Topsy-Turvy (1999)

Set in the 1880s, the story of how, during a creative dry spell, the partnership of the legendary musical/theatrical writers Gilbert and Sullivan almost dissolves, before they turn it all around and write the Mikado.

Director:

Mike Leigh

Writer:

Mike Leigh

Stars:

Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher

Won 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Allan Corduner	...	Arthur Sullivan
Dexter Fletcher	...	Louis
Sukie Smith	...	Clothilde
Roger Heathcott	...	Stage Doorkeeper
Wendy Nottingham	...	Helen Lenoir
Stefan Bednarczyk	...	Frank Cellier
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	Armourer
Timothy Spall	...	Richard Temple
Francis Lee	...	Butt
Bill Neenan	...	Cook (as William Neenan)
Adam Searle	...	Shrimp
Martin Savage	...	George Grossmith
Jim Broadbent	...	William Schwenck Gilbert
Lesley Manville	...	Lucy Gilbert (Kitty)
Kate Doherty	...	Mrs. Judd

Storyline

After their production "Princess Ida" meets with less-than-stunning reviews, the relationship between Gilbert and Sullivan is strained to breaking. Their friends and associates attempt to get the two to work together again, which opens the way to "The Mikado," one of the duo's greatest successes.

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Plot Keywords:

creative differences | light opera | savoy theatre london | opera company | japanese exhibition | 

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Taglines:

Gilbert & Sullivan & So Much More

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | History | Music | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of risque nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

At lunch, George Grossmith, Durward Lely, and Rutland Barrington discuss the news of the defeat and death of British General Charles Gordon in Khartoum. The British relief force that failed to rescue Gordon was commanded by General Sir Garnet Wolseley, one of Victorian England's most flamboyant, well-known military figures. He is widely believed to be the "model of a modern major general" that inspired Grossmith's portrayal of Major General Stanley in "The Pirates of Penzance."

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Goofs

This well known quote from the film is a factual mistake: "If you wish to write a Grand Opera about a prostitute, dying of consumption in a garret, I suggest you contact Mr Ibsen in Oslo. I am sure he will be able to furnish you with something suitably dull". The city of Oslo got the name in 1925 - a long time after Ibsen's death in 1906. During Ibsen's lifetime, the capital of Norway was called Kristiania.

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Quotes

Richard Barker: [during a heat wave] Seven dead horses in the Strand this morning. Well, one down by Trafalgar Square.
Richard D'Oyly Carte: I don't know how you can sit there in your hat and coat, Barker.
Richard Barker: I'm too hot to remove them, Mr. Carte.

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Connections

Referenced in RiffTrax: The Hunger Games (2012)

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Soundtracks

If You Give Me Your Attention
(1884)
from "Princess Ida"
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Performed by Martin Savage and chorus

User Reviews

Artfully Constructed and one of the year's best films.

Much has been said here regarding the brilliant costumes, art direction and acting. The one thing I would like to point out is the misconception many have had about the script itself.

Several comments here have claimed that the film is "clunky" in that several scenes apparently added nothing to the film. They also said there was no character development. I think these people need to realize that the depth they seek is contained in the very scenes they wished excised. Which show us all of the different aspects of these characters' lives.

While appearing to be unimportant, empty or simple these many scenes reveal incalculable depth and character insight. The rehearsal scene for just one example, while seeming initially to be a little comedic scene shows us the nature and attitude of both the author and the actors involved in their creative processes.

The performance scenes are also not superfluous as some have wrongly asserted. We can see the characters we have come to know and how they deal onstage with the problems we know they have in their lives: through expressing themselves in their art!!!

In addition the scenes are not arbitrarily strung together but all contain a subtle cause and effect throughline. Sometimes these are reversed as when a cause is revealed only after we have repeatedly seen the effect (as in the revelation of Grossman's illness). Many of the scenes which people have called "tacked on" at the end (like the stunning scene between Gilbert and his wife Kitty) are in fact set up in the earlier parts of the film if you pay close attention and are in actuality a natural progression of these relationships.

Even the very last scene when the leading lady sings is there to show us her identification with the song she is singing and therefore an indirect relationship with her lyricist and composer. This film needs to be seen more than once to appreciate how well constructed it truly is

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French German Italian Japanese

Release Date:

11 February 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mike Leigh Untitled

Filming Locations:

Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,387, 19 December 1999

Gross USA:

$6,208,548

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,208,548

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldwyn Films, Newmarket Capital Group, The Greenlight Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

160 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1