The Mikado
UK (1939): Musical/Comedy
The son of the Mikado of Japan, a wandering minstrel, falls for a girl who is engaged to her guardian. Features Kenny Baker, John Barclay, Martyn Green, Sydney Granville, Gregory Stroud, Jean Colin, Elizabeth Paynter, Kathleen Naylor and Constance Willis. Directed by Victor Schertzinger for Gilbert & Sullivan Films/Universal. (IMDb)
The public first glimpsed the Gilbert & Sullivan masterpiece in a short silent in 1926 by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company that showcased its new costumes. This 1939 production -- made as a star vehicle for Kenny Baker -- features many of the D'Oyly Carte principals. G&S lovers had to settle for this somewhat abbreviated version of the operetta until a rather disappointing production hit the big screen in 1967. However, there were two television productions of the piece in the meantime (1954 & 1960). Since 1967, there have been ten more productions for television. However, the piece can be most recently appreciated as the core of Mike Leigh's delightful and visually dazzling Topsy-Turvy (1999).
1 nomination
· Cinematography (Color) 1939: William V. Skall