The Pirates of Penzance (1980 TV Movie) User Reviews

PIRATES in the Park

[NJMoon · 8/10 · 29 August 2005]

Let's straighten out a few points in previous comments first. This is the video of the original stage production, which started at the Delacourte (outdoor) theatre in New York's Central Park (it was free!) and then moved to Broadway (indoors) with a slightly different cast and then was made into a proper film - again with minor cast changes.

Patricia Routledge originated the role of Ruth but was replaced on Broadway by Estelle Parsons. In the film, the role of Ruth was taken by Angela Lansbury. This was the only principal role recast in any incarnation of the Park/Video, original Broadway, or film version. I don't know why Routledge and Parsons were replaced.

The smaller character of Samuel was also re-cast on Broadway (Stephen Hanan took over). Oddly, when the film was made, the original Broadway cast recorded in a New York studio singing the soundtrack, but finances prevented those playing the smaller roles from actually going to England to do the filming. English actors played Kate, Edith, Isabel and Samuel, lip synching to the original Broadway cast.

This 1980 video isn't quite as technically bad as some claim. The percussionist is practically a major character and a love duet between Frederic and Mabel turns into a trio with the conductor in the middle. But all in all it is certainly watchable. It is unfortunate that a jet passes over the park just when the singers launch into the a capella "Hail Poetry", but the sound is not all that bad. I had to jack up the volume on my home theatre a bit to compensate.

Having seen the original cast live on Broadway, I was happy to finally see Routledge in the role of Ruth. She does a bit of ad libbing here and there but is very good. PIRATES was her last New York musical after appearing in a string of flops including a disastrous 1976 musical called 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE where she played all the first ladies. After PIRATES she returned to England and...well, the rest is television history. The Samuel in this video is much more operatic than his Broadway replacement Hanan. The incredible George Rose is in top form here while the later film version is better for the other principals, who had three years to perfect their roles.

This video also gives us the complete Act One. The film version fades out before Ruth's final plea to Frederic. Other differences (vocally and visually) between the Park (this video) and Broadway/Film are minimal. If you are a G&S purist, this Wilford Leach version is not for you. But it has become the standard interpretation of PIRATES in stage productions everywhere.

Much more palatable than the movie!

[wooddad · 7/10 · 29 February 2008]

This is the theater cast that prompted the movie, also starring Linda Ronstadt, Kevin Kline and Rex Smith. I always felt the movie was rather cheesy, even by '80s standards. Kline shines as the Pirate King. He mugs well with the audience, and has some wonderful business, often involving the pit orchestra. (The stage was built partly around the pit, which makes for some wonderful interaction.) Smith and Ronstadt both have pop/rock roots, and it shows. Smith at least has some theatrical bona fides, having debuted in "Grease." Still, musical theater is nothing if not camp, and Smith and Ronstadt are both sufficiently campy in this production. (I note, with some glee, that they had to key most of Ronstadt's arias a third or more.) We bought this version because it was the only one available (all the others had been "returned to vendor!") and were pleasantly surprised. I'd seen the movie and had to quell my gag reflex through most of it. This works much better as the theatrical version from whence it sprang 120 years ago. Still fresh; still funny. See it!

The BEST Available Today...

[kairos00 · 7/10 · 1 September 2006]

I have this version of the DVD, and in spite of the warnings of the'technology of the day', if enough finances and talent were thrown at restoration, it would make a fantastic experience. Others have stated the short comings. I am distracted by the poor video and audio quality.

I have just finished watching the movie version, with Angela Lansbury. Again, others have noted the short comings of the movie VS the Central Park production. I must say, though that Ms. Lansbury did a very decent job.

So, which one is better, in MHO? This version, by far. For one thing, which has not been mentioned, in the movie version many songs were shortened or eliminated all together. This stage version is COMPLETE! You get all the wonderful words and music created by G & S. The movie also seems a little 'over the top'. Now I realize that this play is meant to be hammed up, but the actors mugged it up a lot more, and there were disturbing sound effects inserted when all you really needed was the actor's expressions. So, bottom line, in spite of the poor production, i'll keep my Central Park production, and forget the movie version.

Far better than the movie version!

