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I’ve been on a “films I’ve always been meaning to rent”
kick lately. And I’ve wanted to see some sort of Gilbert and Sullivan production
for the last ten years or so. So when casting a glance at the musicals section
in the video store, I picked up this 1982 film adaptation of The Pirates
of Penzance.
I made a good choice. Not only is this movie full of truly comic moments and
silly but genuinely funny humor—a nearly perfect blend of word play, irony,
scenery/music, great choreography, and physical humor—but it stars my favorite
actor, Kevin Kline, who is just plain funny as the pirate king. Angela Lansbury
and Linda Ronstadt (who does a decent job, believe it or not) and other stars
round out the cast.
The sublime ridiculousness of the plot is delightful in itself. It involves
a band of pirates who aren’t mean enough (they let anyone go who says he’s
an orphan). One of their apprentices (named Frederick) has just turned 21 and
tries to leave the band of pirates for a more respectable life hunting down
that same band of pirates to bring them to justice.
Before he starts his respectable life, Frederick must first decide whether
to wed his middle-aged nurse (Angela Lansbury). Unfortunately, though, he’s
not quite sure how to compare her to other women, since he hasn’t seen
any in a very long time. Of course, when he gets to shore and sees a bunch of
young pretty women, his perspective jells and the adventures ensue…
One warning if the types of movies you’ve been renting lately have the
cinematography of Lord of the Rings. This adaptation is a lot like a
theater production with a bit of camera work added in. But the pool-like sea
and plastic-looking rocks only add to the fairy tale and Shakespearean-comedy-like
feel of the film (which was closely modeled on a stage production done in New
York). I didn’t find it to be much of a distraction. Actually, it was funnier
that way.
