Line #22 Film/TopsyTurvy


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Topsy_Turvy_4688.jpg]]
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3	''Topsy-Turvy'' is a 1999 film written and directed by Creator/MikeLeigh that focuses on the partnership of Creator/GilbertAndSullivan when they reach a crossroads in their career.
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5	After earning disappointing reviews for ''Theatre/PrincessIda'', Sir Arthur Sullivan (Creator/AllanCorduner) starts to reconsider his partnership with William Gilbert (Creator/JimBroadbent) creating comic operas for the Savoy Theatre, believing the duo is stuck in a rut. To get Gilbert's mind off his troubles, his wife, Kitty (Creator/LesleyManville), drags him to the Japanese Village in Knightsbridge, and he is inspired to write ''Theatre/TheMikado''. What follows is a comprehensive story of how the play was developed, such as how it was written, how Sullivan prepared the music and the singing, and how Gilbert dealt with the choreography, costuming and actors.
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7	''Topsy-Turvy'' was nominated for four UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s and won for Best Costume Design and Makeup.
8	----
9	!!Tropes Associated With This Work:
10	* ArtisticLicenceHistory:
11	** In the film, Gilbert gets the idea to write ''Theatre/TheMikado'' after visiting the Knightsbridge Japanese Village. The real exhibition did not open until 1885, long after Gilbert sent Sullivan the first plot sketch of ''The Mikado'' in May 1884.
12	** In the real-life opening-night performance of ''The Mikado'', the Act 2 finale began with "The Threatened Cloud Has Passed Away." That was felt to be too short, so "For He's Gone and Married Yum-Yum" was added later, as seen in the film and modern performances.
13	** Gilbert, indignant at Sullivan's unwillingness to set his proposed magic potion piece, encourages him to contact Mr. Ibsen in Oslo if he wants to write a more "dull" opera. Oslo was called Kristiania at the time. Not until 1925 would the city revert to the medieval name by which Gilbert called it. When Mike Leigh found this out, at the Venice Film Festival where the completed film was being screened, he was mortified, as he prides himself on exhaustive research.
14	* AvoidTheDreadedGRating: The film's "R" rating apparently comes from just one short gratuitous scene with some [[{{Fanservice}} topless burlesque dancers]], and a very brief shot of an actor shooting up some drugs; there's hardly any other remotely offensive content at all.
15	* BadBadActing: During rehearsals, the script supervisor Seymour fills in for two actors who are absent that day. His performance is ribbed by Gilbert and the remaining actors.
16	* BilingualDialogue: Numerous characters drop into French in the course of ordinary conversation, the most conspicuous example being Madame Leon, the wardrobe mistress, who speaks mostly in French despite her honking working-class London accent. Sullivan also speaks German to his butler.
17	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: ''The Mikado'' is a huge success, but Kitty Gilbert is still sad about the fact that they don't have children; Fanny is pregnant by Sullivan but they know that she'll have to have an abortion, as the scandal of her being an unmarried mother would be too great; Leonora is still lonely, and a title card says that Sullivan did eventually realize his dream of writing a grand opera, ''Ivanhoe'', but that almost nobody performs it anymore.]]
18	* {{Bowdlerize}}: The film omits the third stanza of the Mikado's solo. This may be partly for time considerations, but also probably has something to do with the fact that the verse as originally performed contains the [[NWordPrivileges N-word]], which was eventually expunged in 1940.
19	* CampStraight: Lely and Temple are happily married to their wives but, when chatting in the dressing room, delightfully… theatrical.
20	* CloudCuckooLander: Mr D'Auban, (Creator/AndySerkis) the choreographer. He can't stop performing humorous pantomimes for the Japanese guests, since they can't understand anything anyone is saying.
21	* ComedyGhetto: In universe. Sullivan's motive for wanting to move away from comic operas to more serious fare, such as symphonies.
22	* CostumeDrama
23	* CreativeDifferences: In-universe. This is the essential problem for Gilbert and Sullivan with the latter tired with the fantasy musical comedies Gilbert keeps writing, while Gilbert doesn't see what the problem is with his creations.
24	* DeathGlare: Katisha gives a particularly terrifying one to the crowd during the Miya-sama scene.
25	* DeliberateValuesDissonance:
26	** William Gilbert has to deal with an actor who has a hissy fit over his costume which seems too "revealing," even though by modern audiences' eyes, it is demure. Furthermore, with MethodActing stars like Creator/DustinHoffman and Creator/MerylStreep becoming well known and respected for the lengths they will go to be in character, this actor sounds childishly unprofessional.
27	** During a lunch meeting, Grossmith and Barrington make some extremely racist comments about Africans, and they are mildly rebuked by Lely (who, being Scottish, has certainly been the subject of English racism himself). Such attitudes were rather common in Victorian England, and thinking of Africans as a bunch of half-naked savages living up in trees was part of the justification for [[WhiteMansBurden British Imperialism]].
