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 Rare Dramatic Fantasy Makes Its Creed
Review: Gormenghast was a trilogy of fantasy novels written by an Englishman shortly after WWII. It is a work of fiction often overlooked and neglected, not as popular or heard of as Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings or for that matter, C. S. Lewis' Chronicles Of Narnia. But if you take a good look at the film version, (originally presented on BBC television in England, later aired on PBS) you can equate the terrific novels as the equal of the great fantasy classics. Like Tolkien and Lewis, these novels take the reader on a journey that is larger than life, a plot reveals multidimensional characters and the mood of the novel is many layred. It is anachronistic, comic, dark and lavish, nearly Shakespearean, with a dominant allegorical style.

Gormenghast is an allegory for England, more than likely the England that the author was familiar with and the monarchy of its past. Tolkien and Lewis were also English and made it clear that certain locations, if not the entire fantasy world they wrote about, was England (i.e. in Lord of the Rings, Hobbitown is England Hobbits are English folk). There are many striking elements about Gormenghast and I will try to outline them without giving too much away. The largest character is that of Steerpike, an orphan boy who was raised as a kitchen boy in the royal household. Steerpike's bitterness becomes deep hatred and ambition to raise above those he considered his opressors. He begins to forge a plan to destroy the royal family. Assuming a powerful court position, Steerpike moves forward on his revenge, in a nearly Shakespearean determination for vengeance (we may recall Hamlet in this aspect. Note: Gormenghast has many Shakesperean elements. Steerpikes uses two inseperable twins, both girls, who want to acquire powerful court influence...The King is a bookphile, a once wise, efficient ruler but who in his old age becomes slow-witted and finally, insane....The King's daughter, Fushia, is evidently a parody of Ophelia from Hamlet, a lonely, imaginative, poetic soul, a young woman with naivete and a deep love for Steerpike...The unassuming, humble, adventuresome Prince Titus...Titus has no desire to continue the legacy of his father and rule as king...

An allegory of a monarch system ? Most likely. Perhaps the author was pointing out its flaws, its nuances, and he does so in a fantastic tapestry of locations and characters. There are times when the film borders on Gothic romanticism. This DVD is worth the price and it is clearly a remarkable collection for those who love fantasy film. In my personal opinion, and I say this with conviction, Gormenghast takes its place and makes its creed with Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles Of Narnia.

Rating:
Summary: Best film I've seen this year
Review: I bought Gormenghast sight unseen based on the reviews here at Amazon, and I don't regret it at all. Simply put, this was the best movie I've seen all year, and I was sorry to see it end.

This movie did everything right. The sets were wonderful, and all the actors were perfect for their parts. What really struck me though was the wit of the script--even though it was a tragedy, I thought the dialogue was both ironic and hilarious.

I haven't read the Gormenghast trilogy (though this movie prompted me to buy the audio books), so I don't know how it compares to the books, but I thought the movie was deep as well as entertaining (lots of commentary on class struggle and too many Hamlet references to be coincidence). It's worth watching more than once, so it's worth owning rather than renting.

Rating:
Summary: yummy!
Review: this is the thing that got me into jrm!ive seen it countless times and i never get bored of it!watch out 4 the river scene!

Rating:
Summary: enchanting and honest
Review: I came upon "Gormenghast" while I was flipping through the basic cable channels one night. It was the second episode, almost halfway over, and I thought it was kind of tweaked at first. I only watched it during commercial breaks for the first half hour I saw it, but something drew me. Something made me look up times that it was going to be on and tape the whole thing. Maybe it was curiosity, I don't really know, but I do know that I'm thankful that I was ensnared into the world of "Gormenghast." The rich plot is believable and the characters well portrayed. Jonothan Rhys Myers (as Steerpike), while a very attractive man, managed to come across as something twisted, malformed and neglected. Neve McIntosh played the perfect brat and flippant princess, Fuschia, Jon Sessions a wonderfully frivolous Squaller, and Colin Powrie and Andrew N. Robertson the essence of Titus Groan, the young lord who is weary of his role thrust upon him with no recourse to his feelings. While much of the story is comedic, the ending is truly powerful and you might well find yourself crying and dazed. The actors emote very well, so much that you feel yourself a part of "Gormenghast." You can see that Steerpike only wanted to be loved. You can see that one determined individual can bring down an age old society. This film (not to mention the books) reflects not just the UK, but the world, and what could happen if we allow ourselved to rot.

