The world of Gilbert And Sullivan comes to vivid life in this extraordinary dramatization of the staging of their legendary 1885 comic opera Topsy-Turvy from Mike Leigh (Naked, Secrets and Lies). Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge, Iris) and Allan Corduner (Yentl, Vera Drake) brilliantly inhabit the roles of the world-famous Victorian librettist and composer, respectively, who, along with their troupe of temperamental actors, must battle personal and professional demons while mounting this major production. A lushly produced epic about the harsh realities of creative expression, featuring bravura performances and Oscar-winning costume design and makeup, Topsy-Turvy is an unexpected period delight from one of contemporary cinema’s great artists.
Not everyone is familiar with Gilbert and Sullivan. Do they need to be to enjoy “Topsy-Turvy”? No more, I suspect, than one needs to know all about Shakespeare to enjoy “Shakespeare in Love”–although with both films, the more you do know, the more you enjoy. The two films have been compared because both are British, both are about theatrical geniuses, both deal with theatrical lore. The difference is that “Shakespeare in Love” centers on a love story, and “Topsy-Turvy” is about love of the theater. Romantic love ages and matures. Love of the theater, it reminds us, is somehow always adolescent–heedless, passionate, guilty. It is one of the year’s best films. -Roger Ebert
Starring Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher, Sukie Smith, Roger Heathcott, Wendy Nottingham.