28	* DepravedDentist: Gilbert is loath to go to the dentist, and when he finally relents, we can see why. His tooth is pulled without anesthetic, which was standard for the time. The dentist is cheerful throughout the procedure, noting that the pulled tooth is "a real beauty" as Gilbert moans in pain. He even starts critiquing ''Theatre/PrincessIda'' when Gilbert is unable to respond!
29	* {{Determinator}}: Sullivan is introduced dragging himself out of bed despite his kidney problems and fortifying himself with morphine, strong coffee, liquor and cigarettes until he's strong enough to conduct his orchestra.
30	* DoubleEntendre: Barker says, "I am going out for some Italian hokey-pokey and I care not who knows it. "It's a very hot day and he means that he's going to get some [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokey_pokey_(ice_cream) ice cream]].
31	* DrugsAreBad: We see George Grossmith hiding in his dressing room to use morphine before the first performance.
32	* EurekaMoment: Gilbert is inspired to write ''The Mikado'' when a mounted samurai sword falls off his wall.
33	* EyeTwitch: The Mikado, when being upstaged by his daughter-in-law elect.
34	* {{Foil}}: Gilbert and Sullivan are this to each other. Gilbert is grumpy, reserved, apparently fond of his wife but doesn’t show her physical affection, uninterested in sex, uninterested in food and drink, utterly focused on his work, doesn’t appear to know any foreign languages, and only shows faint signs of happiness or pleasure when he gets the idea for ''The Mikado'' and when he’s rehearsing. Sullivan is ebullient, cosmopolitan, very physical with his mistress, drops into French at the drop of a hat, showers praise on other people, hangs out in brothels, loves his food, and when he’s listening to Gilbert read the libretto, strolls up and down his drawing room chuckling with appreciation.
35	* FullyClothedNudity: Durward Lely complains that his costume as Nanki-Poo (a short jacket and black tights) renders him practically naked and only relents when Gilbert convinces him that the Japanese do not wear trousers.
36	* FunctionalAddict: Grossmith is revealed to be a morphine addict. He's unsteady during a rehearsal but ultimately manages to perform onstage as Ko-ko. If the real Grossmith was an addict, he still managed to write and perform for decades after the events of this film.
37	* GilliganCut:
38	** Gilbert says he would not visit the Japanese exhibition, "not for all the tea in China". The next scene is of him and Kitty wandering around it.
39	** In a previous scene, Gilbert says "I would rather go to a Turkish bath with my grandmother than go to the blasted dentist." His wife nods. Cut to Gilbert in the dentist's chair.
40	* GirlFriday: Helen Lenoir to Richard D'Oyly Carte, as in real life.
41	* HehHehYouSaidX: Sullivan chuckles when Gilbert reads the play's subtitle, "The Town of Titipu." (Of course, knowing Gilbert, that's probably quite intentional.)
42	* HypocriticalHumor: Gilbert argues to Lely that he must accept that his profession obliges him to sometimes be a bit undignified because they’re not doing "grand opera in Milan", they’re doing "low burlesque on the banks of the Thames." Later on, he argues to Mr. D’Auban the choreographer that he must have authentic behaviour because they’re not doing "low burlesque", they’re doing "an entirely original Japanese opera".
43	* LaserGuidedKarma: Grossmith, Barrington and Lely have lunch, at which they discuss the fall of Khartoum. While slurping down oysters, Grossmith and Barrington make extremely racist remarks, but Lely (who's Scottish) mildly reminds them of a massacre of the Scots by the English. After the lunch, Grossmith and Barrington try to argue for raises from D'Oyly Carte, but they've necome too sick from food poisoning. Lely, who stuck to the sole, is perfectly healthy.
44	* LastNameBasis: This is Victorian Britain, so only a man's family refers to him by his first name. All the men are addressed by surname.
45	* MakingTheMasterpiece: The story of the making of ''Theatre/TheMikado''.
46	* OnlySaneMan: D'Oyly Carte, in managing his business, has to contend with both reluctant Sullivan and stubborn Gilbert, as well as all the actors employed in their operettas.
47	* OohMeAccentsSlipping:
48	** In-universe. Actor Durward Lely is a Scotsman who affects a posh Southern English accent on stage and in most of his public dealings. Except when angered.
49	** Also in-universe for Mrs. Fanny Ronalds, who is an American society lady living in English society. When with Sullivan and other intimate English friends, she tends to be in a generic upper English accent, but in hosting private concerts for English society she slips into her normal American accent.
