Product Details

• Actors: William Conrad, Clive Revill, Kate Flowers, John Stewart (II), Anne Collins (II)
• Directors: Rodney Greenberg
• Format: Classical, Digital Sound, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Home Vision
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1997
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1578900034
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,824 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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• This item is part of The Opera World Gilbert & Sullivan Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
An uneasy cross between a movie and a theater production, this version of 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 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 & Sullivan operettas. Many of the videos in the series do have one excellent feature: the lyrics are subtitled, making Gilbert's words infinitely easier to follow. --David Olivenbaum

Product 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.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly done, April 30, 2000

By	Yi-Peng (Singapore) - See all my reviews

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.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Low Burlesque instead of Kibuki, February 25, 2001

By A Customer

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb performance except for Conrad., August 3, 1999

By A Customer

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.