Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting , Extraordinary
Review: This is a great mini series ! finally they made the book somewhat come to life. Its really interesting to watch everything evolve as it does the actors are magnificent jonathan rhys meyers as the villinous kitchen boy, this movie is pure eye candy i suggest this to anyone who loves anything out of te ordiinary !!
Rating: 
Summary: Peakes well deserved and well done dramatization
Review: I've been a fan of Peake since the late 80's when I finally was able to find the books at a book store, something of a feat in the USA during the 80's. In the UK, Peake is up there with the greats, stuff you read in high school. In the USA, you mention Gormenghast you generally get puzzled looks. I have to thank the British Singer Robin Hitchcock for my entree into the series, which he listed as his favorite bit of literature in a Q & A I read about him long ago. The dramatization is fantastic. The Steerpike character is just as powerful a manipulator in the movie as he is in the book. Although he might have something of a sympathetic background, he is truely evil incarnate! As a therapist I love all the charactarizations for the layers of neurotic and psychotic behaviors they all display! I recommend the books, and this DVD to darn near everyone. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: If you've read & loved the novels, pass this by...
Review: I was REALLY looking forward to this mini-series. Then, I actually saw it. Perhaps it was better in the wide-screen version, as suggested by another reviewer, but surely it couldn't be any WORSE an adaptation! Where is the Hall of Bright Carvings? Why does a 14 yr.old look 28? Why are scenes there that do not exist in Peake's writings?? (Steerpike "dropping in" on Titus' naming ceremony, for instance.) Christopher Lee was the best thing about it. If you HAVEN'T read the novels and enjoy fantasy, you will probably enjoy this video/DVD. If you know the works, steer clear of this one. :(
Rating:
Summary: A fairy tale for the grown child
Review: After seeing this movie on PBS, I was astounded, intriuged...nothing modern has held my attention quite like Gormenghast did. You could see the thoughts running through the actors heads as if they were the actual characters, but you were left guessing as if they were too complex to possibly analyze. Until the final point in the movie, you never completely understand any character. There was quite a bit of overacting, but it meshes well, as everything was overdone. But it fits well, as Gormenghast seems a world full of overdone, extrodinary, bizzare and twisted creatures. Don't let that throw you off from enjoying this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 Star Movie, 1 Star DVD
Review: When I first watched this mini-series, it was on BBC America. It was divided into 4 episodes. Each episode was an hour long. It was also in widescreen (1.85: 1). The second time I watched it, was on PBS, two weeks ago. This time it was divided into two episodes, with the first one being episodes one and two, seemlessly edited together. The same applied for the second half. This version was also in widescreen. Then the DVD came out. Now, it's been my experience with DVD's based on TV a mini-series (Merlin, Joan of Arc, The Stand) that they should be presented better then they were on television, not worse. The DVD version is not in widescreen, it is Pan-and-Scan (Although, there is no message on the case telling you that it has been edited from it's original version). Also, they didn't edit the episodes together. Instead, they put the first three on disc one and the last one on disc two with the special features (which, along with the packaging, were the only pluses). And the picture has serious artifacting problems. Here's a little note to BBC and Warner Brothers, so that they can make a version of the movie that I and other fans of the film will buy: Put the first two episodes, seemlessly edited together, on disc one. Put the second two episodes, edited together, on disc two, along with the special features. Make it anamorphc, so that it can be watched on widescreen TV's. If you can't handle this, then maybe you should hand the job over to PBS and Artisan. They know what there doing.
