After a young man leaves a band of pirates, hilarity ensues.After a young man leaves a band of pirates, hilarity ensues.After a young man leaves a band of pirates, hilarity ensues.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
Stephen Hanan
- Samuel
- (singing voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the chorus consisted of British performers, they are all lip-synching to the American singers from the original Broadway production.
- GoofsAbout 40 minutes into the film, while Mabel sings "Poor Wandering One," a bird flies behind Frederic and hits the "sky" backdrop, causing the bird to fall to the ground. This is only visible if watching the film in its original aspect ratio of 2.35 to 1. For television airings which have modified the dimensions of the film, the bird is still shown but you do not see it hit the backdrop.
- Quotes
[as Major-General Stanley has just entered the scene, all except the Pirate King sing to the tune of "Pirate King"]
Samuel: For he is a Major General!
Daughters: He is, hurrah for the Major General!
Major General Stanley: And it is, it is a GLORIOUS thing to be a Major General.
All: IT IS! Hurrah for the Major General, hurrah for the Major General!
The Pirate King: That's the same as the "Pirate King" tune!
- Crazy creditsThe classic 1927 Universal logo is shown in sepia tone, albeit in widescreen, and there is no "A MCA Company" byline.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (2019)
- SoundtracksPour, Oh Pour The Pirate Sherry
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Performed by Stephen Hanan, Kevin Kline and Pirates
Featured review
I fell in love with Linda Ronstadt the first time I saw this film in 1983. I also fell in love with Angela Lansbury and, perhaps even Kevin Kline.
This fantastical, comedic, interpretation of the wonderful Gilbert and Sullivan musical updates the music, the humor, and performance, while actually enhancing the theatrical quality of the original play and leaving the plot, characters, and script largely intact.
The film feels like an exciting, quite silly, and very fun play seen from the best possible angles on an elaborate but very stagy set. The actors intentionally overact - as if their most subtle movements must be seen by an audience in a three story balcony. The music is also somewhat overblown, but absolutely wonderful. Did I mention Linda Ronstadt? Her vocal performance is frankly unbelievable! She might not be much of an actress, but acting talent was really not required for the role of Maybelle.
The story is about Frederick (Rex Smith), a young man who has just left his indenture under the flamboyant, somewhat unsuccessful and soft-hearted 'Pirate King' (Kline) and his band of fairly inoffensive ruffians. Vowing to slay his beloved friend to atone for the sins he probably did not commit during his indenture, Frederick leaves his doomed friends and comes ashore, only to fall immediately in love with Maybelle, but the pirates are only a few steps behind him.
The entire story is told with very minimal dialog and a lot of great music, slapstick, and camp. The voices are cast perfectly, and Kline's physical performance is nothing short of amazing.
What can I say? I've just watched 'Pirates' again after a hiatus of about 18 years, and the old magic came back immediately. I love this film, and heartily recommend it to all. Not everybody will feel as I do, but I can't even attempt objectivity in reviewing this film.
Enjoy!
This fantastical, comedic, interpretation of the wonderful Gilbert and Sullivan musical updates the music, the humor, and performance, while actually enhancing the theatrical quality of the original play and leaving the plot, characters, and script largely intact.
The film feels like an exciting, quite silly, and very fun play seen from the best possible angles on an elaborate but very stagy set. The actors intentionally overact - as if their most subtle movements must be seen by an audience in a three story balcony. The music is also somewhat overblown, but absolutely wonderful. Did I mention Linda Ronstadt? Her vocal performance is frankly unbelievable! She might not be much of an actress, but acting talent was really not required for the role of Maybelle.
The story is about Frederick (Rex Smith), a young man who has just left his indenture under the flamboyant, somewhat unsuccessful and soft-hearted 'Pirate King' (Kline) and his band of fairly inoffensive ruffians. Vowing to slay his beloved friend to atone for the sins he probably did not commit during his indenture, Frederick leaves his doomed friends and comes ashore, only to fall immediately in love with Maybelle, but the pirates are only a few steps behind him.
The entire story is told with very minimal dialog and a lot of great music, slapstick, and camp. The voices are cast perfectly, and Kline's physical performance is nothing short of amazing.
What can I say? I've just watched 'Pirates' again after a hiatus of about 18 years, and the old magic came back immediately. I love this film, and heartily recommend it to all. Not everybody will feel as I do, but I can't even attempt objectivity in reviewing this film.
Enjoy!
- How long is The Pirates of Penzance?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Pirates
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $694,497
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $255,496
- Feb 21, 1983
- Gross worldwide
- $694,497
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
By what name was The Pirates of Penzance (1983) officially released in India in English?
Answer