The Pirates of Penzance
 | Directed by Wilford Leach Starring: Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose, Rex Smith MCA Universal, 1983, VHS Tape Customer Rating: 115 reviews Recommend This product is currently not available and cannot be purchased. It means that we have no merchant offers for this product at the moment or it was discontinued by the manufacturer. |
|---|
When New York theatrical producer Joseph Papp decided to bring Gilbert and Sullivan to Broadway, he added typically broad, bold strokes to make their singular operetta format meaningful to 1980s audiences. In The Pirates of Penzance, Papp had a story that offered a mixture of potential action and comedy that was less arcane than other G&S chestnuts, which Papp's production underlined by playing up its antic conflict between its hapless, titular pirates and the citizens of Penzance, the Cornish town targeted for plunder. Adding to the new production's mainstream allure was the theatrical debut for erstwhile country-rock siren Linda Ronstadt as the virginal Mabel, along with a plum role for another putative pop heartthrob, Rex Smith, as the "good" pirate, Frederic.
Naturally, such amendments piqued complaints from self-appointed G&S purists, for whom the duo's original satirical edge and theatrical innovation were obscured (if not ossified) by their canon's patina of respectability. Happily, for the rest of us, Papp's cheeky revisions are generally on the money, and this 1983 film version preserves them with unusual fidelity. Instead of opening up his production with location shooting or intricate editing, director Wilford Leach savors the artifice of its stage sets and hokey, colorful costuming, celebrating the genre's proud theatrical legacy.
The cast, meanwhile, tears into the farcical plot with elan, led by Kevin Kline as the Pirate King, a role perfect for his skill at lampooning masculine bravado (not to mention his underexposed, generally strong singing). Broadway veteran George Rose proves the very model of the modern Major-General Stanley, and Angela Lansbury, added to the film's cast for marquee value, again shows her mettle as the ditzy maid, Ruth. Ronstadt justifies Papp's gamble, having trained rigorously to meet Sullivan's acrobatic melodies — indeed, this project marked her commitment to grow beyond rock, confirmed with her subsequent exploration of classic pop with arranger-conductor Nelson Riddle. — Sam Sutherland
Title: The Pirates of Penzance
Sales Rank: 137 in VHS
Actor: Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose, Rex Smith
Director: Wilford Leach
Studio: MCA Universal, 1992-03-01, Theatrical Release: 1983-02-18
Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Running Time: 111 minutes
Package Dimensions: 7.32 x 4.19 x 1.12 inches, 0.38 pounds
- BE WARNED: NOT THE DVD ADVERTISED
- Potential buyers should be warned that this is not a DVD version of the made-for-film production that includes Angela Landsbury in the cast, though her name certainly appears on the box cover in the advertisement, the product description, and the reviews. It appears that none of the reviewers actually own a DVD copy of this film, and are therefore commenting on a different… More reviews
- Avoid confusion with this title
- There is a lot of confusion in the reviews of this movie, and the reason is simple, there are 2 films with he same name and almost the same cast. There is a version which is the film of the broadway stage show, which I have not seen, but lots of people who have say its pretty horrible (the film and sound, not the… More reviews
- WARNING: DVD is NOT Lansbury
- WARNING
The DVD version of this title (ASIN B000260R6E) stars Patricia Routledge as Ruth and NOT Angela Lansbury, despite the cover. It is identical to the version recorded live and sold under a different cover (ASIN B00006RCMW)
The VHS version (NTSC ASIN: 6300182762) I hope does star Angela Lansbury - I have it on order! … More reviews
- WARNING: Inconsistent info on box. Which version is this?
- The cast list on the cover mentions Angela Lansbury, which suggests that this is the film version. I suspect that's a mistake.
The photo on the box shows Patricia Routledge, not Lansbury, and the label at the top says "Broadway Theater Archive." In other words, this is almost certainly the well-performed but badly recorded live 1980 performance… More reviews
- The Pirates of Penzance
- I saw this version when it first came out on video in 1983. It created a love for Gilbert and Sullivan as well as operas. Angela Lansbury and Kevin Kline make this version the very best there is. They are funny and witty as well as suttle. The sword play by all, is excellent. Rex Smith's singing was very good and his… More reviews
- Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Kline, Ronstadt, Smith, Routledge, Delacorte Theater (Broadway Theatre Archive)
- The Pirates of Penzance
- Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne
- Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Eric Idle, Lesley Garrett, Richard Van Allan, Felicity Palmer, Richard Angas, Bonaventura Bottone, Susan Bullock, English National Opera
- The Pirates of Penzance: or The Slave of Duty Vocal Score
