Topsy-Turvy

Starring:Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher, Sukie Smith, Roger Heathcott, Wendy Nottingham, Stefan Bednarczyk, Geoffrey Hutchings, Timothy Spall, Francis Lee, William Neenan, Adam Searle, Martin Savage, Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Kate Doherty, Kenneth Hadley, Keeley Gainey, Ron Cook, Eleanor David, Gary Yershon
Director: Mike Leigh
Studio: Polygram USA Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
At first glance, a musical period comedy-drama about Gilbert and Sullivan seems an odd fit for British filmmaker Mike Leigh, who made his name with searing, intense contemporary dramas such as Secrets and Lies and Career Girls. What could the Victorian world of two composers (of "light opera," no less) have to offer a filmmaker who specializes in the world of modern-day middle class England? Plenty, as it turns out. A wonderful meditation on the creation of art, Topsy-Turvy catches Gilbert and Sullivan at a crossroads in their illustrious careers. Having scored numerous hits (like The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore), they've reached a creative dry spot with their latest, Princess Ida. 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.

Amazon.com

At first glance, a musical period comedy-drama about Gilbert and Sullivan seems an odd fit for British filmmaker Mike Leigh, who made his name with searing, intense contemporary dramas such as Secrets and Lies and Career Girls. What could the Victorian world of two composers (of "light opera," no less) have to offer a filmmaker who specializes in the world of modern-day middle class England? Plenty, as it turns out. A wonderful meditation on the creation of art, Topsy-Turvy catches Gilbert and Sullivan at a crossroads in their illustrious careers. Having scored numerous hits (like The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore), they've reached a creative dry spot with their latest, Princess Ida. 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.

The rest, as they say, is history, but Leigh re-creates the creative process with meticulous and loving care, from the writing of The Mikado 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 characterizations 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, inhabits 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 reenactments of The Mikado (newcomers will likely be won over, too). All in all, a breathtaking film. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

A Few Days in the Life of G&S.......2007-05-14

This is a time machine back into Mr. Carte's company in London. If you are not acquainted with G&S, you are missing works of art equaled only by Mozart, Verdi, Wagner and Joplin. The big illusion with G&S is that it
is easy; nothing is farther from the truth. This movie puts you into the opera company. Be warned, it is highly addictive!

Undiscovered, Underrated Masterpiece.......2007-04-14

In my opinion, Topsy-Turvy is one of the best movies of the past 30 years, and what makes it an even more important artistic achievement is that it is still such an unknown and underrated film. Director Mike Leigh brings out the whimsical beauty and genius of Gilbert & Sullivan and charms you into believing that these lovely scenes is what their theater company was like 100 years ago in London. The musical numbers and stage acting inside the movie are wonderfully pleasing, and make you wish that Leigh could film every one of G&S's other plays so we could enjoy them all with equal pleasure. You have to believe that G&S would be happy having Leigh manage all of their modern revivals, Topsy-Turvy makes The Mikado so lovely, exquisite and captivating, that the 3 1/2 hour movie feels like a leisurely slice of heaven. And the glimpses into Gilbert & Sullivan's eccentric private lives illustrate the many facets of both their genius and their capacity for frivolity. All in all, Topsy-Turvy is an exquisite film that didn't get the attention and many accolades it deserved, yet it is a film that must not be missed by any serious film fanatic.

Delicious!.......2007-04-13

This film is a feast both for the eyes and the ears. The costumes and settings allow us a glimpse into upper middle-class life in Victorian England. Every detail, from the box on a tall pole that was a telephone to the ladies' pendulous wire-framed bustles, is perfect.

Although the principal story, about the tension between Sir Arthur Sullivan, who thought he ought to be writing more serious music than tunes for the topsy-turvy lyrics of his collaborator, W.S. Gilbert, is interesting, the secondary story of the preparation and performance of "The Mikado" is not only compelling but also delightful to behold. The rehearsal scenes are particularly engaging, as are the personalities of the performers--the tenor, who does not want to go onstage without his corset; the baritone whose feelings are hurt when his solo is cut; the soprano with her little drinking problem; and the patter-performer with an even more serious addiction. Their characters are developed so beautifully that one begins to care intensely about what happens to them.

This beautifully-directed and well-acted film excels on almost every level. Some DVD's should be passed swiftly on to friends (or enemies, depending on the quality of the product). This one, however, is a keeper!

Just perfect.......2007-03-31

One of the best movies ever to capture the experience of mounting a production.

Just the scene of the cast meeting after the final night's rehearsal is so perfect at capturing that moment that it's worth watching the whole film. Luckily, the whole film is a delight.

My favorite Mike Leigh film...........2007-03-24

Mike Leigh's films are usually of the "kitchen sink" variety, showing middle class/working class people in the U.K., and their trials and tribulations in dealing with life. Here he does something quite different, and the results are astounding. This is my favorite Leigh film, a complete departure for him, and one in which he triumphs brilliantly. As other reviewers have noted, this is a backstage drama of Gilbert and Sullivan putting on one of their most famous operas, The Milkado. It really captures the time period brilliantly, and it shows how much time, energy, and stamina is put into putting on any production. Another pleasure I get from this film is the language. Everyone in the film is so incredibly well spoken. After nearly 20 some odd years of having to listen to Hollywood film butcher the English language (and some British ones too, no doubt trying to emulate the stupidity of Hollywood), it's lovely to hear English as it should be spoken. Yes, I am sounding a bit snobbish, but I don't care. It's bloody lovely, it is. The film is beautifully designed, directed, shot, and the performances are wonderful. The leads are perfect (Jim Broadbent as Gilbert, and Allan Courdier as Sullivan), but every role is indeed perfect here. The casting is impeccable. This is a wonderful film, one that can be experienced over and over again.

