Karen Wood Movies List

In a mythical Japan, Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor, has been appointed Lord High Executioner and must find someone to execute before the arrival of the ruling Mikado. He lights upon Nanki-Poo, a strolling minstrel who loves the beautiful Yum-Yum. But Yum-Yum is also loved by Ko-Ko, and Nanki-Poo, seeing no hope for his love, considers suicide. Ko-Ko offers to solve both their problems by executing Nanki-Poo, and an agreement is reached whereby Ko-Ko will allow Nanki-Poo to marry Yum-Yum for one month, at the end of which Nanki-Poo will be executed, in time for the arrival of the Mikado. But what Ko-Ko doesn't know is that Nanki-Poo is the son of the Mikado and has run away to avoid a betrothal to an old harridan named Katisha. The arrival of the Mikado brings all the threads of the tale together. This is the Stratford Festival of Canada, directed by Brian Macdonald. This is a filmed version of a stage performance, and the sets are beautifully spare and economical.

Brent Carver stars as the swashbuckling Pirate King in the famous Stratford Festival's rollicking production of the Gilbert & Sullivan classic that pits British bobbles against unlikely pirates on the Cornish coast. Sullivan regarded this operetta - a hit ever since its first production in New York in 1879 - as the best comedy he composed. He even said of his collaborator, "The libretto is ingenious, clever, wonderfully fun in parts and sometimes brilliant in dialogue - beautifully written for music, as is all Gilbert does." Indeed, audiences will find the music every bit a match for the lyrics, with the genius of the score lying in its parody of grand opera. Filmed in 1985 at the world-famous Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario.

Brad, Steve, Hue, and Marvin are four get-nowhere boys who are forced into summer school, ending up at Cockswell Academy under the supervision of Principal Arsenault. The boys play a game where they earn points for every girl with which they score. On misadventures of their own, they decide to go for the ultimate 100-point score, Mona Lott, the new French teacher. But when they're unable to get a shot at her, they end up in the unforgiving clutches of the principal. After all is lost, they take one final chance during the school's anniversary celebration.

Within two weeks, Sgt. Hardbutt has to clean up the crime in the streets before the Governor arrives. Hardbutt is forced to supplement his overworked staff with civilian "recruits" who he schemes to use to a disastrous advantage.