[oznickolaus · 10/10 · 16 May 2003]

Thank goodness this version of Joseph Papp's "Pirates" has been unearthed and released to the public! For as lavish as the 1983 film version is, I always felt that it was lacking something....a live audience.

With the exception of Kevin Kline's performance, this live recording of the Central Park production is very charming and well worth the watch. Mr. Kline is wonderful as The Pirate King, but his performance in the 1983 version is far better. After 3 years of performing the role, he perfected it, and truly made it his own.

Reviews back in 1980 complained about Linda Ronstadt's performance as Mabel, noting her lack of acting training. I found her to be perfectly charming and quite adorable. She's a cross between Snow White and Lilian Gish...the perfect mix! She handles the vocal difficulty of the role with ease and clarity. Her upper voice is slightly improved by the time the big screen version was shot, but this early attempt is wonderful! And Mabel really doesn't have a lot of acting depth to her anyway....G & S wrote her as a parody of grand opera sopranos. Player her "straight", as Ronstadt does, and she's fabulous.

The late George Rose and the late Tony Azito are almost exact on both versions...which to me a sign of a great performer. I always heard the Rose did the entire movie version with no retakes, and I can now understand why...he's flawless. Azito could have given Ray Bolger a run for his money back in the day...the man was like rubber.! I would have loved to have seen him play the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz! Sadly both Rose and Azito were taken from us before their time. It's a great loss.

Patricia Routledge leaves Angela Lansbury in the dust in the battle for the better Ruth. Routledge actually had a character unlike Lansbury who simply played Jessica Fletcher as Ruth....serious miscasting there folks! If you are a fan of Patricia Routledge in "Keeping Up Appearances", this is a must see for you!

The video used for the DVD and VHS versions of this show is very rough. It's been digitally cleaned up a much as possible, but it is 23 years old! Only so much can be done! But it's worth the watch anyway!

I LOVED IT!!!!

Humorous melodrama

[Blueghost · 14 September 2004]

I saw this production of "The Pirates of Penzance" in and around 1982 in San Francisco. The only member of the cast not accounted for was Kevin Kline, who I believe was off filming "Sofie's Choice" at the time. His role was assumed by James Belushi during Kline's absence, who did a superb job of portraying the Pirate King that year. I had a great time seeing this production, and seeing this preserved performance brings back warm and welcomed memories.

This version of Pirates is exceptionally well acted, but, as the foreword on the DVD states, the print is limited by the technology at the time. I've seen the DVD on both high-res (definition) and on regular NTSC monitors, and, believe it or not, it actually looks better on older TV's (for which the technology of the recording was made). The result being that on a high definition TV set the hot-spots and washed out colors look even more distorted than they actually are on the master. Even so, on a regular television the image quality bounces from good to not-so-good, depending on the camera being used. The center camera (number 2 camera?) wasn't properly white balanced, and the washed out brights show, giving a real unprofessional look to the TV production. In fact, during the performance, the operator tries to stop down the camera, but the only result is sloppy camera work, forever preserved on DVD. Whoever coordinated this thing clearly didn't do their homework.

The same goes for the audio. For some reason the high fidelity of today's top of the line audio systems, for all their bells and whistles to enhance music and general audio, just don't deliver a clear sound of the performance. For some strange reason (probably because contemporary audio components try to "create fidelity" in source material where there is none) the regular old TV speaker delivers a clearer sound. Note; it's not a higher quality sound, but sound where both lyrics and dialogue are easily understood. On a digital stereo or home theatre the cast sounds very muffled by all the tonal enhancements, making the songs sound unintelligible. If you must view it on your home theatre system, then do yourself a favor and grab a book of lyrics. Otherwise you'll be left high and dry when the songs roll around.

But, if you can get by all the video and audio shortcomings (a lot to ask for) you should have a good time watching one the most memorable productions of Gillbert and Sullivan's Light Opera (or operetta, whichever term you prefer). Linda Ronstadt as Mabel plays the innocent young waif, who falls for the young dashing Frederick, played by Rex Smith. The performances are perfectly melodramatic, with a couple of contemporary nuances to make them really stand out for modern audiences. Each set of characters delivers an excellent performance; the daughters, the police troop/pirate-band, and of course the leads.

