Rating: 
Summary: An uninteresting story
Review: I have to say I like Gilbert and Sullivan, however, I think making a movie on their writing of "The Mikado" is a little much. The both of them had boring lives and watching their boring lives unfold in over 2hrs and 40min of drawn out drama is gut-wrenching. The story also tries to capture little blurbs of the actors life, however we never learn enough to care about anyone. The only interesting parts of this movie are the opera scenes, and they are a little long. I have to say the cover of the VHS tape looks interesting, but, don't be fooled.
Rating: 
Summary: Good period piece
Review: I have never liked Mike Leigh. His films are usually constructed by some months of his actors adlibbing dialogue to construct a script. The end result is something that I find artificial and his portrayal of working class people is often patronizing. It was thus a shock that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is quite long over two hours but despite that the time flew despite almost nothing happening. I might also add that I have almost no knowledge of Gilbert and Sullivan. The movie covers the making of one of their productions the Mikardo. Sullivan the writer of the music has been concerned for sometime about his career and pines to write "serious music". After one of their productions fails Gilbert is asked to come up with another libretto. He does but Sullivan refuses to write any music as he sees the story as hackneyed. By chance Gilbert visits a Japanese exposition in London and starts to write a libretto set in Japan in such a way that the stage production can incorporate the costumes of what would have seemed at the time an exotic country. The film then shows how a musical is constructed. The rehearsals, the decisions about costume design, what numbers to put in how directors work. The problem that I have had with Mike Leigh's films is that actors are often not good people to write dialogue about normal events as it is outside their experience. In this case the film is about theatre and the dialogue is brilliant in showing the petty squabbles the interaction of the characters and so on. All of the actors are brilliant and the film is shot almost entirely (except for a brief 30 second shot) in the studio. The costumes and the sets brilliantly evoke the period and the film is fascinating. For Gilbert and Sullivan fans the presentation of the music is fragmented so that they would probably not enjoy it. Still one of the more enjoyable films I have seen in a while.
Rating:
Summary: Boring Stinker
Review: We waited forever for something interesting to happen. It didn't.
Rating:
Summary: unbelievably long
Review: A real disappointment. This could have been an interesting story - but did we really need an hour and a half to show that G & S had become stagnant (before the Mikado)? Did we really need 15 minutes of scenes from The Sorcerer - this was not relevant to the story at all, other than the fact that the production had been "revived" since G & S hadn't produced new material. I didn't need to see scenes from the show to understand this. I agree that the costuming etc. was incredible, and there are some amusing moments, but the bottom line is that this film is just way too long and slow.
Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting from start to finish
Review: This is hands-down one of the best - if not THE best - films of 1999. I don't understand how this film was so severely overlooked at last year's Oscars. The ensemble cast is extraordinary, the musical performances outstanding, and the glimpse of a little discussed era in musical history provocative and, boy, is it entertaining! It is one of the few films I've seen where I actually thought about viewing it a second time directly after the first because I enjoyed it so much. I had meant to see it in the theater - everyone I knew who had seen it loved it - but time got away from me and before I knew it, this film wasn't running in theaters anymore. Seeing it for the first time on DVD is the next best thing. Mike Leigh's direction, as always, is seamless. You lose sight of the fact that these are actors up there on screen, so convincingly are each of the characters portrayed. Allan Corduner and Jim Broadbent as Gilbert and Sullivan steal the show but the supporting cast does terrific work as well, especially Timothy Spall as an older singer whose career is coming to an end and Shirley Henderson as a young soprano and a single mother with a little boy at home to feed. The film's final moment belongs to her and it's a spinetingling one at that. While there is much here that is humorous - and vividly colorful - Mike Leigh gives us glimpses of the squalor that was rampant in London at the tail end of the Industrial Revolution. Scenes of opulence are contrasted sharply with gray, sooty back alleys where prostitutes lurk. An atmosphere of death and sickness pervade throughout. Hats off to cast and crew! This is a marvelous cinematic acheivement indeed!
