1999 Movie
Dir. Mike Leigh · United Kingdom, United States of America · English, French
A meticulous and whimsical account of the making of the influential comic opera The Mikado
If you’re a fan of musical theater of any kind, Topsy-Turvy pays tribute to that notoriously tricky art form with a stunning attention to detail and a dedication to telling its story without any unnecessary drama whatsoever. It’s hard not to get swept up in the humor, entertainment, and simple joy found in the writing process and in rehearsals of entire scenes. Come for the Oscar-winning costumes and makeup, stay for the wonderfully old-timey musical numbers, the brilliantly grounded performance from Jim Broadbent, and the sense of satisfaction of just watching everything finally come together to thunderous applause.
For nearly a decade, Gilbert and Sullivan’s collaborations have delighted the English people. But in 1884, as a London heat wave cuts into the theater trade, their latest work, "Princess Ida", receives lukewarm press. In an effort to reconcile their creative differences and drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, they went on to create the hit opera "The Mikado", one of the duo's greatest successes.
"Though the film runs nearly three hours, it gets better as it goes along."
— Peter Rainer
"It's this attention to the anxious underbelly of Victorian culture that does most to save Topsy-Turvy from descending into pictorialism."
— Andy Medhurst
Oscars
2 wins · 2 noms
Venice
1 win
BAFTA
2 wins · 8 noms
Spirit Awards
1 nom
NYFCC
2 wins · 2 noms
Emil Hofileña is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. He also writes as a theater critic, with work published in Rogue and Out of Print, among others. He’s probably crying over a movie or an episode as we speak.
I love this movie. I saw it this summer and Mike Leigh was interviewed afterwards. Leigh is a genius but the interview was lousy. Part of what is interested is that Gilbert is portrayed as very controlling with regard to the opera whereas Leigh is famously a collaborator in his works.