I wanted very much to like this film. I enjoy the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, I spent some time in the musical theater in my youth, I love 19th century London....
BUT...I found the movie to be tedious almost beyond belief. I cannot understand what the producers were thinking. The acting is great, the reproductions of G&S scenes are spot on, the art direction is sumptuous, but there is just no tension, nothing happening of any interest -- the film seems without purpose. The story seems to be nothing more than "already famous and successful people quibble a bit then put together another famous and successful show." While many of the characters are people who made great works, from the tone of this story, it appears that none of them was particularly interesting. Ok, Gilbert was a little emotionally unavailable. Sullivan liked to party it up a bit. Some of the actors in the company were a bit outre. None of this is unexpected nor is it intriguing. None of the characters have any particular charm. However accurate they may have been, for me there wasn't a moment in which I found the characterizations interesting.
Given my reaction, it shouldn't be surprising that I found the movie to be too long as well.
BUT...I found the movie to be tedious almost beyond belief. I cannot understand what the producers were thinking. The acting is great, the reproductions of G&S scenes are spot on, the art direction is sumptuous, but there is just no tension, nothing happening of any interest -- the film seems without purpose. The story seems to be nothing more than "already famous and successful people quibble a bit then put together another famous and successful show." While many of the characters are people who made great works, from the tone of this story, it appears that none of them was particularly interesting. Ok, Gilbert was a little emotionally unavailable. Sullivan liked to party it up a bit. Some of the actors in the company were a bit outre. None of this is unexpected nor is it intriguing. None of the characters have any particular charm. However accurate they may have been, for me there wasn't a moment in which I found the characterizations interesting.
Given my reaction, it shouldn't be surprising that I found the movie to be too long as well.