Rating: 
Summary: For Gilbert and Sullivan lovers only
Review: Topsy-Turvy (Mike Leigh, 1999) Mike Leigh's most recent foray into the wonderful world of celluloid made quite a stir when it came out. Much was made of how wonderfully the film showed the tension between Gilbert and Sullivan in the span between Princess Ida and The Mikado. Really? Well, then, where on Earth was it? First, the movie could have been shortened from its interminable two hours and forty-five minutes by at least half an hour by simply cutting out extraneous and unwarranted bits of musical. Gilbert and Sullivan fans have already seen it all, thank you, and those of us seeing it out of curiosity, or forced to see it by others, don't care. Second, reality only goes so far in films, whether the films are non-fiction or not. If one of the cast of your play is a heroin addict, but it's not important to the action, you either don't include it at all or you use the character for some moral statement. It's not the best alternative, but it's certainly better than simply showing your character shooting up and then never going back to that particular subplot. As for Gilbert and Sullivan, the much-ballyhooed tension between them could have been scripted by a ten-year-old. Perhaps my distaste for this film stems from seeing it in conjunction with a number of other films where tension between characters is handled with far more aplomb (Dancing at Lughnasa being a sterling example), but the two of them came off as not having enough depth to have any tension between them whatsoever. If you don't mind sitting through two and a half hours of complete and utter boredom for a few chuckles (almost all of which come courtesy of Charles Simon as Gilbert's sadistically funny father), you're a huge fan of Shirley Henderson (though even that might not be enough to save you, she made a fan of me by making the most of a flat role here), or you just want to see disembodied clips of Gilbert and Sullivan, have at it. Otherwise, you can safely ignore this. * 1/2
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, but only for those fans of G&S
Review: When I told people I had brought a film about Gilbert and Sullivan I received a lot of disgusted responses - what on earth would I want something like that for? But actually I've been a huge fan of G&S since my old school put on their own version of Ruddygore and my parents dragged me off to see Pirates of Penzance at the theatre!! I was intrigued by Topsy Turvey, not least because Mikado is one of my favourites, but because I didn't know what to expect from G&S as real life people. This film was an absolute eye-opener. It not only explores the production of Mikado and the relationship (or lack of) between Gilbert and Sullivan, but it also gives a glimpse into British life at that time. I think it provides wonderful viewing from script, scenery, acting and music. You do, ideally, need to be either a Gilbert and Sullivan fan or interested in becoming one, but this film is definitely a moving and educational masterpiece and I am only sorry that not enough people know about it!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but sloooowwwwwwwww
Review: I was enchanted by "Topsy Turvy" during the parts that I wasn't asleep. It's really quite lively at times, and not just during the many fun performance segments. The few scenes that deal with the creative process are well done but whenever the energy level starts to pick up we get a leaden 15 minute bit about an actor who doesn't want to work without his corset on. This movie is a good choice as long as you don't wait until too late in the evening for viewing.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional evening at The Savoy
Review: Topsy-Turvy takes to the world of 1885 London where Khartoum is under seige by The Mahdi and Gilbert & Sullivan have created a new operetta that is playing to very mixed reviews. The film opens to the release of a new operetta called Princess Ida, to less than falttering reviews. Gilbert takes the reviews badly and Sullivan decides he wants to write his long delayed grand opera. A new play by Sullivan does not improve the situation, it only gets worse as the two do not seem able to work together any longer. Having reached a low point, we are shown how from this point of no return, something wonderful is created, The Mikado. We see how Gilbert obtains the inspiration visiting a Japanese exhibition with his wife. His enthusiasm is passed on to Sullivan and he writes some of the best music in the realm of light opera. Watching Gilbert as director is engaging and entertaining. It also shows the master at work. The critique of 'Three Little Maids...' by visiting Japanese men and women from the exhibition is an important point in the film. Likewise Gilbert's initial decision to scrap the Mikado's solo just before opening night, only to change his mind at the urging of the men and women of the chorus. It speaks well of his ability and charecter. Sullivan is likewise shown working with the singers and the orchestra as makes the magic of the operetta audible. An important point to see is that Sullivan was not always out in the pit directing the orchestra and singers. His very capable assistant is shown in this role and in the production rehersals of the play itself. A very balanced rendering of the facts of the matter. THe casting is excellent. After I saw the movie, I looked up the original charecters on ther Gilbert & Sullivan Society webpage. Some of the resemblences to the original people of 1885 by the actors in this film was incredible. I feel the film's length was acceptable as we are given a better understanding of lives of Gilbert and Sullivan. To have jumped right into the impasse without the preamble of the initial staging and reviews of Princess Ida would have been a disaster and destroyed a lot of the meaning of the film. That the producer and director did not shorten the film, is to their credit. This is an ensemble performance that seems to be a specialty of the British. While Gilbert and Sullivan are central to the plot of the film, without the exceptional support given them by the rest of the cast a film such as this would never have gotten into production let alone been released. Ther is one seeming inconsistency that, while not vital to the continuity of the film, is amusing. Watch for the first date at the beginning of the film and the later reference climactic conditions. See if you can see what it is I am amused by. I rate it very highly and think any one with an interest in the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan should have this as a reference for their viewing pleasure. It is an exceptional film.
Rating:
Summary: Way, Way, Waaaay Too Long
Review: I love Gilbert and Sullivan. I love the actors in this film and its director. I even love the plot. So why did I only give this film three stars? I felt that in many cases a choice should have been made between one more G & S number on film or character development, rather than including both. It's a slow starter and a slow ender with a sagging middle. It could have been much tighter. I stuck it out to the end (after everyone else in the room had fallen asleep) and was disappointed with an ending that was more bitter than sweet. I wasn't expecting a happily-ever-after scenario--after all, it's not an American film and it's based on real life--but I think I would have enjoyed the film more if some of the confusing and disturbing conversations that end the movie had been cut. That's just a personal preference, however.
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