89. Topsy-Turvy

British director Mike Leigh won the New York Film Critics’ Circle best film and best director awards for this extraordinary gem about the creation of a comic operetta in 1884 London. In the middle of one of the worst heat waves in recent years, which keeps the audience away from the theaters, the last spectacle of author William Schwenck Gilbert (the great Jim Broadbent) and composer Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner) is getting cold reviews. To make things worse, the Savoy Theatre is on the verge of a financial crisis. Obligated by contract to create a new operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan fall into a creative impasse, and even their long relationship grows apart.

And then, Gilbert’s wife takes her husband to a Japanese exhibition and his inspiration is reborn, resulting in the conception of The Mikado. The idea attracts Sullivan’s attention and the production starts getting shape. Then the real hard work begins…

Topsy-Turvy is not only a visual joy (it won Academy Awards for best costume and make-up design, and the art direction is superb) but also a celebration of artistic creation and collaboration for the sake of a common goal. All right, is a little long, but that’s the price you have to pay for an original look at a Victorian society full of lights and shadows. Ultimately, you realize that beauty and emotion are bigger than mutual differences, personal egos and money shortage. And the best part is that you really enjoyed the show. (Enrique Buchichio)