The Pirates of Penzance (1983)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Wilford Leach

Writers:

William S. Gilbert (operetta)
Wilford Leach (writer)

Release Date:

18 February 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Broadway's smash hit is now the movie!

Plot:

This movie is an adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta of the same name, with parts of other of their operettas stirred in...

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | Gilbert And Sullivan | Orphan | Family Relationships | Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Kevin Kline	...	The Pirate King
Angela Lansbury	...	Ruth
Linda Ronstadt	...	Mabel
George Rose	...	Maj. Gen. Stanley
Rex Smith	...	Frederic
Tony Azito	...	Sergeant
David Hatton	...	Samuel
Louise Gold	...	Edith
Teresa Codling	...	Kate
Zoot Money	...	Pirate (as G.B. Zoot Money)
Tilly Vosburgh	...	Daughter
Peppi Borza	...	Policeman
Preston Lockwood	...	Orchestra conductor
Romolo Bruni	...	Pinafore captain
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mohamed Aazzi	...	Pirate
Anthony Arundell	...	Pirate
John Asquith	...	Pirate
Tim Bentinck	...	Pirate
John Bett	...	Pinafore company
Lennie Byrne	...	Pinafore company
Jo Cameron Brown	...	Pinafore company
Nicolas Chagrin	...	Policeman
Frankie Cull	...	Policeman
Ross Davidson	...	Pirate
Zulema Dene	...	Pinafore company
Marta Eitler	...	Pinafore company
Carole Forbes	...	Pinafore company
Mike Grady	...	Pirate
David Hampshire	...	Policeman
Stephen Hanan	...	Samuel (voice)
Leni Harper	...	Daughter
Phillip Harrison	...	Policeman
Jack Honeyborne	...	Pinafore company
Simon Howe	...	Pirate
Alix Korey	...	Edith (singing) (voice) (as Alexandra Korey)
Maurice Lane	...	Policeman
Carol MacReady	...	Pinafore company
Jerry Manley	...	Policeman
Brian Markham	...	Pinafore company
Neil McCaul	...	Policeman
Clare McIntyre	...	Daughter
Tony Millan	...	Pirate
Valerie Minifie	...	Pinafore Company
Rhys Nelson	...	Policeman
Garry Noakes	...	Policeman
Louise Papillon	...	Daughter
Andrew Paul	...	Pirate
Chris Power	...	Policeman
Ken Leigh Rogers	...	Pirate
Mohamed Serhani	...	Pirate
Marcie Shaw	...	Kate (voice)
Linda Spurrier	...	Pinafore company
Ursula Stedman	...	Pinafore company
Mike Walling	...	Pirate
Kenny Warwick	...	Policeman
Nancy Wood	...	Daughter

Also Known As:

The Slave of Duty (UK) (subtitle)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:G | UK:U

Company:

St. Michael Finance Limited

Trivia:

Towards the end of the film, the pirates and police interrupt a production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" (also by William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The lip-synching is often off (or ceases altogether), especially in choral numbers like "When the Foeman Bares His Steel".

Quotes:

Mabel: Hold, monsters! Ere your pirate caravanserai Proceed, against our will, to wed us all, Just bear in mind that we are Wards in Chancery, And our father is a Major-General!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Flashpoint: Scorpio (#1.1)" (2008)

Exactly, why wasn't this movie a hit?

This movie's great even though it's quite clear that this movie was low budget. Still, why wasn't it a hit? It's wonderful! Linda Ronstadt's Mabel is superb, I wish I could hit those high notes as flawlessly as she does and plus she is so pretty! Who can play the Pirate King as charismatically as Kevin Kline? You just have to love his crazy antics and that voice, oh! It's obvious he has great talent and that Tony Award he won for his portrayal of The Pirate King on Broadway was well-deserved. I wonder if he can still sing and dance... Rex Smith is divine as Frederic; his singing voice is powerful yet has a tender appeal. He is quite talented in his portrayal of a gullible yet loveable Frederic. Angela Lansbury is lovely in her portrayal of the deaf nursemaid and she has such a wonderful voice; it fits the role perfectly. The pirates, the daughters, the policemen, were all wonderful. I especially love the policemen's song-and-dance numbers. Tony Azito's nasal voice and rubber-like movements are perfect as the Sergeant. I have nothing bad to say about this movie, only I wish it were longer and it did not end so soon! See this movie! It's funny, romantic, and has good music.