Gormenghast (2pc)
by Andy Wilson
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Product details
Actor: Celia Imrie, George Yiasoumi, Ian Richardson, John Sessions, Warren MitchellDirector: Andy Wilson
Producer: Al Burgess
Producer: Estelle Daniel
Producer: Hilary Salmon
Producer: Michael Wearing
Producer: Rebecca Eaton
Writer: Malcolm McKay
Writer: Mervyn Peake
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, NTSC
Running Time: 270 minutes
Release Date: 2001-07-03
Audience Rating: Unrated
Publisher: BBC Warner
Studio: BBC Warner
VHS Movie Reviews of Gormenghast (2pc)
Movie Review: !
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Movie Review: Fantasy Genre Revived
Summary: 4 Stars
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."
Movie Review: Gormenghast, a great mini-series from great novels
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Great followup to the book
Summary: 4 Stars
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. Movie Review: Terrible DVD transfer of beautiful series
Summary: 1 Stars
I just received the new NTSC "widescreen" DVD version of Gormenghast (ISBN 1419838172). It is the worst DVD transfer I have seen. The original series was shot in widescreem (1.66:1). The Region 2 PAL version (which I also have) shows the full picture full screen (on a widescreen TV) with excellent sharpness and detail. The new NSTC version I am describing in this review is cropped heavily and has black borders on all four sides; it is also as fuzzy as a cheap VHS tape.
Bottom line - do not waste your money on this new DVD version.
Summary of Gormenghast (2pc)
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
The BBC's lavish, glowingly designed adaptation of Mervyn Peake's eccentrically brilliant novels Titus Groan and Gormenghast is a triumph of casting. Ian Richardson's Lear-like depiction of the mad earl of a remote, vast, ritual-obsessed building is matched by the brutal pragmatism of Celia Imrie as his wife, the synchronized madness of Zo? Wanamaker and Lynsey Baxter as his twin sisters, and the duplicitous charm of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Steerpike, the kitchen-boy determined to take over no matter how many deaths it costs. John Sessions is surprisingly touching as Prunesquallor, the family doctor who realizes almost too late what Steerpike intends.
It is always tricky to film a book dear to the hearts of its admirers. Wilson and his design team achieve a look rather more pre-Raphaelite than Peake's own illustrations--shabby velvets, garish sunlight, and dank, stone passages. The score by Richard Rodney Bennett is full of attractive surprises--fanfares and waltzes and apotheoses--and John Tavener's choral additions are plausibly parts of the immemorial ritual of Gormenghast. --Roz Kaveney
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