Review of Topsy-Turvy (1999) by Joseph B — 10 May 2014

I'm surprised it took me so long to review this, as I am a lifelong G&S fan who discovered them and their fairy tale operas when I was just 13. This movie was like a dream come true for me as I felt like I'd known all the characters for many years, and I was watching old friends.

The storytelling was astonishingly accurate for Hollywood; factual and enormously entertaining. Mike Leigh managed to capture the magic of Gilbert & Sullivan's work and the spell of enchantment it held over even the people who performed it.

And yet, as the title suggests, nothing is quite what it seems to be. The genial Sullivan is a gambling, womanizing prima donna, unhappy with the very music he's gotten rich from.. The brilliant Gilbert is plagued by a fear of not pleasing anyone.

The star of their company uses drugs, the leading lady has a drinking problem, and others have their own insecurities--and yet in spite of it all, they created a world of sheer magic. It is one of those films I can watch over and over and never get tired of.