Gormenghast

Rating:
Summary: Haunting if imperfect adaptation
Review: This is an ambitious BBC production of one of my favorite "fantasy" trilogies, Mervin Peake's Gormenghast. I thoroughly enjoyed this imaginative realization which employs a virtual who's who of british actors. This film is so well cast that in some cases it's difficult to think of anyone who could've played the part so well. This is particularaly true of Ian Richardson's portrayal of the 76th Earl of Groan. He looks the part, pale and bird-like. When he descends into madness, it is as dreadful and grotesque to witness as it was in the books . Jonathan Rhys Meyers pulls out all the stops as the books villain, Steerpike. At first I thought him too good looking for the part, but he's a talented enough actor that the gaunt ugliness of the torured soul within transformed his outward appearance into that sociopathic creature we love to hate. Fiona Shaw was dead on perfect as the man crazed Irma Prunsqallor, providing some of the more humorous moments in this dark tale and although he played down his manic character (I forget the actor's name,), I liked the performance of Dr Prune as well. Stephen Fry seemed too young and good looking to be Bellgrove, but he 's such a delight, i soon forgot about my pre conceptions. The countess was spot on. So was Swelter. And special mention must be made of Christopher Lee's Flay. Just as in with Tolkien material, it is obvious here that he has a great love and understanding of the books and his character, and is a pleasure to watch. Lee is really enjoying a great period late in his career.

Preconceptions are always a problem with adaptations of beloved books. This one even has Peakes drawings to be compared to. The look of Gormenghast here is too airy and pretty. Looks more Potter than Peake. Where were the craggy turrets, the dark endless maze of crumbling parapets and towers? That was a disappointment. However, some of the sets were appropriately lavishly decaying, the library being one of the best.

This film can be read as allegory, a story of adolescent growing pains and rebellion against timeworn ritual and all that restricts freedom and blossoming of the individual, Steerpike's rise a symbol of proletariat rage against the reigning aristocracy.

It is all these things and more: like all good fantasy, it takes us into another reality, one with its own rules and laws, not of any time or place we know, yet strangely familiar, a slightly skewed and twisted parallel world worth visiting again and again.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Adaptation
Review: Whenever someone decides to make a movie adaptation of a book, fans of the book cringe. The tendency of directors to "adapt" the story line for the on screen version can often leave a bad taste in people's mouths. Luckily, Andy Wilson did a fantastic job staying true to the text. With no real story line changes and only a handful of noticeable omissions for the sake of time--remember it often takes Peake 50 pages to describe a 2 minute sequence--I think Peake would have been pleased.

The cast did an excellent job and I was thrilled by the performance of the actors. Steerpike, the Countess and Prunesqualler all shine in their depiction of the characters. The immensity of Gormenghast is wonderfully portrayed through the use of special effects.

Read the books first, and this movie will compliment them well.

Rating:
Summary: GORMENGHAST A DISAPPOINTMENT (I GIVE IT 3.5 STARS)
Review: AFTER HAVING READ THE THREE MERVYN PEAKE NOVELS ON WHICH THIS FILM IS BASED, WITH ALL PEAKE'S COLORFUL (UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR), BIZARRE EVENTS AND SURREALISTIC SETTINGS, I WAS EXPECTING THIS DVD TO BE SUPERB.

UNFORTUNATELY IT WASN'T, IN MY OPINION AND THAT OF MY FRIENDS (ALSO FANS OF PEAKE & GORMENGHAST). THE CASTING WAS TERRIBLE (EXCEPT MAYBE IN THE CASES OF THE TWINS AND SPEARPIKE). THE BRITISH MOVIE-MAKERS SKIPPED SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SCENES IN THE TRILOGY OF BOOKS, AND I FOUND MYSELF BORED AFTER THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF THREE MINI-SERIES-LIKE EPISODES ON THE DVD.

I WISH SO DEEPLY THAT I COULD SAY MORE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL MASTERPIECE, BUT I MUST BE HONEST. I SOLD MY COPY OF THE DVD AFTER ONLY ONE VIEWING. :(

Rating:
Summary: If you had trouble with the book....
Review: Let's face Peake's GORMENGHAST novels are not an easy read. Make no mistake it is a great piece of literature but it does take patience and the right mood. It is a tribute to the makers of this film that they were able to make a film that stays true to the essence of the books.Its nice to have a script that assumes the audience has a brain. The production is lavish making use of digital technology to enhance and not overwhelm the film. Of course one needs a sympathetic cast to carry the story and we have a superb one here. John Rhys-Meyers' Steerpike deftly progresses fom innocent waif to venomous villain; Ian Richardson as the Earl of Gormenghast gives a chilling portrayal of an abstracted descent into madness; Christopher Lee(always welcome) as the spectral Flay and John Sessions' giddily off the wall Prunesquallor are but the tip of a huge iceberg. Everthing falls into place quite finely and this made for TV movie can put many a big budget theatrical release to shame.

Rating:
Summary: At last--a worthy adaptation of the Peake novels
Review: I've seen this in England, and I can faithfully vouch for the fact that yes, the first two volumes of Mervyn Peake's masterpiece trilogy have finally been accorded their due on the screen. I should start by warning fans of the novels that the Gormeghast realized here is much prettier than you would expect; perhaps the film's producers were worried that a vision of the giant castle and its environs as decayed and yellowed as Peake imagined might be too offputting to anyone but fans of the novels? As a result, Gormenghast is slightly too pretty at times to convey the sense of Gothic dissolution Peake intended: even the campsite of the carvers seems gussied up in pretty green decor. And in the central role of Steerpike Jonathan Rhys-Meyers looks smashing and works hard, but fails to turn in the truly bravura performance the part requires (in part because he lacks tremednous physical presence, despite his snerring beauty).

