The Mikado
Directed by Victor Schertzinger • 1939 • United States
Starring Kenny Baker, Martyn Green, Sydney Granville
The legendary Gilbert and Sullivan troupe the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company joined forces with Hollywood for this 1939 Technicolor version of the beloved comic opera “The Mikado,” the first work by the famed duo to be adapted for the screen. Directed by musician and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Victor Schertzinger, it is a lavish cinematic retelling of the British political satire set in exotic Japan, with such enduringly popular numbers as “A Wand’ring Minstrel I” and “Three Little Maids from School,” and featuring American singer Kenny Baker as well as a host of renowned D’Oyly Carte performers, including Martyn Green and Sydney Granville.
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The Mikado
Directed by Victor Schertzinger • 1939 • United States
Starring Kenny Baker, Martyn Green, Sydney GranvilleThe legendary Gilbert and Sullivan troupe the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company joined forces with Hollywood for this 1939 Technicolor version of the beloved comic opera “The Mikado,” the first w...
Extras
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Mike Leigh on THE MIKADO
Director Mike Leigh dramatized Gilbert and Sullivan’s creation of “The Mikado” in his award-winning 1999 film TOPSY-TURVY, which required extensive research on the duo and the opera. In this video interview, recorded in 2010, Leigh brings his unique perspective to the 1939 film version of the opera.
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Josephine Lee and Ralph MacPhail Jr. on THE MIKADO
Professors Josephine Lee and Ralph MacPhail Jr. have researched and written extensively on various aspects of the numerous stage and screen versions of “The Mikado,” going back to its debut in 1885. Here, they discuss the history of the opera and the 1939 film.
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THE MIKADO Deleted Scene
Several songs were cut or trimmed during “The Mikado’s” journey from stage to screen, in both the script and the postproduction stage. One of these was Ko-Ko’s “I’ve Got a Little List,” which was shot but deleted just before the film was released. This was most likely due to its incorporation of ...
