Product description

Topsy-Turvy [DVD] [2000]

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Average customer rating: 4.5

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5060002830413
Label : Pathe Distribution
Manufacturer : Pathe Distribution
Publisher : Pathe Distribution
Release date : 2000-09-11
Title : Topsy-Turvy [DVD] [2000]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 12 years and over
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 2000-02-18
Region code : 2
Running time : 152
Studio : Pathe Distribution
Theatrical releaseDate : 2000-01-14
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
At first glance, a musical period comedy-drama about Gilbert and Sullivan seems an odd fit for director Mike Leigh, who made his name with searing, intense contemporary dramas such as ISecrets and Lies/I and ICareer Girls/I. What could the Victorian world of light opera offer a film-maker who specialises in the world of modern-day middle-class England? Plenty, as it turns out. A wonderful meditation on the creation of art, ITopsy-Turvy/I catches Gilbert and Sullivan at a crossroads in their illustrious careers. Having scored numerous hits (like IThe Pirates of Penzance/I and IHMS Pinafore/I), they've reached a creative dry spot with their latest, IPrincess Ida/I. 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. p The rest, as they say, is history, but Leigh re-creates the creative process with meticulous and loving care, from the writing of IThe Mikado/I 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 characterisations 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, inhabit 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 re-enactments of IThe Mikado/I (newcomers will likely be won over, too). All in all, a breathtaking film. --IMark Englehart, Amazon.com/I

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-02-05 rating:

Topsy Turvy - What a gem
I liked this film very much. Jim Broadbent as W S Gilbert was superb, and the rest of the cast keep the story of one of Britain's best and most enduring partnerships going throughout the length of the film.Topsy Turvy? yes perhaps in places, but that is part of the charm of Gilbert Sullivan and has ensured that their operas are still performed more than 100 years after they were first seen by Victorian audiences.

review by: Beaker date: 2009-01-05 rating:

A masterpeice and hugely enjoyable.
I have never been a fan of "Gilbert and Sullivan" or Opera in general. This opinion was through ignorance more than any matter of taste. However that is now all changed from watching this hugely enjoyable film based on the partnershiop of Gilbert and Sullivan in producing "The Mikado". The film is wonderfully acted and produced with special mention to Jim Broadbent (Gilbert) and the excellent Martin Savage (who plays George Grossmith). br / br /For my own perspective, this is a suprisingly enjoyable movie. I have now watched it multiple times and I have yet to get bored with it. An excellent movie.

review by: date: 2008-04-10 rating:

Genesis of a much-loved work
"Topsy Turvy" is more than just a "play within a play" although it works very well at that level. We see the genesis of Gilbert and Sullivan's best-known work "The Mikado" after the partnership has gone through a low spell, and get enough scenes from its staging (and that of other G S "Savoy operas") to satisfy all but the keenest of Savoayards. We enjoy immensely the way in which the premiere is rehearsed and pulled together under Gilbert's dictatorial directorship. It is all very funny but there is a darker side in the world outside. The relationship between Gilbert and Sullivan and the efforts that the impresario D'Oyley Carte and his team have to make to keep them working together are very well set out and the niceties of class distinctions in Victorian London and among the theatre people are clear. The film is longer than the current norm, but suits it. br /The undoubted star is Jim Broadbent as a somewhat misanthropic Gilbert, capable of creating some of the wittiest plots and lines in the English language but not of expressing his own emotions to his dysfunctional family (we can see how he got the way he is!) or to his loving and long-suffering wife. However the rest of the cast is also very good, especially the underrated Shirley Henderson as the company's lead soprano. Watch out for Andy ("Gollum") Serkis under lots of hair as a quirky choreographer. br /

review by: date: 2008-03-07 rating:

Splendid film, excellent music
I enjoyed this film very much on many levels. It has a good story, fine acting and, if you like Gilbert and Sullivan, the music adds a lot to the film as there are long extracts from various G S operettas, particularly a colourful production of the Mikado. Corduner and Broadbent give sympathetic characterisations of Sullivan and Gilbert. The supporting actors are with exception excellent and the trials and tribulations of their lives flesh out the film into a satisfying two and three quarter hours that left me feeling that I'd had a very enjoyable evening's entertainment.

review by: date: 2008-03-01 rating:

