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"Over
the 'Topsy'"
by Scott Mantz
"Topsy-Turvy"
Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner
Directed by Mike Leigh
Imagine what
show business would be like without the collaborative efforts of
some of the greatest partnerships of all time. You know the ones
I'm talking about. Abbott and Costello. Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Lennon and McCartney. Gilbert and Sullivan. What's that? You mean,
you've never heard of Gilbert and Sullivan? That's Ok. I didn't
think I did either, but you know what? It really doesn't matter.
Mike Leigh's "Topsy-Turvy" is a stunningly beautiful film that documents
not only the trials and tribulations associated with the making
of a masterpiece, but also the notoriously stubborn and fickle minds
behind it.
It is the late
1800's, and the London stage of the Savoy Theater is in disarray.
After years of composing moderately successful operetta, lyricist
William Schwenck Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) and composer Arthur Sullivan
(Allan Corduner) have reached an empass. Arrogant Sullivan is tired
of writing the musical accompaniment to the same old cliched stories
given to him by his self-deprecating partner Gilbert. Both are brilliant
at their craft, but they are just as stubborn in their willingness
to compromise. Just when it looked like their partnership was at
an end, inspiration hit. After being dragged to a Japanese exhibition
by his wife, Gilbert got his creative juices flowing again and began
work on what would eventually become "The Mikado". What follows
is the best of times and the worst of times as "The Mikado" is brought
to life.
Actors Jim Broadbent
and Allan Corduner successfully convey the egotistical personalities
that divided Gilbert and Sullivan. While Sullivan was content to
take advantage of his good fortune, Gilbert never felt he deserved
the accolades that came his way. These differences were great enough
to keep them from working in the same room together, as Gilbert
would write the lyrics and then hand them over to Sullivan for him
to complete the score (a process that surely must have inspired
Elton John and Bernie Taupin, since they pretty much work in the
same way). Being such polar opposites actually allowed them to bring
so much more to the table, and even they couldn't deny their mutual
respect and admiration for each other when "The Mikado" finally
began to take shape.
While Leigh
successfully captures the feeling of the Victorian times, he even
more successfully captures the timeless passion that goes along
with the creation of art. The many colorful characters portrayed
here possess the same strengths and weaknesses found in many of
today's performers. One actor is addicted to morphine. Another is
a single mother who tries to balance her alcoholism with her passion.
In the end, the sheer collaboration of the minds is infectious and
inspiring, and we're witness to it. We feel the liberated glee as
Gilbert is struck with his vision (we can almost hear the "ding"
go off in his head when inspiration hits), and we're just as devastated
when one of the performer's numbers is cut from the show. I actually
couldn't help but compare the infectious spirit in "Topsy-Turvy"
to the similarly themed "Cradle
Will Rock".
Inspiration
can hit at the oddest times. I mean, who would have ever thought
that Paul McCartney's vision for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
Band" came to him on a transatlantic flight from London to Los Angeles?
Whatever the case, when inspiration hits, it hits big. And when
it hits this big, it eventually takes on a life of its own. It's
almost as if nothing could stop it--not even the stubbornness of
its own creators. Nobody ever said the creation of a masterpiece
was easy, but documenting the process has never been more sublime.
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