Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)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 Gormenghast 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 tremendous physical presence, despite his sneering 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 the 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 very 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.
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Award-winning screenwriter Malcolm McKay (The Interrogation of John, A Wanted Man) bringimaginative trilogy, The Gormenghast Novels, to life in this lavish fantasy miniseries with the high production values characteristic of BBC drama. Gormenghast has been described as a metaphor for the fall of an empire, the passing of an age and the rise of fascism. The story revolves around the ancient family of Groan and the glorious castle of Gormenghast, and focuses on the heir to the powerful dynasty, Titus, and a witty, power-hungry, kitchen boy Steerpike, who battle for decades to determine the fate of the castle.As Steerpike charms his way into the homes and hearts of the castle inhabitants, it is Titus who ultimately stands in his way as he iChristopher Lee (Sleepy Hollow, Dracula) afaithful retainer, and Steven Fry (narrator of the Harry Potter film).s Flay, Lord Groans forced to defend his birthright to the castle.Who will rule Gormenghast?Featuring top billed actors, this epic fantasy has a cast list that includes Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Titus, Velvet Goldmine) as the evil Steerpike, Ian Richardson (House of Cards) as Tituss Mervyn Peake
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