An observation that I have made before on many occasions has to do with film being the only true time machine that humans have come up with so far. Starting with the oldest films from the beginning of movies in the late 1890s through the latest releases, we have a visual and aural record of events, people, places, and the fashions and attitudes in favor at the time the movies were produced. In addition there are those movies which are deliberate historical recreations of a specific time and place with specific historical characters that are also subject to the attitudes present when they were made. TOPSY-TURVY is one of these latter movies and it is one of the best examples of that genre that I have ever seen.
It is set in 1885. Gilbert & Sullivan have lost their creative spark and are relying on revivals of past works to keep themselves and the Savoy Theater going. A chance visit to a Japanese exhibition in London gives Gilbert the idea for a “Japanese opera” and thus THE MIKADO comes into being. That’s the story of the film in a nutshell. What director Mike Leigh does is to expand that basic scenario and give us much, much more. We not only see THE MIKADO come into being but get a good look at the lives of Gilbert & Sullivan away from the theater. We also get to see a detailed look at the world of Victorian London and a behind-the-scenes look at the D’Oyly-Carte Opera Company and how a show is created from scratch.
What makes TOPSY-TURVY truly stand out is that you really do feel as if you have been transported back in time to the late 19th century. Every detail from the opulent and repressive Victorian fashions to the cluttered rooms with heavy furnishings to the secret lives of the characters is captured with remarkable fidelity (or the illusion of it). Gas jets and horse drawn carriages, backstage dressing rooms and secret boudoirs, the lost art of elegant conversation and more are impeccably recreated. Only ANONYMOUS (2011) about the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays with its vivid rendering of Elizabethan London gave me such a powerful feeling of being there not as an audience member but as an actual observer.
The performances are all flawless from Jim Broadbent and Alan Cordurer as G & S to Timothy Spall and Martin Savage as leading members of the company. Since this is a Mike Leigh film there are several strong roles for women with Lesley Manville as Gilbert’s long suffering wife a standout. The look of the film is incredibly sumptious and to think that it was made for only 10 million pounds seems beyond belief. The film’s length (160 minutes) and deliberate pace will frustrate some people and Savoyards will want more opera and less background but if you love history, it’s a dream come true. The Criterion edition is a definite upgrade from the previous DVD featuring lots of extras with the only flaw being no subtitles.
The Capsule Critic 