Topsy-Turvy

Topsy-Turvy_720p(480P)

source: Topsy-Turvy

Mike Leigh would not be the first name that springs to mind when presented with a biopic of Gilbert and Sullivan. Possibly Anthony Minghella, or maybe Ang Lee, but never a director only known for gritty, unremittingly depressing working-class drama. However, in 'Topsy-Turvy', Leigh has not only directed, but written, a fine piece of period comedy-drama. Leigh, it transpires, has always loved Gilbert and Sullivan and the love shows in his highly polished script. It not only exploits the music and words of the great nineteenth-century operettists but retains a feeling for the wit of their work throughout. W.S. Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) is more than annoyed at suggestions that he is becoming unoriginal and Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner) rather tired with working with him. He wants to produce great music and is uninspired by Gilbert's latest libretto. A chance visit to an exhibition of Japanese customs and produce stimulates Gilbert to write 'The Mikado', one of his most witty works (and, it seems, Leigh's favourite). After a lengthy vacation, Sullivan is willing to write the accompanying music and rehearsals begin. This is where Leigh's brilliance as both writer and director shines through, creating enormously entertaining and dramatic scenes while underlining the partners' unceasing perfectionism. A cast full of Leigh regulars, headed by the dreaming Corduner and wonderfully cantankerous Broadbent, are marvellous, with Timothy Spall and Kevin McKidd stealing the show as a pair of complete 'luvvy' actors. It is Shirley Henderson (also excellent in Michael Winterbottom's 'Wonderland') who gives the film a real emotional centre, however, as a widowed actress slowly turning to drink. Leigh's past, it seems, has not entirely been left behind.

How wrong-headed can a filmmaker be? Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies) has written and directed "Topsy-Turvy", this long production (2 hrs. 40 min.) about Gilbert and Sullivan (Jim Broadbent and Alan Corduner). He begins his tale toward the end of their careers. Actually, Sullivan is feeling that their operas have started to get stale, and they have begun to repeat themselves thematically and creatively. At this point, Gilbert and his wife visit an exposition of Japanese culture and custom. Of course, out of this comes their crowning achievement, `The Mikado.' It sounds wonderful, but too much time is spent showing boring rehearsals and scenes from their less successful productions. The screenplay should have given more time to the performers' stories (which are hinted at) as well as the relationships between G & S and their wives. Two of the best scenes in the film are at the end. Here the two wives reveal their innermost longings and emotions. These should have been developed along the way to greater effect in this fine conclusion. On a technical level the film is a fine recreation of the England of the late 19th century. The repressed emotions of the characters are mirrors of Victorian society and perfectly reflected in their conversations. It's hard to warm up to them, and one must sympathize with the manner of being so overly polite that one's true feelings can rarely be communicated. The scenes from `The Mikado' are the best part of the movie. Leigh would have done better to film the whole opera. It surely would have been much more entertaining.

Not being a big fan of opera (of the comedic variety or otherwise), I chose to watch this movie as a period piece, hoping to see a lot of eccentric characters putting on even more eccentric theatre. That was easy, since the trailer for the film points in that direction entirely. What I didn't expect was a thoroughly entrancing inside view of the Victorian theatre. Not to mention comprehensive. Everyone is covered in this - from the stage boy through the chorus through the leads and producers and assistant directors. The telling of the complex relationships between the directors (Gilbert and Sullivan) and the leads is particularly poignant - whether dealing with the actors' considerable egos or their individual popularity among the chorus, nothing presented doesn't ring true. I loved everything about this movie. It's a great story, told wonderfully by all involved. It is truly a film of much love and craft. And I expect I'll be attending the next run of the Mikado next time it comes to town.

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.

I loved this film, yet I have a hard time understanding many of the comments other viewers have made. I never liked G&S all that much, thought they were rather light weight stuff. Never liked the late Victorian era much either. Kind of a dull time, I thought. Musicals are definitely not my thing. Yet this movie struck me as one of the greatest I have ever seen, right up there with Greed and Citizen Kane and all that lot. I suppose it's because I like period pieces, and I think it's damned difficult for anyone to draw an accurate -- or even an evocative -- picture of any time that is not their own. This movie does that, and it never even appears to strain so much as a single hair to do so. In the end, this movie is deeply *humane.* Like many another Mike Leigh epic, the characters here are drawn in the round, flaws and talents all on view, just like real human beings. And he likes them all, even the stinkers. Likes them well enough to paint them as they are, not as cardboard figures. If you like your characters pre-digested and redrawn larger than life and your plots full of twists and turns, you might find this movie tame. If you like people, you'll find it fascinating, funny, and true as gold. And why do I rate it so highly? Because it hangs together so perfectly, all of a piece. It's luscious to look at, delightful to hear, and sweet as candy without ever once becoming saccharine or cheap. Some reviewers complained you had to "already know" something to enjoy this movie: the music, the time, the language, the whatever. I say, all you have to know is human beings. If you find them interesting, you'll love this movie.

i brought home this film and watched the beginning and got bored and turned it off. the next day i watched a little more, got bored and turned it off. the next day the same - for 5 or 6 days.. and i am still not finished it! i persist because i really like most of mike leigh's films, and granted there have been a few interesting/humourous moments in topsy turvy, but overall i can't say i am impressed at all. apart from the art direction, the film seems pretty boring, and while i don't expect leigh's films to move quickly i do expect them to move. if there is some secret great ending someone please let me know and i will brave it out, but as it is i think i have to call it quits on this one.

Reading the IMDb comments about TT, one could easily get the impression that Leigh's 1999 movie is a "cinematic feast" or an "experience of dazzling majesty" or some such crap. Seriously now, the comments on TT range from pretentious to wannabe pretentious, not much else aside from that. Having seen the movie, I realize that the discrepancy between what is written about it and how it actually plays tends to be... enormous. Maybe too many pompous film buffs/fans feel that they MUST enjoy an Oscar-awarded movie, or that any costumer cannot be criticized lest one risks appearing an uneducated/tasteless fool. Personally, I couldn't care less how I appear: THIS MOVIE IS DULL. That's the empirical truth I'm talking about here, mind you... (But of course...) TT is one of Leigh's weakest films. His fall from grace (at least to me) started with "Secrets & Lies", a surprisingly dry drama, devoid of laughs, and all his movies since then have been disappointing to some extent. The acting is as good as in most of his films, but it's the numerous and tedious musical numbers which induce boredom, plus a lack of humour. Not to mention the marathon length - nearly 3 damn hours - which is simply too long for a movie where so little happens. TT is well-cast, though, and the visual quality is excellent. However, would you watch a nice painting for nearly 3 hours? You would??... Well, then, knock yourself out with this sleeping pill.