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IMDbPro

Topsy-Turvy

  • 19991999
  • RR
  • 2h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
13K
YOUR RATING
Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner in Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for Topsy-Turvy
Play trailer1:15
2 Videos
35 Photos
BiographyComedyDrama
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 ar... Read allSet 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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
13K
YOUR RATING
    • Mike Leigh
    • Mike Leigh
  • Stars
    • Jim Broadbent
    • Allan Corduner
    • Dexter Fletcher
    • Mike Leigh
    • Mike Leigh
  • Stars
    • Jim Broadbent
    • Allan Corduner
    • Dexter Fletcher
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 217User reviews
    • 79Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars

    Videos2

    Topsy-Turvy
    Trailer 1:15
    Watch Topsy-Turvy
    Topsy-Turvy
    Trailer 2:26
    Watch Topsy-Turvy

    Photos35

    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    Topsy-Turvy (1999)

    Top cast

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    Jim Broadbent
    Jim Broadbent
    • William Schwenck Gilbert
    Allan Corduner
    Allan Corduner
    • Arthur Sullivan
    Dexter Fletcher
    Dexter Fletcher
    • Louis
    Sukie Smith
    • Clothilde
    Roger Heathcott
    • Stage Doorkeeper
    Wendy Nottingham
    • Helen Lenoir
    Stefan Bednarczyk
    • Frank Cellier
    Geoffrey Hutchings
    Geoffrey Hutchings
    • Armourer
    Timothy Spall
    Timothy Spall
    • Richard Temple
    Francis Lee
    Francis Lee
    • Butt
    Bill Neenan
    Bill Neenan
    • Cook
    • (as William Neenan)
    Adam Searle
    • Shrimp
    Martin Savage
    Martin Savage
    • George Grossmith
    Lesley Manville
    Lesley Manville
    • Lucy Gilbert (Kitty)
    Kate Doherty
    Kate Doherty
    • Mrs. Judd
    Kenneth Hadley
    Kenneth Hadley
    • Pidgeon
    Keeley Gainey
    Keeley Gainey
    • Maidservant
    Ron Cook
    Ron Cook
    • Richard D'Oyly Carte
      • Mike Leigh
      • Mike Leigh
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most modern recordings and performances of the Mikado's solo, "A More Humane Mikado" feature a bloodthirsty laugh between the verses. This touch was added by Darrell Fancourt, a D'Oyly Carte performer from 1920-1953, and has been copied ever since - which is why the laugh is not performed by Richard Temple.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Helen Lenoir: The more I see of men, the more I admire dogs.

    • Crazy credits
      The credit for "Location Vehicles" is misspelled "Location Vechicles".
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Magnolia/Stuart Little/Anna and the King/Bicentennial Man/Topsy-Turvy (1999)
    • 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 reviews217

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Positive, glowing recommendation
    I am a violinist who has done a lot of theater shows and have seen lots of theater rehearsal.

    For me this film has everything - the scenery is more lavish and beautiful than I've ever witnessed anywhere. For me, the interest _is_ the behind-the-scenes view of the actors. The fact that Allan Corduner (Sullivan) is actually a musician (not just miming the piano work) is a real plus. The scene of the recital of his "Lost Chord" was a marvelous musical moment. It captured the atmosphere of an old-style home recital, with earnest artists and elegant surroundings. And the rehearsal scene with the trio Grossmith (Koko), Barrington (Poo-bah), and Beauville each singing why they can't chop their own heads off is a marvelous view of what rehearsal can and should be like. Everyone has learned their words but now we're refining the artistry. The director assumes the viewer is well versed and doesn't beat him over the head. I feel honored that I am being treated as an intelligent watcher. When Gilbert says to Beauville, "I've gone to great length to give you triplets..... so let's do it again and let's ....'trip'", and they do, and it really works, I get the feeling that they live in and understand my world. Every moment of the film has for me a beauty.

    The snippets of the other G&S operettas are astounding. The wake-up scene in The Sorcerer is probably only a minute long, but each word and glance is well chosen, and everyone is in perfect character. Like the cliché, "Every bride is beautiful.", every man and woman in this cast is beautiful.

    Another remarkable moment in the film is Temple's "Mikado Song" when he dances, and the aftermath where Gilbert cuts the number and it then gets reinstated by the chorus men and women cornering Gilbert in the stairwell. My experience is that people in theater really do care for each other and they wish each other well. When someone does something of artistic merit, they know it, and want it to be displayed.

    Almost every moment of this film rings true to me as a musician, and I treasure it. I can start this video at any random spot on the tape and find something to enjoy for 10 seconds or for another hour.

    Because much of the film centers around Mikado, anyone who has ever worked on Mikado as an actor, crew, or musician will find much to enjoy. For someone who is not at all familiar with that operetta, I could understand them feeling that they can't see the continuity-- because the director has chosen not to repeat things. You will see this part and that part in preliminary stages of rehearsal but not again later, so if you saw the behind the scenes work, you won't see the 'finished product' except in the case of "Three Little Maids."

    I was left wishing that this cast actually had created a full length version of Mikado, but alas I don't believe they did; all this work was for the sake of this film and it's not a documentary of an actual living repertory group.
    helpful•26
    4
    • jkhalsa-1
    • Dec 26, 2003

    FAQ7

    • What is the name of the musical piece that starts the scene where Barrington, Grossmith, and Lely are having lunch, just after Gilbert says "Enter Poo-Bah"?Siri keeps getting it wrong and the piece does not appear to be listed anywhere.
    • What was the repeated word Sullivan offered as final advice to the cast?
    • Was Gilbert really that distant and cold with his wife?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 11, 2000 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • English
      • French
      • German
      • Italian
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Richmond Theatre, 1 Little Green, Richmond, Greater London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Goldwyn Films
      • Newmarket Capital Group
      • The Greenlight Fund
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 40 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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