Gormenghast (2000)

Horrible travesty

Most of the plot of the book is scrambled and changed, the book's mood and atmosphere is completely destroyed, and dialogues, events, and many characters are almost completely antithetical to those in the book, etc. It's almost, but not actually worthy of being called, a study in garbaging and dumbing down something originally subtle and profound into triviality and cartoon/comic book dimensions. Important aspects of many character's attitudes are changed or completely reversed, dialogues exactly opposite to those in the book are inserted at will, events are truncated and/or changed from something that had unique atmosphere and dimension in the book into brief trivialized escapades, such as Steerpike's escape from the room Flay locks him in early on, etc. The pity is that I assume the producer/writer/director think they are reworking the story without creating a total farce of the original book. It should be done again by a protege of Orson Welles a la THE TRIAL, with scenes in black and white alternating with those in color.
The further plot compression and accelerated scene sequences makes it for me not even worthy of calling it a farce. It's just horrible. December 15, 2008

!

a really beautiful, faithful adaptation of the books. the characters and set are rightfully surreal, grotesque, and comical, and the series definitely captures the decaying quality of gormenghast. i only wish it could have gone on longer, and would have loved to have seen them continue with titus alone. November 10, 2008

Fantasy Genre Revived

I ordered "Gormenghast" on the basis of the favorable reviews offered by other Amazonian viewers. Having only "perused" the Peake novels, I came into the Groan's world as a newbie, with no real expectations of liking, loving, or disliking the mini-series.

I was pleasantly surprised with the vigor and boldness of the direction. The wide camera angles, the purposely muted colors of all of the characters' clothing, all added to the trippy-dippy feel that is the daily life of Gormenghast.

It was interesting to see the huge view of the castle from the opening scenes (and throughout the film), then gain an almost claustrophobic feeling in the quite small bedrooms of the main characters. Metaphorically, it shows that although one may live in this large, open space, our inner sanctums are what's most important; the veritable fishbowl of life.

Zoe Wanamaker and Lynsey Baxter do a superb rendition of the "simple sisters," Ladies Clariss and Cora. Christopher Lee can do no wrong in any role he tackles (although for me, he is the quintessential Saruman of the LOTR trilogy). Although I do agree with an earlier reviewer that Neve McIntosh was a *touch* too mature to play Lady Fuchsia in parts 1 and 2, she's a welcome part of acts 3 and 4. Celia Imrie (who was fantastic in CALENDAR GIRLS) was virtually unrecognizable in her puffy suit. Even underneath all of that unattractive veneer, she gives an impressive performance. The young actors playing Titus convey a potent sense of loneliness and frustration over his lack of options in life.

This miniseries belongs to 2 actors though: John Sessions as Dr. Prunesquallor and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Steerpike. Sessions' Prunesquallor is equal parts absurdity and calculating wisdom. But young JRM is a marvel (as always). Not overdoing it, chomping scenery, his Steerpike is a grasping, sucking, social climber, whom will let nothing (nor anyone) get in his way. This is possibly Rhys Meyers' strongest performance to date.

If you're a fan of sci-fi, this is an interesting work to pick up and view. Reading of the Peake novels isn't a prerequisite to enjoying "Gormenghast."
June 23, 2008

Gormenghast, a great mini-series from great novels

The Groans have ruled over the earldom of Gormenghast for seventy-six generations. Just as the future seventy-seventh Earl, Titus, is being born, rebellion rears its head in Castle Gormenghast, within whose walls dwell a collection of madmen and grotesques.

This BBC mini-series retells Mervyn Peake's epic fantasy novels, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, in a very faithful treatment. This one is a must-see for those who have read the novels, and for those that haven't, it presents a wonderful tail of romance, betrayal, comedy and treachery.
January 18, 2008

Great followup to the book

If you have read the book and enjoyed it, as I have, then this is a very good video. I'm not sure how it would be received by someone who had not read the book first. December 1, 2007

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