Topsy Turvy
After Gilbert and Sullivan's latest play is critically panned, the frustrated team threatens to disband until Gilbert's wife, Lucy 'Kitty' Gilbert, drags him along to a Japanese exhibition, exposure to the very different culture begins inspiration to embark on the production of 'The Mikado.'
22 February 1965, Troedyrhiw, near Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, UK
16 November 1965, Guisborough, Cleveland, England, UK
28 January 1971, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, UK
8 June 1939, Dorchester, Dorset, England, UK
1968, England, UK
1 September 1971, Hammersmith, London, England, UK
7 April 1972, England, UK
April 06, 2011
Leigh's strict attention to detail and his uncommon method of involving his actors in the creative process of forming the script infuses life into material that could have easily become another stiff, British period productionAugust 07, 2008
A great study on the struggle to create live theater, containing beautiful musical sequences and fantastic portrayals of the musical's creators.July 21, 2005
If you are a Gilbert and Sullivan buff, you will be in heaven. If you are not, the first thing you will need to know is that the film is nearly three hours long.December 06, 2005
The real magic of this film is in the way most of the characters skillfully navigate their way around each other's sizable but fragile egos.March 22, 2002
Not your normal period piece, to be sure.February 09, 2006
Leigh's cast are beyond compare, and the whole bighearted, splendidly droll celebration of the entertainer's lot surely stands among British cinema's one-of-a-kind treasures.January 01, 2000
You're likely to be moved to tears.June 18, 2002
The film is a delight and a surprise, all the more so since Leigh is associated with gritty working-class stories.October 30, 2008
The sense of a work of art coming to life has rarely been more beautifully or excitingly portrayed. This is a film not to be missed.April 09, 2005
Leigh has handcrafted a big production and succeeds, mostly, in entertaining the viewer to the end -- especially for fans of Gilbert and Sullivan.June 17, 2008
[A] beautifully crafted and lively romp around the 1880s stage world.July 14, 2007
There is not an unrealized or extraneous character in the film, and I can't remember a movie that so completely studies the intricacies of bringing a production to the stage.