"TOPSY-TURVY" (1999) Review

"TOPSY-TURVY" (1999) Review

I have very limited past experience with the world of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. I have never seen a stage production of any of their works. And I am vaguely familiar with one of the tunes featured in their most famous play, "The Mikado", thanks to the 1978 comedy thriller, "FOUL PLAY". Pathetic is it not? 

I never saw "TOPSY-TURVY", Mike Leigh's dramatization of the duo's creation of "The Mikado", when it first hit the theaters back in 1999. Considering my penchant for costume dramas, I find it surprising that it took me so long to see this film. It spanned the 14-month period that began with the premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's play, "Princess Ida" in January 1884 and ended with the premiere of the "The Mikado" in March 1885. During this period, the summer heat discouraged theatergoers from attending more shows of "Princess Ida" and ticket sales decline. Producer Richard D'Oyly Carte called on Sullivan and Gilbert to create a new musical play for the Savoy Theater. The duo encountered creative impasse after impasse, until a visit to the Japanese Village Exhibit in Knightsbridge by Gilbert and his wife Kitty, inspired the dramatist write a liberetto set in Japan - an idea that Sullivan agreed to write the music for.

The rest of "TOPSY-TURVY" focused upon Gilbert, Sullivan, the cast and the stage crew working to make "The Mikado" a success. Leigh allowed audiences glimpses into the lives of the cast and crew members that include scenes of them negotiating their salaries with Carte, costume fittings in which both Durward Lely and Jessie Bond express their concerns over C. Wilhelm's designs, the women's chorus learn to walk like Japanese women, Sullivan's rehearsals with both the orchestra and the cast, and Gilbert's rehearsals with the cast over lines. The movie also depicts the world of late Victorian England through the characters' private lives with scenes that include Geprge Grossmith's morphine addiction, three actors' discussion of the Charles Gordon's defeat at Khartoum, Leonora Braham's alcoholism and lesbianism, and Sullivan's visit to a French brothel, Gillbert's family circumstances and encounter with a beggar. And throughout the movie's second half, director Mike Leigh interjected scenes of Gilbert and Sullivan's preparation of the operetta with actual performances from the production by the cast.

"TOPSY-TURVY" received four Academy Award nominations and won two. But none of the nominations were in the Best Picture, Best Director or any of the acting nominations. I found this a bit disappointing. Mind you, the movie was not perfect. With a running time of 160 minutes, the movie struck me as too long. Someone once complained that the movie featured too many vignettes of late Victorian life . . . scenes that had nothing to do with the creation of The Mikado. To a certain extent, I agree with this complaint. I had no problems with the film starting off with the opening night for "Princess Ida" and the conversations between Carte, Gilbert and Sullivan about the creative pair's partnership. There was one particular vignette of Victorian life that I found entertaining - namely Rutland Barrington, Lely and Grossmith's conversation about Gordon's defeat at Khartoum and their upcoming appointments with Carte. But there was a great deal in the movie I could have done without. I really did not need to view an extended scene from one of Gilbert and Sullivan's earlier works, "The Sorcerer". I did not need extended views of Sullivan's visit to a Parisian brothel or Gilbert's private life - especially his relationship with this father. In fact, Leigh's portrayal of Gilbert's wife, Lucy "Kitty" Gilbert as this meek and mild woman constantly longing for children proved to be inaccurate. The only time "TOPSY-TURVY" provided an accurate portrayal of the dramatist's wife was the scene in which she dragged him to the Knightsbridge Japanese Village Exhibit. In fact, by the time the movie shifted to the Gilberts' visit to the exhibit, which inspired the dramatist to write "The Mikado", at least 50 to 60 minutes of the film had passed.

But despite these flaws, I still believe that "TOPSY-TURVY" should have received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. At least. Flawed or not, it is a superb movie that not only explored late Victorian England, Gilbert and Sullivan's collaboration, but more importantly, the world of creating a work of art. As a lover of movies, theater and books, watching the creation of "The Mikado" through Gilbert becoming inspired, costume fittings and various rehearsals sent a thrill through my veins. Someone with the Motion Pictures Academy must have agreed. Leigh received an Oscar nomination for his original screenplay. I especially enjoyed those scenes in which both Jessie Bond and Durward Lely griped about their costumes, Gilbert and choreographer John D'Auban argued over the stage directions for the "Three Little Maids From School" number, and especially the hullabaloo over Gilbert's initial decision to cut the A More Humane Mikado", which was eventually performed by Richard Temple.

The film's Victorian vision would not have been possible by the work of production designer Eve Stewart. She did such an exceptional job of recapturing London of the mid-1880s that I did not realize that the movie featured very few exterior shots until my last viewing. Helen Scott's Oscar nominated art direction added to Stewart's re-creation of Victorian London, along with the set decorations she created with John Bush. As for Lindy Hemming, she won a most deserved Academy Award for the brilliant costumes she had designed for the film, as shown below:

 



Aside from Leigh's exploration of how "The Mikado" was created, the movie also benefited from strong performances, thanks to its talented cast. Jim Broadbent was the first cast member selected for the movie and he did a superb job as the blunt-speaking, sardonic and artistic William S. Gilbert. Allan Courduner was equally superb as the more extroverted Arthur Sullivan, who seriously considered breaking up the partnership in order to embark on a career as a "more serious" composer. There were supporting performances that left a strong impression with me. They include Lesley Manville as "Kitty" Gilbert. Her characterization may have been off, thanks to Leight, but Manville gave a brilliant performance. Ron Cook gave one of the most subtle and satisfying performances as Savoy Theater owner, Richard D'Oyly Carte. I especially enjoyed Timothy Spall, Shirley Henderson, Kevin McKidd and Martin Savage as Richard Temple, Leonora Braham, Durward Lely and George Grossmith, respectively. 

No movie is perfect. And that includes "TOPSY-TURVY". My main problem is that it required more editing than it actually received. It really needed a shorter running time. But the movie's flaws were overshadowed by its virtues - an in-depth look into the world of Victorian theater and the creation of "The Mikado", a beautiful production design that came very close to reflecting life in the late Victorian era, a first-rate cast led by Jim Broadbent and Allan Courduner, and excellent direction and writing from Mike Leigh, himself. It was not perfect, but I believe it could have received Oscar nods for both Best Picture and Best Director.