On the other hand, so much is given to us in this version that it would be churlish to complain. Celia Imrie steals the show as the brutally abstract and terrifyingly towering Countess of Groan: she has both the presence and he ability to play the role. The great Fiona Shaw transforms herself exactly into Peake's sketches of Irma Prunesquallor, and Zoe Wanamaker and Lynsey Baxter do something evry original and believable as Titus's half-witted and murderous aunts. The special effects are at times jawdropping, and at times the director allows for the off-kilter camera angles--and yes, even the Gothic atmnosphere otherwise missing--that brings you back to Peake's original vision (the library sequence is particularly smashing). This is the kind of adaptation that, even with its few flaws, one would never have dared hope to have seen.

Rating:
Summary: An Austalian Peake Fan
Review: When watching this I found myself constantly referring back to the novels to compare the characterisations with Peake's drawings. They were astonishingly close, especially Fuchsia and Flay, and the performances brought them to life brilliantly.

Such a grand story cannot ever be done justice in a TV version, but the BBC surpassed my expectations. Jonathon Rhys Meyers was eminently hatable, and Christopher Lee dominated his scenes. Old hands such as Warren Mitchell, Stephen Fry, Ian McKellen and Zoe Wannamaker brought their characters to life very much as I expected.

The production design was breathtaking, and I particularly appreciated the way the producers played with time and place to leave you unsure in the end exactly when Gormenghast was set.

Some reviewers appear to have objected to the film as presented in this version. I recommend buying the full anamorphic widescreen version available direct from the BBC. This DVD won an award for best use of DVD technology, and is fabulous. Great sound, proper structure of the story, and interesting special features. The BBC version is worth 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Never Read Books So Thought Series Fantastic!
Review: I have no novels to compare this film series to and am glad of it. This is a tour de force of UK acting talent. A Who's Who of casting takes over every role in this mythical tale of the kingdom of Gormenghast. It is ruled over by an elderly earl, who has just had a young son born to inherit the crown. However, he is plotted against by a young man who works in the kitchen, called Steerpike, who keeps steadily advancing himself by undermining one and all. Steerpike is brilliantly played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. He is the villain of the piece but in a strange way, also its hero, as you follow no one as intensely as you follow him and his attempt to break out of the rigid class system of Gormenghast (obviously patterned on the UK's own aristocracy). Everyone in the cast is similarly wonderful. Ian Richardson plays the elderly ruler, who is driven mad by Steerpike's destroying his library. Richardson's portrayal of an owl, what he thinks he is, nails an owl dead-on. Stephen Fry and Fiona Shaw as the romancing couple of Headmaster and Spinster almost steal the show with their high comic portrayls. This will take you at least two nights to view and you will enjoy it thoroughly as hubby and I both did.

Rating:
Summary: Gormenghast DVD
Review: After never having read the books, I had placed this on my wish list simply from the other reviews. It was nothing like I thought it would be (and by nothing I mean of course.. Oh my god all of these people are completely mad!!). I was completely captivated by the actors (we had great fun spotting all the Harry Potter cast who were in it) and the stages were fantastic. Just goes to show that if you want to get really out there with anything you have to go to England (the only exemption in many years being Lord of the Rings). Hollywood feels too much of a need to explain things. This was totaly unexplainable, and yet the actors (by portraying their characters instead of themselves "being" the character) brought me into their world, scrambled my brain and common scense; and told me a wonderfull story. Kudos to everyone that was a part of the making of this tale.

Rating:
Summary: Needs a decent DVD treatment
Review: I'd give the BBC production 5 stars, but the DVD release only gets 1 star because they chopped a widescreen production down to pan and scan. They were probably trying to make Walmart happy, but it's a shoddy way to treat a piece of art.

Rating:
Summary: An unsettling and captivating dark fantasy
Review: "Gormenghast" is an odd series, a little too odd at first glance. I have never read the books, and didn't even know that a "Gormenghast" series existed when I watched it. I just thought it looked like an interesting fantasy series, so I gave it a try.

It was very surprising, and I had to watch the first episode twice before I got a feel for the series and could get captivated by its peculiar meter and character. However, when you get sucked in it is as complete a world as "Labyrinth," "Legend" or any other such darkly gothic fairy tale kingdoms. The endless rituals, the conflicting costumes, the affected accents and speeches all combine to create a disturbing reality of crumbling decadence and a society that has run its course, aching for change and new blood.

The amazing actors in this series, many with an impressive fantasy film pedigree, are what pull you in, and force you to believe in the topsy-turvy kingdom. Christopher Lee ("Lord of the Rings"/"Star Wars"/"Dracula"/Too many to name...) brings you home right away as the brutish but loyal Flay. It is interesting to see him play such a sympathetic and nobel character, after watching him is so many villain roles. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers ("Bend it Like Beckam," "Titus") is perfect as the charming anarchist Steerpike. who plays a necessary role as a bloody catalyst for change. Zoe Wanamaker ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") and her sister Lynsey Baxter play the bizarre twins perfectly, with an unsettling atmosphere each time they are on screen. Ian Richardson, who comes with an impressive Shakespear resume, portrays the descent into madness of the Earl of Gormenghast, as crumbling as his realm.

The BBC again proves that they know how to make quality programs, allowing for a slow wicked pace and a weird mood along with bright costumes and talented actors. I highly recomend "Gormneghast," but give yourself some time to get into it. You might have to watch the first episode twice like I did.