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starring: Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher, Sukie Smith, Roger Heathcott, Wendy Nottinghamdirected by: Mike Leigh
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786305882015
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
ISBN: 6305882010
Label: Polygram USA Video
Manufacturer: Polygram USA Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Polygram USA Video
Release Date: November 07, 2000
Running Time: 161 minutes
Sales Rank: 8269
Studio: Polygram USA Video
Theatrical Release Date: January 14, 2000
Related Items:- Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Eric Idle, Lesley Garrett, Richard Van Allan, Felicity Palmer, Richard Angas, Bonaventura Bottone, Susan Bullock, English National Opera
- Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne
- Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Kline, Ronstadt, Smith, Routledge, Delacorte Theater (Broadway Theatre Archive)
- The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan
- see more
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
At first glance, a musical period comedy-drama about Gilbert and Sullivan seems an odd fit for British filmmaker Mike Leigh, who made his name with searing, intense contemporary dramas such as Secrets and Lies and Career Girls. What could the Victorian world of two composers (of 'light opera,' no less) have to offer a filmmaker who specializes in the world of modern-day middle class England? Plenty, as it turns out. A wonderful meditation on the creation of art, Topsy-Turvy catches Gilbert and Sullivan at a crossroads in their illustrious careers. Having scored numerous hits (like The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore), they've reached a creative dry spot with their latest, Princess Ida. Composer Sullivan (Allan Corduner) despairs of ever being taken seriously, and vows to write a 'serious' piece, much to the consternation of librettist Gilbert (Jim Broadbent), who's flummoxed and unyielding when asked to change another of his whimsical, 'topsy-turvy' scenarios. All seems lost when, thanks to his wife's insistence, Gilbert attends a Japanese exposition in London, and faster than you can say 'Three little maids from school are we,' inspiration strikes.
The rest, as they say, is history, but Leigh re-creates the creative process with meticulous and loving care, from the writing of The Mikado to its staging (wherein Gilbert acts as director), costuming, orchestration, rehearsal, and ultimate premiere. Some may balk at the running time of the film (almost three hours), but it's a journey well worth taking, down to the precise details of late-19th-century London. Still, you'll know you're in Mike Leigh territory, with his precise characterizations and a heartfelt, melancholy ending. And no one has a way with actors like Leigh. This peerless ensemble, headed up by Broadbent in an Oscar-worthy performance, inhabits their characters like a second skin, and it's wonderful to see an authentic-feeling period drama in which the actors resemble real people and you don't expect someone glamorous like Helena Bonham Carter or Rupert Everett to pop up. Gilbert and Sullivan aficionados will revel in the reenactments of The Mikado (newcomers will likely be won over, too). All in all, a breathtaking film. --Mark Englehart
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A fascinating look at The Mikado
Modern day recordings of works by Gilbert and Sullivan are few and far between; those that are in widescreen and surround sound even fewer, though a notable exception is the Australian version of HMS Pinafore and Trial by Jury. The Mike Leigh directed `Topsy Turvy' shows what should be possible for an entire version of `The Mikado' and it is only frustrating that the brief excerpts shown during this fascinating biography do not exist in an extended form. This engrossing movie seems to capture the ... Read More
Rating: - A Few Days in the Life of G&S
This is a time machine back into Mr. Carte's company in London. If you are not acquainted with G&S, you are missing works of art equaled only by Mozart, Verdi, Wagner and Joplin. The big illusion with G&S is that it
is easy; nothing is farther from the truth. This movie puts you into the opera company. Be warned, it is highly addictive!
Rating: - Undiscovered, Underrated Masterpiece
In my opinion, Topsy-Turvy is one of the best movies of the past 30 years, and what makes it an even more important artistic achievement is that it is still such an unknown and underrated film. Director Mike Leigh brings out the whimsical beauty and genius of Gilbert & Sullivan and charms you into believing that these lovely scenes is what their theater company was like 100 years ago in London. The musical numbers and stage acting inside the movie are wonderfully pleasing, and make you wish that ... Read More
Rating: - Delicious!
This film is a feast both for the eyes and the ears. The costumes and settings allow us a glimpse into upper middle-class life in Victorian England. Every detail, from the box on a tall pole that was a telephone to the ladies' pendulous wire-framed bustles, is perfect.
Although the principal story, about the tension between Sir Arthur Sullivan, who thought he ought to be writing more serious music than tunes for the topsy-turvy lyrics of his collaborator, W.S. Gilbert, is interesting, the ... Read More
Rating: - Just perfect
One of the best movies ever to capture the experience of mounting a production.
Just the scene of the cast meeting after the final night's rehearsal is so perfect at capturing that moment that it's worth watching the whole film. Luckily, the whole film is a delight.
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