Arts Movie Reviews

Here the music and vocals are prerecorded and the singers mime to the playback. Occasionally the result is a little unnatural, but overall the cast members are good enough actors to bring off the conceit even in the close-ups. It all pays off triumphantly with the gripping realism of the rooftop finale, the one place where film can improve on stage. With the authenticity of the settings assured and such distinguished leads singing so well, this is an almost ideal filmed Tosca. --Mark Walker

Music is only a part of this disc's attractions, but it is powerful and well-integrated into the flow of the film, and it puts the viewer directly in touch with Gesualdo's tortured soul. Two vocal groups exemplify different views on how it should be performed. Il Complesso Barocco uses instruments, very discreetly, to support the voices; the Gesualdo Consort has five unaccompanied voices. Both sing with the expressive intensity the music requires. --Joe McLellan

But this is a vintage production deserving attention on its own merits. As a matter of survival, veteran singers learn how to make experience compensate for the loss of youth, and Freni and Pavarotti are outstanding examples of how this can be done. They are aided by a sensitive stage director, a visual treatment responsive to the opera's changing moods, and an expert supporting cast deeply involved with the story and the music. They fit convincingly in roles with which they have been living for decades; both are still in good vocal condition, and the emotions are convincingly conveyed. In the supporting cast, note the excellent performances of Gino Quilico and Nicolai Ghiaurov. --Joe McLellan

Peter Marshall, best known as the host of Hollywood Squares, turns out to be a credible singer and dancer. But his performance is bizarre. With his prancing movements and incessant grin, he's a Victorian cartoon that scarcely resembles the genial but upright Captain Corcoran. It's similar with the British TV comedian Frankie Howerd, who, in the role of Sir Joseph, plays himself. Expertly drawing on a large stock of mannerisms, he hoists his eyebrows, purses his lips, levitates his voice an octave in surprise. Howerd's speak-singing is more effective than you might think; he tramples on Gilbert's dialogue, however. Adlibbing many of his lines, he is sometimes visibly at a loss for what to say next.

The number of such wobbly moments suggests that the production was taped in a hurry. Things are further constrained by the shipboard set, which is too cramped for all those sailors, sisters, cousins, and aunts. During the dance segments, you can observe them bumping into the scenery and each other. --David Olivenbaum

Stratford's production places the story within a frame--a 19th-century theater company's performance of Iolanthe. The device doesn't serve much purpose, except to imply the director's uncertainty that audiences can swallow this material without mediation. That anxiety shows in the production's overwrought style. The performers try hard, though: The distinguished contralto Maureen Forrester, while not exactly funny as the Queen of the Fairies, is as game as can be, letting herself be flown in on a swing and dressed up as the god Mars. As the Lord Chancellor, Eric Donkin is amusing but restrained, perhaps laboring to keep up with the ferocious lyrics he has to get through.

Productions of Gilbert and Sullivan these days often include rewritten lyrics and dialogue; this one is loaded with them. The extent of the updating will alarm some viewers, but it's wholly in the spirit of the piece, since Gilbert's script is full of topical allusions that he wouldn't have expected to be meaningful more than a century later. Many of his political asides have, of course, been replaced with Canada-specific references, which will be of only limited value to non-Canadians. --David Olivenbaum

This version is not ideal, with lots of mugging and condescending to the material. There are failed stabs at cleverness, such as a witless pseudo-newsreel that marks Strephon's run for Parliament. Still, the charm of the piece comes through. Kate Flowers as Strephon's fiancée, Phyllis, is a delight; she sings radiantly and conveys the driest possible blend of modesty and narcissism. As the Queen of the Fairies, Anne Collins puts her weighty contralto to good comic use. She is commanding but endearing, especially when she sings amorously to the fire captain.

Part of the Opera World series of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas made for television, this one has the strengths and weaknesses of an uneven series. Visual and sound quality are muddier than they should be, and, for better or worse, the operettas are presented without the updating that's frequently done, just as Gilbert wrote them, obscure references and all. --David Olivenbaum

Of this set, the highlight is The Gondoliers, in which Sullivan's Italianate score--his most radiant--sets the tone, though there's a fair helping of Gilbert's trademark wit. H.M.S. Pinafore is erratic though of generally high musical quality, The Mikado has good performers but lacks spark, Patience (a favorite of many aficionados) has some casting flaws, and the pleasures of Pirates are sporadic at best. A better choice is the 10-disc Master Collection, which includes four of the series' standouts, Ruddigore, The Sorcerer, Iolanthe, and Princess Ida, as well as The Yeomen of the Guard. --David Olivenbaum