The Mikado (1939 film)
| The Mikado | |
|---|---|
|
Cover art for the Criterion release | |
| Directed by | Victor Schertzinger |
| Produced by | Geoffrey Toye |
| Written by | W.S. Gilbert |
| Based on |
The Mikado by W.S. Gilbert Arthur Sullivan |
| Starring |
Kenny Baker Martyn Green Sydney Granville John Barclay |
| Music by | Arthur Sullivan |
| Cinematography | William V. Skall |
| Edited by |
Philip Charlot Gene Milford |
| Distributed by |
General Film Distributors LTD United States: Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Mikado is a 1939 British musical comedy film based on Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera of the same name. Shot in Technicolor, the film stars Martyn Green as Ko-Ko, Sydney Granville as Pooh-Bah, the American singer Kenny Baker as Nanki-Poo, and Jean Colin as Yum-Yum. Many of the other leads and choristers were or had been members of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.[2]
Cast
- Kenny Baker as Nanki-Poo
- Martyn Green as Ko-Ko
- Sydney Granville as Pooh-Bah
- John Barclay as the Mikado[2]
- Gregory Stroud as Pish-Tush[2]
- Jean Colin as Yum-Yum
- Constance Willis as Katisha
- Elizabeth Paynter as Pitti-Sing[2]
- Kathleen Naylor as Peep-Bo
- Chorus of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Production
The music was conducted by Geoffrey Toye, a former D'Oyly Carte music director, who was also the producer and was credited with the adaptation, which involved a number of cuts, additions and re-ordered scenes. Victor Schertzinger directed, and William V. Skall received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.[3][4] Art direction and costume designs were by Marcel Vertès.[5] The orchestra (and the musicians depicted in the film) consisted of 40 members of the London Symphony Orchestra.[2]
Release
The Mikado premiered in London on 12 January 1939 before opening in the United States on 1 May. A decade later, on 23 July 1949, the film was re-released in New York City.
See also
References
- ↑ "THE MIKADO (U)". General Film Distributors. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lejeune, C. A. "Films of the Week: Gentlemen of Japan", The Observer, 3 July 1938, p. 14. Barclay had played the title role in America with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Stroud had played Pish-Tush in Australia with D'Oyly Carte, and Paynter had performed Pitti-Sing and the other Jessie Bond roles for five years with D'Oyly Carte touring companies under the name Elisabeth Nickel-Lean. Nearly all of the chorus were current or former performers with D'Oyly Carte.
- ↑ Cinegram of the 1939 Mikado film containing photos, cast biographies and other information
- ↑ Shepherd, Marc. "The Technicolor Mikado Film (1939)", A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography (2001), accessed 12 August 2012
- ↑ Galbraith IV, Stuart. "The Mikado (Blu-ray)". DVDTalk, 27 March 2011