Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Pirates of Penzance Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 12, 2018

Joseph Papp may not be a name that’s widely known among even ardent film fans, since his filmography is rather sparse, but for theater lovers, especially those in New York City, Papp’s name will forever be among the titans of all time producing visionaries, as important in his own way as such iconic legends as David Merrick and Florence Ziegfeld. Papp had a bit of a Bohemian streak, something that set him instantly apart from some his more “uptown” cohorts, and among Papp’s lasting contributions to the New York stage scene were the development of both the New York Shakespeare Festival (also known as Shakespeare in the Park) and The Public Theater. It was at the Public that one of Papp’s most well remembered producing efforts premiered, later transferring to the “official” Great White Way in a production that is still seen as one of those huge lines of demarcation in the history of Broadway, and more specifically in the history of Broadway musicals. In 1967 Papp greenlit an odd “little” show crafted by a team that was largely unknown and untested, a musical with a “blaring” (to critics of the day) rock score, not to mention overt depictions of both drug use and full frontal nudity. It may seem like a sure bet with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, but at the time, Hair was most decidedly a major gamble, one which nonetheless ended up paying off handsomely for not just Papp but virtually everyone else involved with the epochal production. The unexpected success of Hair elevated Papp to an echelon even higher than he was already on, and by the time Papp’s production of The Pirates of Penzance opened in late 1981, Papp had further burnished reputation with another Public Theater debut which transferred to a legitimate Broadway house and entered the lexicon of all time greats, namely A Chorus Line. Papp’s imprimatur in and of itself was enough to gain notice, but with a property like the venerable The Pirates of Penzance, a show some curmudgeons might dub the “anti-Hair” in a way, Papp may have felt a bit of “stunt” casting might have improved his chances, and so pop-rock chanteuse Linda Rondstadt was recruited to fill the role of Mabel, in what would be her Broadway debut (and one of only two appearances, according to the Internet Broadway Database). The rest of the featured cast was full of stage stalwarts like Kevin Kline as The Pirate King, Estelle Parsons as Ruth, Rex Smith as Frederic, and George Rose as Major General Stanley. All save Parsons would recreate their work in this 1983 film version, one of only a few films to bear Papp’s producing credit. Parsons' role was handed off to a spry Angela Lansbury for this version, and interestingly in both the original Broadway version and this version Rondstadt is relegated to third billing after Kline and (in this case) Lansbury.

As I mentioned in our Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance Blu-ray review of the Australian Opera version, The Pirates of Penzance was a bit of a, well, Topsy-Turvy offering (sorry, couldn’t resist) in the annals of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas in that it actually opened in New York City rather than in its creators’ native land. It’s also arguably one of the sillier Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, though endearingly so, and one really without much of a care in the world other than that starcrossed lovers finally are able to get to happily ever after. For those unacquainted with the general plot outlines of this piece, I refer you to my “other” Pirates of Penzance review, linked above, as it will at least give an idea of the basics, even if some things have been tweaked for this version.

The film is blatantly theatrical, with some absolutely artificial looking backdrops (which can be glimpsed in some of the screenshots accompanying this review), which may give rise to some questioning as to the kinda sorta framing element that is employed, wherein a theatrical troupe in some seaside burg is putting on H.M.S. Pinafore when the pirates arrive. That later framing device acts as a bookend of sorts toward the end of the film, in a calamitous climax that (just to be completely alliterative) is completely chaotic. While there are arguable nits to pick with decisions like that, overall this is a really ebullient production, one which captures the madcap proclivities of W.S. Gilbert’s wordplay, while being sung by well above average voices, even if some of them aren’t particularly “operatic” (“operetta-ic”?).

Some of those tweaks may not be enjoyed by Gilbert and Sullivan purists, and there is definitely a kind of post-modern winking attitude that is arguably unnecessary since Gilbert and Sullivan were so inherently mordant to begin with. The two gripes I have personally with this production are with regard to the actual music. Not only are the interpolations from other Gilbert and Sullivan scores, you're really not getting the "whole megillah" here in terms of the original Pirates of Penzance. I also am not especially fond of the orchestrations, which sound like they are utilizing early synthesizers or something like Farfisa organs in the place of (acoustic) orchestral strings and the like. But this is still an energetic and often very funny interpretation of the piece, filled with a whimsical production design that highlights the unreality of it all.

The Pirates of Penzance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Pirates of Penzance is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. For the most part, this is a great looking transfer, one with a nicely organic appearance with well resolved grain, and a rather lushly and beautifully suffused palette. Detail levels are often excellent, predictably in close-ups, but quite often in midrange shots as well. There are a couple of brief anomalies that some more eagle eyed videophiles may find momentarily distracting. While large swaths of the film are either graded or lit toward blue (notably some "evening" scenes), there are other moments where there's a slight bluish undertone which tends to cool down an otherwise rather warm palette. There are a couple of rather odd lapses in clarity and grain structure which lead me to believe a secondary element may have been used to cobble together brief moments for whatever reason. Compare, for example, screenshots 9, 15 and 19, all taken within the same sequence, and you can notice a definite downgrade in 19.

The Pirates of Penzance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Pirates of Penzance features a largely winning DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. As is clearly disclosed in the final credits, several actors were dubbed, but there really isn't much "loose synch" type material here. As I stated, I'm not overly fond of the "synth" sounding accompaniments, but both instrumental forces and vocalists sound clear, though there are occasional very slight drops in amplitude that I can't really offer a reasonable explanation for. Fidelity is otherwise fine across the board, supporting all elements easily.

The Pirates of Penzance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This is a bare bones release on Blu-ray, and as such has not only no supplements, but not even a Main Menu. Pressing Pop Up Menu on your remote simply brings up an option for English subtitles. The film starts automatically at disc boot, and at least on my system, stopped automatically, returning me to my player menu at the end.

The Pirates of Penzance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In my life as a musician, I've often been called upon to play for Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and in fact there was a group of Gilbert and Sullivan aficionados that hired me to simply play for all of them to sing along with at weekly gatherings at my home for many months a year or two ago. I also happen to be the real life son of the very model of a modern Major General, and so hopefully my Gilbert and Sullivan bona fides are acceptable when I say this may not be a purist's Pirates, but it's often quite winningly funny and is almost manically energetic most of the time. Performances are sharp, if deliberately cartoonish, and the film is well staged. Universal has provided a release with solid technical merits but no supplements. Recommended.