Story
Pirates of Penzance is a Mike Leigh film of an English National Opera production of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic comic opera.
Pirates of Penzance begins on Frederic’s 21st birthday, when he’s freed from his accidental apprenticeship to a band of pirates. He decides to stop being a pirate and live an honest life. On his way from the pirate ship, he meets a sweet girl named Mabel and her many sisters. Mabel and Frederic fall in love and plan to be married.
Their plans are thwarted when the Pirate King finds a loophole in Frederic’s contract, which means that Frederic might have a duty to return to the pirates. A comedy of errors follows, focusing on Frederic’s bumbling attempts to decide where his duty lies – with Mabel or the pirates.
Themes
Violence
There is some violence in Pirates of Penzance, but it’s all played for comedy. For example:
- The pirates attack policemen with swords and guns, and the policemen hit the pirates with batons.
- The Pirate King holds a knife to the Major General’s throat.
- The pirates try to kidnap Mabel and her sisters and force them into marriage.
Content that may disturb children
Under 8
Children in this age group might be scared of the pirates and their attempts to kidnap the young women.
From 8-13
Nothing of concern
Over 13
Nothing of concern
Sexual references
Pirates of Penzance has some sexual references. For example:
- Frederic has never seen a young woman before. When he meets Mabel and her sisters he talks about how beautiful they are.
- Mabel and Frederic flirt with each other.
- The pirates look at the girls suggestively.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Pirates of Penzance shows the pirates getting drunk in one scene.
Nudity and sexual activity
Pirates of Penzance shows Frederic and Mabel kissing.
Product placement
There is no product placement in Pirates of Penzance.
Coarse language
None of concern
Ideas to discuss with your children
Pirates of Penzance: English National Opera is a film of the English National Opera’s production of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic. The story itself is a witty comedy of misunderstanding and confusion. A lot of its humour comes from wordplay and the implications of Frederic’s leap year birthday.
The movie is exempt from rating because it’s the film of a live stage production.
The movie is approximately 150 minutes long, and includes the overture and a 20-minute interval. Its length and the Victorian language make it a difficult movie for young children to sit through and understand, and younger children might also be scared by the pirates and some violent scenes. Therefore we don’t recommend it for children under 5 years, and we do recommend parental guidance for children aged 5-8 years, who might need some of the humour and the plot explained to them.
The main messages from this movie are to keep your promises and to follow your conscience always.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include loyalty, integrity and honesty.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like the consequences of violence and crime, and of not fulfilling promises.