Rating:
Summary: "THE WRING CYCLE"
Review: Oy Veh! When will the Nordics cease their perpetual obsession with their rather peculiar past? Just because their ancient ancestors [Boadecia and her gang] didn't leave a written record, well, excuse moi! . . . . . we can dream though; fade to this incredible piece of work! It's unique - like nothing else, please do not compare - this vision is superbly realized in word, design [costume, set], music and performance. BUT why for television? This is a FEATURE QUALITY saga of loss, gain, deception, revenge, and yes, comedy [dark, light, broad, farcical] AND it also contains the most beautiful usage of the spoken English language heard in recent times. What Joy! Gilbert and Sullivan would have applauded, and probably set it to music! [This work should be mandatory in High Schools and elsewhere - labelled "For Emergency - View Immediately"]. Where else can you find Spike Milligan [Goonshow anyone? "Neddie is deaded" - an Icon - go figure!]; Christopher Lee [isn't it time for a knighthood?], Stephen Fry [spot-on as the Professor]; Richard Griffiths, June Brown, also Lynsey Baxter and Zoe Wanamaker as the dotty, sad doomed clockwork sisters [just a tiny touch of Windsor ... err whimsy there] just to name a few of this totally integrated ensemble cast. NOT omitting the brilliant and severly underrated Ian Richardson, Celia Imrie as the feline, wise Lady Gertrude, and Fiona Shaw as love-hungry Irma Prunesquallor. The scene, and almost quite physical duel between Irma and her brother, doctor Prunesquallor [a spectacular turn by John Sessions] defies equal - this is dialogue, timing, performance supreme! AND the Newcomers - stunning Neve McIntosh, Andrew Robertson ["pretending" to be "the weakest link"], and the sensual, serpentine Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Steerpike [remember - he was Jessican Lange's son Chiron in "TITUS"]. An adult fantasy with overtones of childhood, the images stay.
Rating: 
Summary: Awfully boring.
Review: The costumes and art direction are very good, but the characters are very stale and boring. The main character, Mr. Steerpike, is a mad ambitious conniving Hamlet-like character. The actor who plays Mr. Steerpike, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, is embarrasingly bad. The overacting in the movie is so awful, I am ashamed to admit that I watched through the entire production. I have not read Mervyn Peake's series on which this movie was based, but I can absolutely recommend reading the novels instead of watching this sorry piece of filmaking. What a waste of time, talent and money! Barf!
Rating:
Summary: Very poor
Review: No film of a book will ever, ever match up to what images have been conjured in ones imagination, with this in mind I was prepared for the let down. However, no matter how much I have tried I cannot get myself to like it. Prunesquallor for one seems more serious than in the novel, his annoying laughs are missed. Another thing, the dialogue seems so cheesy on film, it is unwatchable at times. To be fair this isnt the worst adaption of a great work of literature, some performances (Steerpike's for one) are not bad. I just think that this could have been great, if only Terry Gilliam had got to it first. A dark trilogy turned into a light comic drama, if you like that sort of thing and havent read the books then you might like it, if you have read them then try not to allow your imagination to be tainted.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed ,I cried, I was [angry]
Review: I've never read the books to this woundeful movie but after watching it 3-4 times I think I'll buy them. so concidering I havent read the books I cant say how close they were to the original story, all I can say is it is a masterpiece. And I guess there must be something wrong with me I LOVED steerpike I was [angry] about what happens to him at the end, some where deep inside All I could think was I want him to win I want him to win....This was a great movie and I Implore you buy it buy it. you wont be dissapointed. And I guess that was my 1 cent..
Rating:
Summary: Gormenghast is dazzling!!!
Review: Watching this movie for the first time one tends to be overwhelmed, but Gormenghast does tend to do just that but in a very intoxicating way. Every character has their own unique charms beautifully brought to light by a fantastic cast. This cast is very diverse from veteran actors Christopher Lee (Mr.Flay, dedicated manservant of the Lord) and Ian Richardson (ritual bound and not so mentally sound, Lord Sepulchure Groan)to less well knowns like Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Steerpike, Kitchen boy driven by revenge). I first watched Gormenghast to see Jonathan Rhys Meyers performance and was very pleased with all I saw including visually stunning sets and costumes, actors that really seemed to take on their roles and a good plot from beginning to end. Gormenghast does not disappoint.
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