Directed by:
Mike LeighScreenplay:
Mike LeighCinematography:
Dick PopeComposer:
Carl DavisCast:
Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher, Katrin Cartlidge, Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Kevin McKidd, Sam Kelly, Shirley Henderson, Jonathan Aris (more)Plots(1)
At first glance, a musical period comedy-drama about Gilbert and Sullivan seems an odd fit for director Mike Leigh, who made his name with searing, intense contemporary dramas such as Secrets and Liesand Career Girls. What could the Victorian world of light opera offer a film-maker who specialises in the world of modern-day middle-class England? Plenty, as it turns out. A wonderful meditation on the creation of art, Topsy-Turvy catches Gilbert and Sullivan at a crossroads in their illustrious careers. Having scored numerous hits (like The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore), they've reached a creative dry spot with their latest, Princess Ida. Composer Sullivan (Allan Corduner) despairs of ever being taken seriously, and vows to write a "serious" piece, much to the consternation of librettist Gilbert (Jim Broadbent), who's flummoxed and unyielding when asked to change another of his whimsical, "topsy-turvy" scenarios. All seems lost when, thanks to his wife's insistence, Gilbert attends a Japanese exposition in London, and faster than you can say "Three little maids from school are we", inspiration strikes. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Allan Corduner
Sweden
Best movies:
Gladiator (2000)
Yentl (1983)
The Way We Live Now (2001) (series)
Dexter Fletcher
UK
Best movies:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Stardust (2007)
Katrin Cartlidge
UK
Best movies:
Breaking the Waves (1996)
No Man's Land (2001)
Before the Rain (1994)
Timothy Spall
UK
Best movies:
The King's Speech (2010)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
The Last Samurai (2003)
Jim Broadbent
UK
Best movies:
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
War and Peace (2016) (series)
Lesley Manville
UK
Best movies:
An Adventure in Space and Time (2013) (TV movie)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Cranford (2007) (series)
Kevin McKidd
UK
Best movies:
Trainspotting (1996)
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
Anna Karenina (2000) (series)
Sam Kelly
UK
Best movies:
Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) (series)
All or Nothing (2002)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Shirley Henderson
UK
Best movies:
Trainspotting (1996)
The Way We Live Now (2001) (series)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Jonathan Aris
UK
Best movies:
Sherlock (2010) (series)
Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant (1998) (TV movie)
Wallander (2008) (series)
Andy Serkis
UK
Best movies:
Brid Brennan
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
My Sailor, My Love (2022)
Felicia's Journey (1999)
Richard Coyle
UK
Best movies:
The Fall (2013) (series)
Going Postal (2010) (TV movie)
Wives and Daughters (1999) (series)
Ashley Jensen
UK
Best movies:
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
The Escape Artist (2013) (series)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
Eve Pearce
UK
Best movies:
Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) (series)
The 10th Kingdom (2000) (series)
Wimbledon (2004)
Naoko Mori
Japan
Best movies:
Everest (2015)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Midsomer Murders (1997) (series)
Togo Igawa
Japan
Best movies:
The Gentlemen (2019)
The Last Samurai (2003)
Tetris (2023)
Ron Cook
UK
Best movies:
Chernobyl (2019) (series)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Chocolat (2000)
Alison Steadman
UK
Best movies:
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Shirley Valentine (1989)
Dalziel and Pascoe (1996) (series)
Monica Dolan
UK
Best movies:
King Lear (2008) (TV movie)
Wolf Hall (2015) (series)
Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) (series)