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Topsy Turvy Celebrations of the creative process, when done well, can be as satisfying as the works of art they extol. This tells the story of the making of one of the 19th century's greatest legacies: Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado." It's 1884, and Sir Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner) is sick. It would have been understandable if he had skipped the premier of his and W.S. Gilbert's (Jim Broadbent) "Princess Ida," but he won't have it. He must be there, and he is. Thus we are introduced to the private world of the kings of comedy of that era. Sullivan is not a happy man, and not merely because he's unwell. He yearns to be able to do "serious" work, and announces to Richard D’Oyly Carte (Ron Cook), with whom he has a long term contract, that he's through with popular culture and from now on it's symphonies and grand opera. Carte isn't pleased, not one bit, but Sullivan has a point. He and Gilbert have gotten stale. "Princess Ida" is not doing well at all. Gilbert is also in a pickle. The libretto he's working one isn't very good and Sullivan won't reply to his letters. Then the day is saved by his wife Lucy (Lesley Manville), who drags him to a Japanese exhibition. Our hero, thus inspired, begins work on a new libretto, and the film switches gears. This is now the making of a classic. First, the cast (Timothy Spall, Louise Gold, Martin Savage, Eleanor David and some others) is assembled, then there are problems with the costumes and the usual problems. Each episode is interspersed with numbers from the finished product. The acting is great. Both Broadbent and Corduner give Oscar-caliber performances. The music, is made even better by the fact that it's sung by professionals. The improvised "screenplay" is a wonder. The actors spent months researching their parts and fumbling their way to greatness. It's really a wonder how Leigh managed to do it, but he did. This is a must for any G&S fan, or anybody else with a taste for pre-1980 music. .Eric Lurio
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Richard E. Schiff
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