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Fanny assures him, as she probably has innumerable times before, that of course his great contribution to posterity just begs to be composed. Her lover's mood lightened, she then relates that their "old troubles" have returned (that's Victorian speak for "I'm pregnant"). Sullivan informs he'll make the necessary arrangements. But no, she'll handle it herself this time. He is surprised by the handsome lady's show of independence, which she qualifies by reminding, "After all, it is 1885."
And indeed it is 1885, magnificently recreated by writer-director Mike Leigh with the help of some first-class art direction. The establishment of time and place is truly inspired, providing just the right socio-historical environment to informatively propel this backstage drama about the famous artistic partnership. One hilarious sequence that exhibits the early use of the telephone is priceless.
Jim Broadbent splendidly portrays William Gilbert, witty librettist and the more conservative of the dipole duo. Married, he is less flamboyant about his success, and not nearly as candid concerning his unfulfilled aspirations. But it's there just the same, hidden beneath the self-effacing sarcasm that prompts him to denigrate his albeit popularly received efforts by calling them topsy-turvy. And just as Arthur Sullivan defines the age of innocence by rebelling behind closed doors and naughtily tasting of the decadent pleasures that attend any era of sensual repression, Gilbert is a model of Victorian propriety. How that spills over into his restrained relationship with wife and chief confidante, "Kitty" (Lesley Manville), makes for some touching moments. It also speaks volumes about both the comforts and vicissitudes of marriage in any era.
The story begins in the career valley that follows one of Gilbert and Sullivan's few failures, when the future of their association is most in doubt; Sullivan, uninspired, refuses to set Gilbert's latest tale to music. Producer D'Oyly Carte (Ron Cook), aided and abetted by no-nonsense business manager Leonora Braham, expertly played by Shirley Henderson, applies the pressure. But it's to no avail; that is, until Gilbert visits a Japanese exhibition and hatches the idea for The Mikado, today considered among the pair's greatest works, alongside H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance.
The film then dissects the entire rehearsal and production process, forming its enlightening opinions with a peripatetic, egalitarian focus that includes a stunningly evocative gaze from the point of view of the actors. Particularly good among the sensational cast of Savoy regulars are Martin Savage as the uneasy George Grossmith and Timothy Spall as the good-natured Richard Temple. Here, although in good service of the plot, the film inadvertently sags as auteur Leigh illustrates the arduous, word-for-word rehearsal sessions that preceded a masterpiece in pre-Stanislavski theatre. That painfully established, things soon return to their lively ebb and flow.
So you say you don't care for Gilbert and Sullivan? No problem. Probably the longest evening of so-called entertainment I ever endured was a production of H.M.S. Pinafore presented in San Francisco. I still question our congenial hosts' odd choice of theatre tickets. (They treated, you see, couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that.) And so this isn't to say that Mr. Leigh's exquisitely written tale of ambition and manners is going to make a card-carrying Savoyard of all who see it. Yet the insightful look into the sweat, sinew and infinitely rewarding magic of artistic collaboration will provide viewers with an appreciating glimpse into the intriguing lives of two very gifted men. Hence, in its promise of high-minded entertainment, Topsy-Turvy is strictly on the level.
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