Gilbert and Sullivan DVD Collection
Category: DVD, TV series
Product description
This series of operettas was made for television and first broadcast in the early 1980s. The music is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and the cast comprises established opera singers such as Derek Hammond-Stroud and Anne Collins, the Ambrosian Opera Chorus and several guest star actors, who include Keith Mitchell, Vincent Price, Clive Revill, Frankie Howard and Joel Grey.
Product review
Ever since they were first performed in the last three decades of the 19th
century, Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operas have occupied an important place
in British culture and their influence has spread far and wide. (Improbably,
the acclaimed sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick frequently referenced the operas
in his novels.) Given their enduring popularity, it is surprising that
so few of them have actually made it on to the big screen, or even the little
screen, and this makes the series that Judith de Paul produced for British
television in the 1980s all the more remarkable.
At the time the series was made, multi-camera studio recording was starting to go out of fashion but this medium was eminently well-suited for the kind of production that Judith de Paul had in mind, which was as near to a live continuous performance as possible. Unfortunately, the low budget and incredibly fast turn-around meant that quality suffered. Whilst some of the operas in the series stand up remarkably well, others are, to put it frankly, pretty shoddy. Another controversial choice was the casting of celebrity actors such as Frankie Howerd (of Up Pompeii fame) and Vincent Price in principal roles, when they had no (or next to no) experience in this kind of production.
It is easy to find fault with the series' production weaknesses, particularly the 'green screen' special effects which, by today's standards, look pretty infantile. Many of the guest actors (Howerd in particular) have a tendency to ham things up, mumble their lines and trip over the scenery. The multi-camera set up may be good for capturing a continuous performance but it can result in some bad cuts and ugly picture compositions if the vision mixer isn't doing his job properly. It's unlikely that any of the operas in this series would be deemed to be of broadcastable standard today, and yet they have a unique charm and the brilliance of Gilbert and Sullivan's work still shines through.
The best in the series by some considerable margin is The Yeomen of the Guard - not only does this avoid the silliness that creeps into the other productions, it also boasts the best performances, in particular Joel Grey's incredibly poignant portrayal of the lovelorn jester Jack Point. Ruddigore also holds up well, its chief delight being Vincent Price absolutely revelling in the made-to-measure role of the crime-a-day merchant Sir Despard Murgatroyd. Patience and Iolanthe both benefit from having a proper opera singer in the most significant male role (the excellent Derek Hammond-Stroud) and Princess Ida is both visually and musically the most rewarding entry in the series. The Mikado's main attraction is hard man William Conrad in the title role, although most of the entertainment value is supplied by Clive Revill's Ko-Ko and Anne Collins' Katisha.
Most of the other productions are hampered by poor acting, poor direction or a grim mixture of both. The Gondoliers is completely spoiled by a first act which seems to revolve around an anonymous man eating a plate of spaghetti; H.M.S. Pinafore falls flat because of Howerd's obvious unsuitably for his role; and The Sorcerer is marred by some of the most ghastly visual effects you can imagine. Howerd is far better served by Trial by Jury, although this short opera fails to be as entertaining as the other one act entry in the collection - Cox and Box, which was Sullivan's first successful comic opera (albeit one written by another librettist, F. C. Burnand). The collection is overall a bit of a curate's egg - around half of the productions hit the mark precisely, the rest just fail to make the grade.
At the time the series was made, multi-camera studio recording was starting to go out of fashion but this medium was eminently well-suited for the kind of production that Judith de Paul had in mind, which was as near to a live continuous performance as possible. Unfortunately, the low budget and incredibly fast turn-around meant that quality suffered. Whilst some of the operas in the series stand up remarkably well, others are, to put it frankly, pretty shoddy. Another controversial choice was the casting of celebrity actors such as Frankie Howerd (of Up Pompeii fame) and Vincent Price in principal roles, when they had no (or next to no) experience in this kind of production.
It is easy to find fault with the series' production weaknesses, particularly the 'green screen' special effects which, by today's standards, look pretty infantile. Many of the guest actors (Howerd in particular) have a tendency to ham things up, mumble their lines and trip over the scenery. The multi-camera set up may be good for capturing a continuous performance but it can result in some bad cuts and ugly picture compositions if the vision mixer isn't doing his job properly. It's unlikely that any of the operas in this series would be deemed to be of broadcastable standard today, and yet they have a unique charm and the brilliance of Gilbert and Sullivan's work still shines through.
The best in the series by some considerable margin is The Yeomen of the Guard - not only does this avoid the silliness that creeps into the other productions, it also boasts the best performances, in particular Joel Grey's incredibly poignant portrayal of the lovelorn jester Jack Point. Ruddigore also holds up well, its chief delight being Vincent Price absolutely revelling in the made-to-measure role of the crime-a-day merchant Sir Despard Murgatroyd. Patience and Iolanthe both benefit from having a proper opera singer in the most significant male role (the excellent Derek Hammond-Stroud) and Princess Ida is both visually and musically the most rewarding entry in the series. The Mikado's main attraction is hard man William Conrad in the title role, although most of the entertainment value is supplied by Clive Revill's Ko-Ko and Anne Collins' Katisha.
Most of the other productions are hampered by poor acting, poor direction or a grim mixture of both. The Gondoliers is completely spoiled by a first act which seems to revolve around an anonymous man eating a plate of spaghetti; H.M.S. Pinafore falls flat because of Howerd's obvious unsuitably for his role; and The Sorcerer is marred by some of the most ghastly visual effects you can imagine. Howerd is far better served by Trial by Jury, although this short opera fails to be as entertaining as the other one act entry in the collection - Cox and Box, which was Sullivan's first successful comic opera (albeit one written by another librettist, F. C. Burnand). The collection is overall a bit of a curate's egg - around half of the productions hit the mark precisely, the rest just fail to make the grade.
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