The Bandmaster (1947) User Reviews

As every true opera lover well knows . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 28 May 2023]

. . . the Overture to Z-a-m-p-a is one of the most famous in all of Music History. THE BANDMASTER brilliantly relocates the action of this box office dud from the pirate realm to a circus big top tent. The sibling rivalry plot is wittily represented by the two-headed canine violinist here. Alice, the marble statue playing the female lead in the original version of this story, now becomes a hapless tightrope artist who initially loses her teeth, and later her hair, in a series of hilarious mishaps. The opera's buccaneer title character finds himself transformed into Benjamin, "the world's greatest high diver," who--despite Andy's best efforts--STILL plunges to his doom in the Underworld, in keeping with the beta trial's finale.

Although clearly influenced by Disney, also different enough to succeed on its own merit.

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 16 September 2002]

This short shows clear influences on the animators by the Disney short, The Band Concert. The styles of the two studios, however, were so markedly different that the two cartoons are both quite different and can both be enjoyed on their own merits. Excellent short well worth the time and effort to track down. Most recommended.

The Bandmaster is a very good Walter Lantz/Andy Panda cartoon

[tavm · 9/10 · 19 February 2009]

Just watched this Walter Lantz/Andy Panda cartoon on YouTube as linked from Mayerson on Animation blog. Like Mickey Mouse in The Band Concert, Mr. Panda is the conductor of a symphony orchestra though here it's in a circus. They're playing the overture to "Zampa". While an early version of Donald Duck was the nemesis of Mickey in Band Concert, here it's just a series of unrelated gags that mostly hit the mark. Among them: An audience member attempts to give one band member a "hot" foot but a miniature fan inside the shoe puts it out, a female trapeze artist loses her hair when she goes down, and a drunk tightrope walker sees pink elephants dancing to a particularly dainty section of the piece. Andy himself is used sparingly but has some moments at the end. So on that note, The Bandmaster is recommend.