I watchMike Leigh's1999 British movie TOPSY-TURVY over and over again.

It's a guilty pleasure,about a sexually constipated W.S. Gilbert (Jim

Broadbent) on the outs withhis musical collaborator , the very kinky dope

addict smoker and composer of bad musicArthur Sullivan (Allan Cordner)

and their getting together again to write, compose, rehearse and have a

great success with their "authentic Japanese opera" THE MIKADO.

Gilbert goes to an exhibition of Japanese Arts and Crafts in

Knightsbridgeand

Is flabbergasted byreal Japanese and realJapanese culture . He's

so taken, he unholsters his camera and snaps and snaps. Here's a snap by

Gilbert himself I found.

He brings the real Japanese women to the rehearsal of THREE LITTLE

MAIDS PFROM SCHOOL to show the White actresses how to move. A

refreshingly honest scene.

Interesting to me was the Kabuki Gilbert watches. A scene from

CHUSHINGURA, the Loyal 47 Ronin. It's the scene where Lord Asano is

taunted into drawing his sword and striking Kira, the Shogun's Master of

Ceremonies in the Shogun's palace. A no-no. The look on Asano's face tells

all that he's going to commit ritual suicide: Curtain.

Gilbert goes home and has an idea. THE MIKADO, the very first

authentic Japanesecomic opera, performed by a company of musical actors.

The costumes and the set are authentic and beautiful. The portrayal

of Japanese sexual habits, and laws is performed by strictly British stiff

zippered Victorian Briits in authentic Japanese costume.

Mike Leigh's TOPSY-TURVY is delightful honest look at failing

Victorian Imperialist chest thumping- amid a heap of Victorian antiques

when they were en vogue.. The players talk aboutthe day's news that

Chinese Gordon was beheadedin Khartoum while eating oysters on the half

shell and they order another dozen. They sicken in the middle their salary

talkswith the show's producer. Gilbert never touches his wanting and

yearning wife, touchingly played by Lesley Manville. Is the movie about the

MIKADO mirroring the silly British taboos and pretensions? Is it bustles

and Sullivan enjoying a whorehouse entertainment with his rich uppercust

mistress?

I remember a magazine piece about an East End production of THE

MIKADO of the 1950s with authentic British tuxedoes and police and

military service uniforms and nothing Japanese but the lyics. The opening

night performance exploded into people throwing stuff at the people

onstage. They ripped their seats out of their sockets, tore them apart and

threw the pieces and what I opine must have been racist objections to their

favorite racist play being so maligned .

TOPSY-TURVY might be a pig wallow, but it's such a warm and comfy

wallow to contemplate the question: I see the unalloyed racism, but I sort

of like the racist.

Better to confront the question in a wallow, than a war. The war is

the art.

FCC