There're two mis cued gags, but the fact that they weren't laughed at is more the fault of the audience than the actors: Ronstadt's vocal competition with the local birds, portrayed by a flautist, seemed to fly over the head of the audience. And Tony Azito (the Police Sargeant) failed to get a laugh on his "...most perplexing" line, again probably because the audience's mind was on something else, or they didn't understand the context of the reference.

As you may know this particular production was so popular that a film was made, using most of the original cast. That is save for Patricia Rutledge of "Keeping up Appearances" and "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" fame, who was replaced by Angela Lansbury (God knows why... most likely because Lansbury was probably a name the American public could identify with, and hence haul in more movie goers for more box office dollars). The film, from what little I saw of it, did little to enhance or give credit to the stage performance. The stage production was popular for a reason. The film bombed for similar reasons.

Part of the reason for that is because plays, particularly ones like "The Pirates of Penzance," really need an audience that can appreciate good theatre. That, and the era of the musical was dead back in the 70's and 80's (one or two exceptions). "The Pirates of Penzance," and specifically this production, was a smash hit on the theatre circuit. It was a thing that really couldn't be reproduced in a cinematic venue.

Fortunately the good folks at Kutlur Video have put together what is probably the only surviving TV broadcast version of this light opera, onto VHS and DVD. If light opera isn't your thing, then you may want to scope out the "teen-sexploitation" comedy version, starring Kristy McNichol, entitled "The Pirate Movie." That version lacks both music and charm of, what was then, THE NUMBER ONE stage production to see. "The Pirate Movie" is okay, but is more or less an attempt to cash in on teenage dollars (and cheaply, I might add).

Unfortunately the DVD of this legendary production of "The Pirates of Pezance" is priced around thirty smackers. A bit pricey for a reprint of a twenty-year-old 3/4" broadcast master, but, if you're like me and saw the original 1980's production, the performances more than worth the money.

The only thing wrong with this...

[ace-150 · 9/10 · 19 September 2012]

...is that I can't take a time machine back so that I can be there for this performance. The tape is technically sub-par, but it's not that bad. There's a bit of a machine hum for a few minutes and there's a little gargliness in part of the finale. But it's absolutely worth it. I'm a big fan of the film version, but it's like the difference between a blow-up doll and a live person. Patricia Routledge gives a great performance. And in the live show, you realize that Rex Smith has a HUGE voice. This performance is so lively, and the audience is having such a great time. I rented it and then promptly went to Amazon and bought it.

Song

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 5 April 2021]

I like the bit about the model of the modern major general.

The best Pirates of Penzance on DVD?

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 4 September 2012]

I'd say yes. Although I did thoroughly enjoy the 2006 Opera Australia and the 1994 Sydney performances(the latter is not for everybody though) and the 1983 film, this Pirates really stood out. All are much better than the 1982 D'Oyly Carte and 1985 Stratford productions, which I was disappointed by. The Pirates of Penzance was my first Gilbert and Sullivan operetta and possibly my favourite. You can definitely see why here. The lyrics and dialogue have always been hilarious and they are still here. The costumes and sets do look handsome, and the staging is always fun and never dull. It is even better musically, with stylish orchestral playing and conducting, the sisters are charming, the pirates lively and the policemen hilarious(and not under-pitch like they were in D'Oyly Carte). The performances are really impressive. Kevin Kline is not quite as good as he is in the 1983 film but his Pirate King still has charisma and swagger. George Rose's Major General Stanley is impeccable vocally and dramatically, he sings the patter like it comes easy to him when really it must have taken him a lot of practise and he performs with such gusto. Tony Azito is alongside Richard Alexander for Opera Australia the best Police Sergeant on DVD, his facial expressions and body language are priceless. Rex Smith is a dashing Frederic, and Linda Ronstadt is charming as Mabel, especially liked her duet with the flautist, a shame really that it went over the audience's heads. Patricia Routledge is a funny and sympathetic Ruth also, superior to Angela Lansbury in the film. Interesting to see Alice Playten(Blix in the fantasy film Legend) as Edith. Overall, a wonderful Pirates of Penzance. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Kline and Ronstadt, but not much else

[Red-125 · 7/10 · 3 March 2021]

The Pirates of Penzance (1980 TV Movie) was directed by Wilford Leach and Joshua White.

