The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (also known as 'The Great Gilbert and Sullivan') is a 1953 British musical drama film dramatization of the collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan who co-wrote 14 comic operas. Librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan are portrayed by Robert Morley and Maurice Evans.
The film was directed by Sidney Gilliat and was shot in Technicolor. It was produced for London Films in time to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II but was a box-office failure.
The movie depicts many of the people who performed in the original runs of the operas and includes extensive musical excerpts from the works, staged with the assistance of Martyn Green, who advised on the performance practices of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. The film takes considerable dramatic licence with factual details and moves events around in time.
The colourful film is very entertaining. Performances by Morley and Evans are fine and the musical excerpts in the D’Oyly Carte style are fascinating to see.
I saw it on a recently purchased DVD copy. The print of the film was in excellent shape with good colour.
