#MovieoftheDay: The Mikado (1939) While I can't quite recommend this adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan to the novice, as the play was not only heavily cut but reworked to give us a prologue which exists more to show off the Technicolor than anything else, it is a must for any Savoyard. It preserves Martyn Green's Ko-Ko and Sydney Granville's Pooh-Bag for posterity, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at. It's hard to deny the primacy of The Mikado among the Savoy Operas, regardless of one's personal favorites. It's about perfect, and features some of the best songs they ever wrote, and if some don't make the cut ("I've Got a Little List" is the most egregious omission, filmed but cut because of a visual jab at Hitler), those that remain are magnificent. Kenny Baker's Nanki-Poo and Jean Colin's Yum-Yum are pleasantly undistinguished, but John Barclay is a fine Mikado and Constance Willis a solid if underused Katisha. The color IS quite lovely (the cinematography was nominated for an Oscar), and if the sets and costumes are rather garish, they are certainly memorable. Coincidentally, it was one of the first films my dad ever got on DVD. #TheMikado #GilbertandSullivan #GandS #MartynGreen #VictorSchertzinger #SavoyOperas #Technicolor #30sfilms
