While there have been many film adaptations of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas, there have also been two films that have told the story of their partnership, and two more in which Gilbert and Sullivan are characters.

One of the films in the former category is Mike Leigh‘s 1999 film, Topsy-Turvy, the award-winning depiction of Gilbert and Sullivan, the world of Victorian life and theater, and the story of the creation of their most popular opera, The Mikado. 

The other film in this category is The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan, produced in 1953.   This film tells the story of Gilbert and Sullivan’s career together, from Trial by Jury’s Opening Night through Sullivan’s death and Gilbert’s knighthood.

The two films in the latter category include a short 1950 film called The Return of Gilbert and Sullivan, in which Gilbert and Sullivan return to Earth to protest the jazz treatment of their work.

In the 1951 film, The Magic Box, Sir Arthur Sullivan is portrayed conducting a choral concert of the Bath Choral Society.

Additional information about three of these films is available on Wikipedia.

• Topsy Turvy
• The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan
• The Magic Box