Herald rating: * * * *
Running time: 160 mins
Rental: Today
Review: Ewan McDonald
Late in Queen Victoria's reign, Sir Arthur Sullivan and William S. Gilbert were like Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber.
As the movie opens they've had 10 hits in a row and rule the London stage with their comic operas but
No 11, Princess Ida, has flopped.
Sullivan, the music man, flees to Paris. When their promoter tracks him down he learns that there may never be another collaboration between Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) and Sullivan (Allan Corduner).
As the row drags on Gilbert's wife drags him to a Japan exhibition. Inspiration: Gilbert begins writing The Mikado, which will become their greatest hit.
Mike Leigh, whose movies like Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets And Lies have been about everyday people in modern Britain, directs a period gem.
And for those who aren't familiar with Gilbert and Sullivan, the point is well made that you didn't need to know all about the Bard to enjoy Shakespeare in Love.
