Topsy-Turvy

Topsy-Turvy
by Mike Leigh

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DVD details

Actor: Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher, Roger Heathcott, Sukie Smith, Wendy Nottingham
Director: Mike Leigh
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 161 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-06-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Polygram USA Video

DVD Reviews of Topsy-Turvy

DVD Review: A fascinating look at The Mikado
Summary: 5 Stars

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 idiosyncrasies of the two main characters perfectly and the fact that some considerable time is spent showing how `Three Little Maids' and `I am the Lord High Executioner' may have been developed, only gives us more opportunity to watch the skill of the actors getting to grips with this quintessentially English opera.

DVD Review: A Few Days in the Life of G&S
Summary: 5 Stars

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!

DVD Review: Undiscovered, Underrated Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars

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 Leigh could film every one of G&S's other plays so we could enjoy them all with equal pleasure. You have to believe that G&S would be happy having Leigh manage all of their modern revivals, Topsy-Turvy makes The Mikado so lovely, exquisite and captivating, that the 3 1/2 hour movie feels like a leisurely slice of heaven. And the glimpses into Gilbert & Sullivan's eccentric private lives illustrate the many facets of both their genius and their capacity for frivolity. All in all, Topsy-Turvy is an exquisite film that didn't get the attention and many accolades it deserved, yet it is a film that must not be missed by any serious film fanatic.

DVD Review: Delicious!
Summary: 5 Stars

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 secondary story of the preparation and performance of "The Mikado" is not only compelling but also delightful to behold. The rehearsal scenes are particularly engaging, as are the personalities of the performers--the tenor, who does not want to go onstage without his corset; the baritone whose feelings are hurt when his solo is cut; the soprano with her little drinking problem; and the patter-performer with an even more serious addiction. Their characters are developed so beautifully that one begins to care intensely about what happens to them.

This beautifully-directed and well-acted film excels on almost every level. Some DVD's should be passed swiftly on to friends (or enemies, depending on the quality of the product). This one, however, is a keeper!

DVD Review: Just perfect
Summary: 5 Stars

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.

Description of Topsy-Turvy

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

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