Average customer rating:

Topsy-Turvy
Director: Mike Leigh
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series

Product Features:

Full Screen
Languages: English Dolby Digital
Theatrical Trailer, Cast & Crew
TV Spots, Featurette, Photo Gallery

ASIN: B000PCXB18

Product Description

See what critics and theater audiences are raving about in the most talked-about and critically acclaimed film of the year Topsy-Turvy! Winner of two Academy Awards, this delightful film, filled with great music and outstanding performances, was chosen by 23 film critics as one of their Top 10 Films of 1999! Tensions abound and the music swells in the story about the famous musical team of Gilbert and Sullivan. The two men, who were extremely different in size and stature, were even more different in temperament and style. Yet, they still managed to create memorable theater. This is the story of the making of one of their most famous collaborations, The Mikado.

Average customer rating:

A Few Days in the Life of G&S
Undiscovered, Underrated Masterpiece
Delicious!
Just perfect
My favorite Mike Leigh film....

Topsy-Turvy [Region 2]
Starring: Allan Corduner , Dexter Fletcher , Sukie Smith , Roger Heathcott , and Wendy Nottingham
Director: Mike Leigh
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Eric Idle, Lesley Garrett, Richard Van Allan, Felicity Palmer, Richard Angas, Bonaventura Bottone, Susan Bullock, English National Opera
Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne
Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Secrets and Lies
Gilbert & Sullivan - The Pirates of Penzance / Kline, Ronstadt, Smith, Routledge, Delacorte Theater (Broadway Theatre Archive)

ASIN: B00004U40S

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

A Few Days in the Life of G&S.......2007-05-14

Undiscovered, Underrated Masterpiece.......2007-04-14

Delicious!.......2007-04-13

Just perfect.......2007-03-31

My favorite Mike Leigh film...........2007-03-24

Average customer rating:

Beyblade - Topsy Turvy (Vol. 4)
Starring: Marlowe Gardiner-Heslin , Alex Hood , Craig Lauzon (II) , Daniel DeSanto , and David Reale (II)
Director: Hiroo Takeuchi , and Toshifumi Kawase
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Beyblade - Hidden Tiger (Vol. 3)
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Beyblade - American Showdown (Vol. 6)
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Beyblade - Euroblade Battle (Vol. 7)

ASIN: B00009Y3QC
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Average customer rating:

Once Upon A Time In Antarctica
Director: Jerome Maison
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000JHG4QI

Product Description

TWO DOCUMENTARIES: 1. RUSH HOUR IN ANTARCTICA 2. TOPSY-TURVY PENGUIN - Rush Hour in Antarctica (53 min) Through vivid naraation, this superior, 16mm-shot wildlife documentary portrays the remarkable adventures of our friends in the South Pole. After an endless polar winter, early spring arrives, and with it millions of Adelie penguins, Weddell seals, snow petrels, seals and seabirds make their way to one another, crowding, jabbing, squawking, fighting and, ultimately, mating. - Topsy-Turvy Penguin (51 Mins) In the far reaches of the Antarctic lives a penguin who is different from the rest. Exiled from the group for being a grumpy, aggressive runt, he is lekft to fend for himself, surround by the very creatures who shunned him. Now he must learn to go it alone: make a nest, find a mate, endure attacks from predators and, most importantly, outlive his first chicks. In a magnificent setting, through storms and blizzars, you are about to discover the touching and fabulous tale of a penguin with a great sense of adoptation! "FROM THE CREATORS OF THE OSCAR-WINNING DOCUMENTARY MARCH OF THE PENGUING"

Topsy-Turvy [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]

Average customer rating:

Topsy-Turvy [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Mike Leigh
Manufacturer: Pathe
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000AQDQFU

Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (subtitles) o English (Dolby Digital 5.1) Synopsis: Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy is such a faithful rendering of a past era, it's as though the director time-warped his cinematographer back to 19th century England. In his first period piece, Leigh transplants the grittiness of his films' usual working-class British milieu, and the result is a Victorian England with a lived-in look, rather than one glossed over by a fanciful sheen. Armed with this sort of authenticity, Topsy-Turvy becomes a new classic among movies, documenting the behind-the-scenes fits and foibles of a dramatic production. And what better production than The Mikado, the hilarious turning point in the careers of Gilbert and Sullivan, whose precarious professional status made the choice of a Japanese-themed operetta all the more fraught with peril. Leigh lets loose and gets big laughs from his cast of prima donnas getting fitted for kimonos and taking lessons from the misinformed about how to "act Japanese." But the film also contains Leigh's noted finesse for examining emotional distance, most notably between Gilbert and his long-suffering wife (Leslie Manville). And Leigh regular Timothy Spall is unforgettable as he tries to swallow his wounded pride, learning only days before the premiere that his big number will be cut. Topsy-Turvy is the rare film in which grand-scale art direction and intimate character study both feel absolutely true. To echo the succinct praise of Broadbent's Gilbert, Topsy-Turvy is "capital." Special Features: o Commentary o Interactive Menu o Scene Access o Trailer(s)

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