Exceptional, though perhaps somewhat flawed introduction, to the wonderful world of GS.
I suppose on first viewing, Topsy-Turvy might seem like an odd choice for director Mike Leigh, who's previous films, such as Meantime, Life is Sweet and Secrets Lies have looked specifically at real life archetypes, struggling to survive from day-to-day in the here and now. One scratch beneath the surface however will reveal a multitude of hidden depths that very much tie in with the themes of Leigh's early works whilst simultaneously demonstrating his strong understanding of character development and situations within the confines of a broad, ensemble narrative. Like the majority of Leigh's work, the film moves seamlessly from light comedy to moments of subdued tension and great pathos, whilst the focus of the film remains constantly with the characters and their varying relationships; with Leigh, as ever, favouring the stories presented by said characters and their associates, as opposed to the more obvious conventions of the biographical story at hand. Some have argued that Leigh's approach to the proceedings have turned Gilbert Sullivan into caricatures, whilst also allowing the story to descend into a mire of fanciful farce. However, Leigh, like all great filmmakers, understands the notion of intertextuality, and sets about constructing his film so that it draws on the same visual and verbal characteristics as Gilbert Sullivan's very own work, resulting in a film that is vibrant, colourful and, above all else, a great deal of fun. br / br /As a result of this, the film can be enjoyed on a number of levels. Firstly; as a biographical look into the working relationship of Gilbert Sullivan during the conception and production of their celebrated comic-opera, The Mikado. Secondly; as a bittersweet character study, with Leigh creating the film in such a way that the whole theme, setting and back story can be seen as secondary to the drama at work between the characters. Thirdly; it is an analysis into the creative process, with Leigh offering an impeccable and seemingly accurate chronicle of life in the theatre and of course, that always interesting notion of films about the creative process (Day for Night, Ed Wood, Le Mepris, 8 ½, etc). Some viewers have found the story to be slight and disengaging, though I'd imagine this is from people who are unfamiliar with Leigh's films and his individual way of working (beginning with nothing and having the actors improvise their characters until the story and relationships develop) however, having said that, the use of the Mikado as a framing device is well handled, whilst the shifts in time (with flash forwards to the performances, whilst Gilbert Sullivan create) and the inclusion of scenes from other GS operas, the Sorcerer and Princess Ida, means that the film works well as an introduction into the work of Gilbert Sullivan for those who've never experienced it (though surely everyone is familiar with such work as the HMS Pinafore and the song, Three Little Maids?). On top of this, there is that abovementioned visual design that creates the world of the film (which is easily as beautiful as the similarly decadent, though overblown Moulin Rouge!) and the performances from all involved, which evoke both the real lives of the people documented, as well as offering compelling portrayals that engage on an interesting, narrative, level. br / br /The cast is a true ensemble of British acting talent, featuring Leigh regular Jim Broadbent as the strict and somewhat insular Gilbert - who is content to trot out the same plots, characters and themes, though feels deflated by critical misunderstanding - and the equally great Allan Corduner as the spirited yet slightly egocentric Sullivan, who feels trapped creatively by Gilbert's limited scope and overbearing vibratos. Added to this, we have an impeccable supporting cast, including Timothy Spall and Kevin McKidd as the pompous lead actors, Shirley Henderson as the alcoholic female lead, Ron Cook as the manager of the Savoy Theatre - who is left with the task of trying to re-unite Gilbert Sullivan after their initial fall-out - Eleanor David as Sullivan's American mistress and the great Leslie Manville as Gilbert's long-suffering wife Kitty. Manville and Broadbent go to great lengths to portray the strained relationship between Gilbert and Kitty with a believability and depth, whilst the heartbreaking scene towards the end of the film in which Kitty manages to metaphorically convey all her inner-pain and desperation without Gilbert even realising is easily my favourite scene in the film (and ranks alongside other great scenes of Leigh-related-drama, such as the argument between Nicola and her mum in Life is Sweet and the penultimate confessional between Penny and Phil in All or Nothing). Added to this already starry cast, there are great cameos from other Leigh regulars such as Alison Steadman, Andy Serkis, Katrin Cartlidge, David Neville, Mark Benton and Dexter Fletcher, who all bring a comic savvy and wry believability to the often-neglected (though all-important) background action. br / br /Though Topsy-Turvy isn't a film for everyone (it's perhaps ten-minutes too long and demands a great deal of concentration in order to pick out the details) it is greatly rewarding; offering us a humorous, intelligent and interesting story with believable characters and some glorious cinematic design; all run through with that Mike Leigh world-weariness and the impeccable performances that are, on the whole, synonymous with his work. This film is a brave and bold departure from Leigh's usual blend of social-abstraction and, as a result, deserves to be evaluated alongside he other masterworks, Life is Sweet and Naked.

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