Rating:
Summary: Turn Down the SOUND
Review: I've never been able to get through Mervyn Peake's Gormanghast books, so was interested and pleased to be able to watch a BBC production. It is definitely beautiful to look at, and I have no complaints with the characterizations (inasmuch as I've never read them), but why, oh why, did everyone have to SCREECH and SCREAM all the time? Was that in the books? Carumba! I cringed everytime the Secretary appeared, hysterically shouting--everyone shouts! It undoubtedly reduced my viewing pleasure; I began to focus on the irritating roaring instead of the characters, scenery and plot. Too bad, especially for something that was obviously such a labor of love.

Rating:
Summary: A feast for the eyes BUT......
Review: as a devoted fan of the novels i'm having a bit of a problem to give it 5 stars. It's not that it's a bad or a careless adaptation of the book, and in most parts it sticks with the narrative of the books, but i felt that there has been some changes and maybe even some injustice with some of the characters. Those characters , such as Flay, Fuchsia, Irma, and professor Bellgrove, that demands long time to get used to their strange ways, to fully understad and love them, suffer a great deal from the harsh editing the scriptwriters did to this vast detailed books in order to fit them into a 4 episode mini series.
However, that injustice is somewhat repaired by the wonderfull casting and espeacily the actress who portrays Fuchsia ( the most loved Gormenghast figeure ) Neve Macintosh.
To every peake's fan who'se maybe reluctent to watch the movie in fear it might spoil the book for him i say go for it if only for the sake of watching her performance. Whenever i think of Fuchsia - it's her i see.
There'se also a delightfull apppearrance ( as always ) by stephen fry as professor Bellgrove and of course- develishly handsome Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the devious Steerpike.
I think the meddling with steerpike's character and the attempt to make him seem more human and volnurable is in bitter contradiction with his description in the books but never the less, he gives a great performance.

To conclude - i think the sworn fans of the books will find this
series to be enjoyable since the design of the production is very beautifull and imaganetive, and i think it does justice with peake's vision of the world of Gormenghast.
Those who have not read the books, i think will love it even more because it is a good movie and it has many moment of suspense and horror and loughter, and as i said before, the best actors England could offer and a spectacular production.
To those who will watch and like it i can only recommend also reading the books, wich are immensely better.

Rating:
Summary: GORMENGHAST is a solid, if flawed, masterpiece
Review: Mervyn Peake's Dickensian fantasy of courtly mayhem gets the royal BBC treatment in a production that sometimes enchants, sometime frustrates, but always holds your interest. The film chronicles the wicked career of the kitchen boy, Steerpike and his attempts to gain the earldom of Gormenghast for his own. In direct contrast, is the young Earl of Groan, Titus, who would rather be free from his blood obligation to rule his lands. Added to this are characters that would be at home in Alice's Wonderland or Charles Dickens' London. They range from the daffy twin sisters of the previous earl, the flighty sister of Titus, a senile nanny, a cavernous and loyal servant, to a crabby dwarf with an obsession with ritual. Richly mounted, the production is a treat for the ear and eye with such British film vets such as Fiona Shaw, Chistopher Lee, Zoe Wannamaker and Neve McIntosh providing wonderful moments.
However, this is not a perfect show by any means. The screenplay tends to gloss over much of the deeper characterizations, and many of the characters are not all that sympathetic....or even likable. Even the hero, Titus, comes across as a bit of pill. Only Christopher Lee's loyal Flay and John Session's quirky Dr. Prunesqualler succeed in capturing our empathy. Also, for a film which covers about 17 years, only a couple of characters seem to age!!!! While Titus, Flay and the twins show the wear and tear of time, the rest of the characters seem stuck in a time-warp.

However, despite its obvious flaws, this production does succeed in capturing our attention with its rich detail, intricate plot and rather broad characters. If you like something very unique, GORMENGHAST is a series that I would definitely recommend.

Rating:
Summary: weird
Review: Having read the first two Gormenghast books with great interest, I looked forward with some anticipation to the film. It is not a usual film, but then, it is not a usual book. I enjoyed the film more on the second viewing than on the first. (Having become accustomed to Christopher Lee as a vampire or similar villain, I had to refer to the cast list to identify him as Mr. Flay.) The film is well-done and well worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: WoW! Really good movie
Review: Ok, I saw this movie with a friend and I really like it. The characters are a lovely arrange from a stupid princess to the geinus of a man, STEERPIKE! Wow, i dont know, i will write more later.