Pirates with Kevin Kline as The Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt has to be great, right? Wrong.

This was a recording of a live performance in the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whoever filmed appears to have been an amateur--the definition and colors are terrible.

The stage is small and the mini-orchestra is smaller. The CD reminded me of a high school production filmed by a proud parent. Sort of a historical record rather than an musical treat.

The movie has an excellent IMDb rating of 8.0. Apparently, people were willing to overlook the dismal production values. Kline and Ronstadt really are great. On that basis I rated it 7. If you're a real Gilbert & Sullivan fan, you'll probably want to see it. If G&S isn't your thing, pick a different operetta or a different production of this one.

very dated but great content ,superb singing

[terrydo · 10/10 · 9 May 2003]

I have just watched this film for about the 20th time ,and I can assure you Ruth was played by Angela Lonsbury not Patricia Routlidge The one I watched I taped off the tv , all the other cast were the same. is this another version ?

many thanks T J Careless

Are there any really good copies of this?

[cowboyvampire · 7/10 · 6 February 2021]

We just watched this on Broadway in HD, and unfortunately, the video is so degraded you can barely see some scenes (the girls, wearing white, simply disappear into the white background). The sound is still great, and it's a fantastic production -- one of my favorites. We were just really disappointed in the faded quality of the visuals. That's the only reason I didn't give it more stars.

Someone needs to digitally remaster and clean this up!

Most excellent performance

[Bernie4444 · 10/10 · 28 November 2023]

An orphan Fredric is hours away from being 21 years old. Soon his indentured to pirates (due to a misunderstanding) will end and he can then hunt the pirates down. In addition, Fredric has just discovered what young women look like and has fallen for Mabel Stanley, daughter of the Major general. All of this is about to change.

I have always enjoyed the variations of "The Pirates of Penzance." Among my favorites is this Broadway Theater Archive from 1980. It was recorded at the New York Shakespeare Festival (a live performance in NYC Central Park.) The cover of my copy of the DVD Release date : October 22, 2002, looks like the standard cover of the series. It is distributed by Kultur. Run time 2 hours and 2 minutes.

You need to know that this film has all the strengths and weaknesses of a stage production vs. The Movie. The sound sometimes comes and goes and you have to listen closely to understand much of the singing. It helps to know what you are watching in advance. On the positive side, I have always appreciated the minimal scenery of the stage and marvel at how so many can do so much with so little. This is an excellent film for those living in a culturally deprived area and to hold others until they can see the real thing again.

Just so you know this is not a movie. So many of the players push the envelope with their variation on the Gilbert & Sullivan theme and music. Speaking of music the stage surrounds the orchestra so you can watch them and occasionally the audience. Linda Ronstadt as Mabel has a surprisingly high voice at first and I assume is on purpose soon she settles down and you would think that the play was made just for her. Kevin Kline adds the over the top energy needed to keep this fast passed play going. When all is said and done you will be exhausted from listening and laughing.

Next you will want to track down "Pirates of Penzance" - Anthony Warlow, David Hobson, Australian Opera.

The DVD quality is awful

[chrisw-3 · 4/10 · 22 May 2006]

This is a very bad recording of a very good performance.

The show was obviously professionally shot, and the credits list a multi-channel sound recording crew. But the sound on this is in mono and has very audible "time code" noise, a high-pitched audio signal that was used to link the videotape to a simultaneously recorded audiotape. Given the vintage of the shoot, it was probably shot on 1" videotape and 2", 24-track audiotape. As few video productions facilities still have 1" playback equipment, and judging by the video quality, this was made from a 3/4" "safety" copy.

Why? The suppliers cheaped out. They didn't spend the time or energy to find the original tapes, or if they had them, to transfer them, or to do a mix-down of the 24-track master audio.

It is possible to make an excellent DVD from this material. The DVD currently available is not it.

Fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

[paulaschmidt-22812 · 8/10 · 11 November 2018]

Cast is great, Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Linda Rondstadt and Angela Landsbury!

Play filmed by amateurs in the theater

[mikeschrampf · 2/10 · 28 September 2020]

Too many reasons that it's difficult to watch. Quality is on the level of TV programs from 1950's. No sharpness in picture. Poor audio. Camera placements lack direction unless you want to view actors backs and darken audience.