loved it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the most unjustly underrated Italian operas receives aproduction that should help correct that attitude. Andrea Chenieris based on the true story of a poet who was caught up anddestroyed by the blind fury of the French Revolution. Giordano'smusic captures the acrid flavor of that movement, the cynicism of someof its leaders, and Chenier's integrity and tragic fate. This production'svalue has probably increased since Plácido Domingo, the leading Chenier ofhis generation, has dropped the role from his repertoire.

All three principals sing eloquently and with a fine sense of the opera'sstructure and context. Anna Tomowa-Sintow is in even better voice thanDomingo, and Giorgio Zancanaro heads an expert supporting cast. The CoventGarden Chorus, directed with distinction by Michael Hampe, gives amemorable impression of the revolutionary mob. Julius Rudel's conducting istotally idiomatic.--Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Already an historical performance
It is going to be a long, a very long time indeed, before we see another Chenier to rival this fabulous 1985 Covent Garden performance. Domingo was in excellent voice, and he meets every vocal challenge with virile, golden tone. Even if he lacks that brilliant spinto of Corelli, he has what it takes for this formidable role. Of recent tenors none comes near. The rest of the cast is if anything, better. Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Karajan's favourite soprano is a glorious Maddalena: full voiced, warm, compelling, she is quite simply extraordinary. Baritone Giorgio Zancanaro gives a master class on how to mould a phrase in the old Italian style. His big aria is delivered with the kind of musicianship not heard since the days of Amato and Battistini.
Sound and picture are good and you would be completely insane to pass this dvd.

A Brilliant Andrea Chénier
Umberto Giordano's most famous opera "Andrea Chénier" portrays the tragic fate of poet Andrea Chénier in the French Revolution. Setting the real-life figure as the lead character and with the poet singing his own verses, this verismo opera embraces the realism enthusiastically. Character Andrea Chénier is a romantic and idealistic poet, who loved his country ardently and faced his death heroically. It's a tenor's opera. You would think a lyric tenor would be most suitable for the character's poetry, if he could also bring off some great heroic moments in the big orchestration. In this 1985 production, Domingo rendered Andrea Chénier with a well-balanced poetry and heroism. He filled poet's big arias with rich lyricism, at times, intimate feelings, and yet, the big outbursts were all there. Domingo was well matched by the powerful-voiced Anna Tomawa-Sintov as Maddalena. In her dark and rounded voice, Anna Tomowa-Sintov sang the character strongly, although some delicacy and variety might make the role more interesting. Her "La mamma morta" was in no short of dramatic expressions in both the recitative-like passages and the emotional outbursts followed. Giorgio Zancanaro, who approached the revolutionary Gérard humanly, sang a wonderful "Nemico della patria", which won him a storm of applause from the audience.

The stage design of this Covent Garden production is conventional, straightforward, with a few moments quite affecting, one of them would be the haunting picture at the end of Act I, in which the shadows of the poor and the angry gradually appeared above the aristocrats who were in the center stage, singing and dancing, without the faintest idea of what was awaiting.

A Much Better Selection
Until recently (November 2003) the only DVD edition of Andrea Chenier was a 1975 film version with Franco Corelli in the title role. This one is much better. It is an excellent live production filmed at Covent Garden in 1985. It illustrates why the Royal Opera is one of the world's leading companies.

The three principals -- Placido Domingo as Chenier, Anna Tomowa-Sintow as Maddalena de Coigny, and Giorgio Zancanaro as Carlo Gerard -- are all in the prime of their careers at the time of this filming, and handle their roles superbly. They are backed up by a solid group of supporting singers. The orchestra does justice to Giordano's rich score without ever drowning out the singers. The sets and costumes are appropriate and never distracting. In short, this is exactly what one would expect to see in a first-rate production at a first-rate opera house. ... Read more

Amazon.com

An uneasy cross between a movie and a theater production, this versionof Gilbert & Sullivan's masterpiece The Mikado is on the clumsy side.Obviously taped on a stage (there are just two settings, a town square and alandscape) but without an audience, it lacks the spark of live performance andthe versatility of film. The action is weighed down by jejune attempts atcomedy. When Nanki-Poo (disguised as a musician) receives the devastating newsthat the woman he loves is promised to another man, he doesn't react at all, butinstead plays trombone accompaniment. And after he describes his catalog ofmusical offerings, the court gentlemen--for no reason except that the song'sfinal word is "lullaby"--drop to the ground and fall asleep. Besides not beingfunny, 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 themoon. And as Ko-Ko, Clive Revill is a terrific combination of wily andsympathetic. Slightly hunched and wearing a jester's costume, Revill is anervous little schemer who's vividly believable. William Conrad's bland Mikadodoesn't have much impact.

This is one of the less distinguished entries in the Opera World series of Gilbert &Sullivan operettas. Many of the videos in the series do have one excellentfeature: the lyrics are subtitled, making Gilbert's words infinitely easier tofollow. --David Olivenbaum ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Daniel Youngs
I just received this video and have to say that on the whole it was very disappointing. The performances are very good, but the shoddy choreography and high shool-esque staging distracted greatly from the performances. Also troublesome are the glaring anachronisms throughout this production. I do particularly enjoy The Mikado, but this tape leaves much to be desired. Your money would be better spent on another production, or on a CD and the score.

A nice introduction to the legendary duo.
There's no great drama, no real surprises in this bio-pic. The charm of the movie comes from the characterizations and the snippets of G&S classic songs. Some of the famous names of the D'Oyly Carte troupe of the 50's, notably Martyn Greene, appear briefly as 1890's era performers. Robert Morley is properly irascible and pompous as the overbearing Gilbert. Maurice Evans gives insight to Sullivan's desire to write "important" music, conflicted with his success as a composer of "popular" songs. My favorite scene is one in which Sullivan has over-committed himself, trying to produce music for both a grand opera and "The Mikado" at the same time. It's a little like trying to play a computer game at the office while the boss keeps coming by. Though a little dated in it's techniques,"The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan" is a nice introduction to the legendary team for new fans of the Savoy Operas and, for longtime appreciators of the wit and the music, a pleasant affirmation of the history we already knew. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

VG Picture-No Subtitles
I had the old VHS Version of this Glyndenbourne performance. compare to that the picture quality of the Dvd is a huge improvement. However the VHS Version had English subtitles; the DVD does not. In these days of everything in Opera having subtitles it seems very strange thatthis DVD does not. Maybe Image would have to pay extra. I do not see in the Opera listings in Amazon any consistent listing for subtitles. For me I would not want to have this if without subtitles so I seek some way of getting a refund. I do not want DVD with no subtitles ... Read more