The Mikado

I hate reviewing movies released by the Criterion Collection, especially after I've watched all the special features. Besides the fact that I don't feel eloquent enough to discuss the film, I feel like I'm cheating, by parroting what I just learned. To avoid that, I'm going to keep this one short.

The Mikado came out in 1939, and is the only cinematic adaptation of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. It was co-produced by the very theatrical company that had been performing the pieces since the Victorian era.

Personally, I love Gilbert and Sullivan. I'm not a musical theatre guy, and I've never seen one of their plays live, but I would love to. Sullivan's melodies were and still are some of the catchiest and bounciest ever written, and Gilbert's lyrics are full of wit, satire, and wordplay.

The Mikado is probably their most famous operetta, featuring the well known song, "Three Little Maids from School". It's set in Japan, or rather, some weird British perspective of Japan that isn't really aiming for accuracy so much as caricature and exoticism. Characters have ridiculous names like "Yum Yum" and "Nanki Poo"and everybody is white. As funny and goofy as the tone is, it playfully explores dark themes such as suicide and execution, dictatorships and bureaucracy.

The film itself is good, but not great. It starts slow because they reduced the entire back story to a few title cards at the beginning and one opening scene. The hero, Nanki Poo, is played by Kenny Baker (unfortunately not the same one who played R2-D2), an American actor who sings in one of those awful 1940's radio crooner voices. I imagine the singing is better on stage for this character.

The rest of the actors, several of whom were veterans of the G&S theatrical company, are pretty great. The songs are fun and the story is witty, sharp, and satirical. The film was shot in Technicolor, which means it's pretty lush and vibrant. The set designs and costume designs are great. Lots of pink in this fantasy Japan.

The cinematography is practically non-existent. The director, Victor Schertzinger, rarely even goes in for close-ups. It has a very stage-y feel, like a larger, splashier version of the show as it was in the late 30's. As much as I want to see the real Mikado on stage, I'd also like to see a more cinematic version on screen, though I'm not even sure it would work.

Overall, I'm glad I saw The Mikado. It exposed me to a lot of great songs, and made me want to go to the theater more. I just wish they hadn't truncated it so much at the beginning, and I wish they had made it more cinematic. B