50	* PetTheDog: Gilbert may be cold to the subject of his mother, self deprecating to the point of being unable to watch his own work, and a perfectionist who keeps actors in rehearsal until they perform his lines to is exact standards, but he's also shown to be capable of some kindness such as restoring Richard Temple's solo ''"A more humane Mikado"'' when confronted by the Savoy chorus, or to Jessie Bond when the abscess on her leg causes her pain, even giving her a kiss on the forehead to calm her nerves on opening night.
51	* PottyEmergency: Two actors get food poisoning from bad oysters and feel the effects during separate meetings with the owner of the Savoy Theatre.
52	* ThePrimaDonna: While many of the senior members of the acting troupe have prima donna tendencies, the worst offender is the troupe's choreographer, Mr D'Auban.
53	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Richard D’Oyly Carte, boss of the whole company. He offers his actors pay rises and is genuinely concerned when their attempts to wangle even bigger pay rises are interrupted by bouts of food poisoning. When he warns Leonora that she mustn’t let her drinking problem interfere with her acting, he does so in the most delicate way, and when she promises to keep it under control, he is genuinely pleased. When negotiations between Gilbert & Sullivan have broken down, he even invites them to lunch, but they don’t go. He never raises his voice, and where necessary, he lets his sidekick Helen do the talking.
54	* SetBehindTheScenes: Most of the film shows the inner workings of the D'Oyly Carte company as ''Theatre/TheMikado'' is conceived, produced, and rehearsed.
55	* SexlessMarriage: Kitty keeps inviting William to stay with her in her bedroom, but he seems only interested in venting about his professional frustrations before leaving. In the end, Kitty's idea for a new play is an allegory for her loneliness and lack of children. It's not clear whether she's been unable to have children of if their marriage is so sexless that she simply hasn't had the opportunity. By contrast, Sullivan has a very sexual relationship with his lover Fanny Ronalds but insists on her getting abortions when she accidentally gets pregnant.
56	* ScifiGhetto: Sullivan was also tired of the fantasy plot devices Gilbert used in his stories and wanted something more "probable."
57	* ShoutOut:
58	** Gilbert complains that Sullivan wants to write a serious opera about "a prostitute dying of consumption in a garret," an obvious nod to Verdi's ''Theatre/LaTraviata''.
59	** Gilbert also drops quotes from Shakespeare into his conversation, as he was known to do.
60	** In rehearsals, Grossmith misspeaks one of Gilbert's lines as "Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into," a blatantly anachronistic shout-out to Creator/LaurelAndHardy.
61	* ShowWithinAShow: Type 1, the production of ''Theatre/TheMikado''.
62	* ShownTheirWork:
63	** Some of the characters reminisce about their past roles or sing parts of solos from other shows. Yes, in real life, those characters did indeed originate those roles.
64	** Quoth Website/{{IMDb}}, "Most modern recordings and performances of the Mikado's solo, 'A More Humane Mikado' feature a bloodthirsty laugh between the verses. This touch was added by Darrel Fancourt, a D'Oyly Carte performer from 1920-1953, and has been copied ever since - which is why the laugh is not performed by Richard Temple (Creator/TimothySpall)."
65	* SophisticatedAsHell:
66	--> '''Temple''': One should be rewarded on one's merits, not on one's ability to ingratiate oneself with the management, particularly when the management have difficulty in locating the relative whereabouts of the arse and the elbow.
67	* TheShowMustGoOn: Despite painful kidney disease, Sullivan rouses himself out of bed to conduct the orchestra on ''Princess Ida'''s opening night.
68	* ThoseTwoGuys: Lely and Temple.
69	* ToneShift: The first half of the film dramatises the stagnation of Gilbert & Sullivan's creative partnership, with Sullivan becoming increasingly impatient with Gilbert's ideas, or rather (as Sullivan feels) Gilbert's lack of fresh ideas, and the two lead characters become more and more bad-tempered (although this establishes their characters: Sullivan deals with their joint CreatorBreakdown by going to Europe and living it up, whereas Gilbert deals with it by staying at home and becoming ever more grumpy.) As soon as Gilbert attends the Japanese exhibition, becomes inspired to write ''The Mikado'' and reads the resulting to libretto to an appreciative Sullivan, the whole tone of the film shifts into comedy and stays there throughout the ensuing rehearsal sequences. [[spoiler: It shifts back into drama at the end, as we see that the enormous success of the show hasn't necessarily fixed the characters' lives and that some of them are just as messed-up as they were to begin with.]]
70	* VictorianLondon: That being the time and setting where the film takes place.
71	* WoundThatWillNotHeal: Jessie Bond suffers from an abscess in her leg, which means she’s in more or less constant pain. This was TruthInTelevision.
72	* YoungFutureFamousPeople: Fanny remarks to Arthur the latest gossip that ''"the Churchills are to return to London"'' from Dublin, and ''"Jennie says [[UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill Winston]] is eleven, covered in freckles and has a total disdain for authority."''

Context Film / TopsyTurvy