History Film / TopsyTurvy

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Gilbert gets accosted by an insane homeless woman in an alley late in the film. The scene is considerably darker and more menacing than any other scene in the film, goes absolutely nowhere, and, unlike every other scene in the film, was shot outdoors, just to emphasize the strangeness of it.

* CreativeDifferences: 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.

''Topsy-Turvy'' is a 1999 film written and directed by MikeLeigh that focuses on the partnership of GilbertAndSullivan when they reach a crossroads in their career.

After earning disappointing reviews for ''PrincessIda'', Sir Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner) decides to unilaterally dissolve his partnership with William Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) creating comic operas for the Savoy Theatre. To get his mind off his troubles, Gilbert's wife, Kitty, drags him to the Japanese Village in Knightsbridge and he is inspired to write ''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 dealing with actors and their occasional moments of temperament.

* BadBadActing: During rehearsals, the script supervisor fills in for two actors who are absent that day. His performance is ribbed by Gilbert and the remaining actors.

* BadBadActing: During rehearsals, a non-acting member of the troupe fills in for two actors who are absent that day. His performance is ribbed by Gilbert and the remaining actors.

* ThePrimaDonna: While many of the senior members of the acting troupe have prima donna tendencies, the worst offender is the troupe's choreographer.

* ThoseTwoGuys: Lyly and Temple.

After earning disappointing reviews for ''PrincessIda'', Sir Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner) decides to unilaterally dissolve his partnership with William Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) creating comic operas for the Savoy Theatre. To get his mind off his troubles, Gilbert's wife, Kitty, drags him to the Japanese Village in Knightsbridge and he is inspired to write ''TheMikado''.

* ScifiGhetto: Sullivan was also tired of the fantasy plot devices Gilbert used in his stories and wanted something something more "probable."

--> '''Temple''': One should be rewarded on one's merits, not on one's ability to engratiate oneself with the management, particularly when the management have difficulty in locating the relative whereabouts of the arse and the elbow.

* LastNameBasis: By the time of the film, Gilbert and Sullivan have worked together for thirteen years but still refer to each other by their surnames (this was [[TruthInTelevisiion normal]] in Victorian Britain).

* LastNameBasis: By the time of the film, Gilbert and Sullivan have worked together for more than 20 years but still refer to each other by their surnames.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: {{Averted}} in RealLife. Leigh and his actors did extensive research into the Victorian era and the lives of the individual characters. One notable slip-up was when Gilbert refers to the capital of Norway as Oslo when the city was called Christiania at the time.

* SexlessMarriage: Despite having an affectionate, loving relationship, William and Kitty Gilbert sleep in separate rooms.
** This is contrasted with Sullivan and his wife having an implied open marriage with little to do with each other, and casually arranging an abortion -- while Gilbert realizes, entirely too late, that his wife dearly wanted children.

---> '''Temple''': One should be rewarded on one's merits, not on one's ability to engratiate oneself with the management, particularly when the management have difficulty in locating the relative whereabouts of the arse and the elbow.