No 41 -- Spring 1994 Edited by Michael Walters
Probably of far more interest than PATIENCE is the fact that, after all these long years of hearing about it, I have at last been able to witness that astonishing piece of bizarrerie - the 1939 film of THE MIKADO. A friend rang to tell me that it was being broadcast on television in the small hours one week night, and asked me whether I should like it recorded on video. Of course, I said yes. I'd heard so much about this film, and thought that at least I ought to see it. At least it would give me a chance to see my G&S idol Martyn Green in action, as well as a Savoyard who actually worked under W.S. Gilbert himself - Sydney Granville. What on earth can one say about such a remarkable hash as this severely adapted and truncated MIKADO? I suppose that at least you can say you've seen it. Certainly no efforts were spared in the atmospheric Japanese scenery and the exotic costumes - and the early-day tecnicolor came over quite well without being too garish. Most of the songs - except the big "show-stoppers" - were pruned of a verse, and Kenny Baker as Nanki-Poo unaccountably sang a verse of "The Sun whose rays" under Yum-Yum's window in a sort of preamble to the opera. "Here's a how de do" gave me a good chance to see Martyn Green's legendary nimbleness of foot. The Mikado himself seemed to be rather lacking in bigness of voice and stage presence, although he was quite good. Katisha portrayed the rle very well, I thought, and was suitably repulsive, being based, as far as I could make out, on Tenniel's illustration of the Duchess in ALICE. For one keen on G&S trivia, I think the main fragment of interest was the encore to "The flowers that bloom in the spring. I wonder how many people would know that the weird orchestration used is Sullivan's own?! I've never, as I recall, heard this used in any actual performance - until in this film. With all sorts of orchestral adaptations throughout the film, no doubt by the conductor, Geoffroy Toye, many people might think that this encore verse was also his work.
DAVID THOMAS
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