Film Review
Mike Leigh's first attempt at a costume drama is a lavish production
which explores the complex relationship between two of the great
creative talents of the British stage, William Schwenck Gilbert and
Arthur Sullivan. At first sight,
Topsy-Turvy would seem to be an odd
digression for a director who is best known for his hard-hitting social
realist dramas, but between the amusing rehearsals (in which Gilbert
plays the sarcastic tyrant for all it is worth) and sumptuously
realised operetta numbers, the film offers an insightful glimpse of the
social and personal problems that blighted Victorian England. The
film doesn't limit itself to its two central protagonists, about whom a
great deal is already known, but takes us into the troubled lives of
their entourage - the overly ambitious impresario D'Oyly Carte,
Gilbert's neglected wife and the insecure stars of the Savoy Opera
Company.
Topsy-Turvy is a genuine
labour of love, Leigh's grandest and most perfectly crafted film, but whilst it was
critically well-received and picked up two Oscars (for its costumes and
make-up), it failed to recoup its 20 million dollar budget at the box
office. Gilbert and Sullivan fans will doubtless love it,
as it not only stages several complete numbers from their operettas and
reveals some little-known facts (such as Gilbert's seemingly mad
intention to axe the Mikado's solo number once he had seen it
performed), but it uses Sullivan's music throughout as the basis for
the soundtrack. But the film has far wider appeal, offering
not only some great music and comedy, but performances of an
exceptional calibre. As the composer and librettist, Allan
Corduner and Jim Broadbent convincingly convey the resentment and
mutual antagonism that soured the two men's friendship and made their
achievements all the more remarkable. In one of his most
arresting character portrayals, Broadbent plays Gilbert as an amiable
tyrant, outwardly thick-skinned and always ready to deflect a crisis or
an insult with a witty quip, but inwardly a frustrated and deeply insecure man,
incapable of taking any comfort from his successes.
Just as poignant are the insecurities exhibited by the lesser players
in the G&S story, the Savoy divas who felt undervalued and unable
to stand up to their paymasters through fear of being dismissed.
Timothy Spall not only gives a terrific rendition of the Mikado's solo
number
A More Humane Mikado,
but also gives an intensely moving portrayal of the man who created the
role, Richard Temple. From Martin Savage's morphine addicted
George Grossmith to Shirley Henderson's dipsomaniac Leonora Braham,
Topsy-Turvy is replete with
touching little vignettes that lift the lid on Victorian England and
show us the grim realities of life from which Gilbert and Sullivan's
operettas offered a very welcome refuge.
© James Travers 2011
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Film Synopsis
In the long hot summer of 1884, the latest Gilbert and Sullivan
operetta
Princess Ida is
proving to be a monumental flop. W.S. Gilbert is dismayed by the
poor reviews the operetta has received and by its poor box office
takings, whilst his long-time collaborator Arthur Sullivan has made up
his mind that he can no longer squander his talents on empty
frivolities like comic opera. When producer Richard D'Oyly Carte
fails to reconcile the two men's differences, the rift appears
permanent. After visiting an exhibition of Japanese culture in
London, Gilbert suddenly has an idea for a new operetta. Sullivan
is instantly won over by Gilbert's latest libretto and agrees to resume
their partnership.
The Mikado would
be their biggest success yet...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.