Gormenghast

I was at first apprehensive to see what were some of my favourite books ever written being made into a film. Upon reading the books, I had always dreamt of adapting this work to the screen myself... though not everything was quite the way I envisioned it, the BBC has done an exemplary job in casting and set design, recreating the askew world of Gormenghast in a fashion that Mervyn Peake himself would have most probably been proud of.

Though the time limitations make for a very accelerated version of the slow, brooding books, and a few liberties are taken with the plot, Gormenghast is a very competent, excellently acted gothic fantasy drama. Though a little too bright & colourful and betraying the BBC's penchant for filmed stage dramas (it seems very much like a play), Gormenghast the miniseries does the brilliant books justice as much as any film could.

From the opening shot of Master Chalk, the albino crow flying high over Gormenghast castle, this is something really special. The acting is excellent - all of the actors concerned are excellent, especially Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the scheming villain Steerpike. The visuals are largely excellent, although there are one or two problematic shots from time to time where the budgetary limitations are shown up. This is, though, an extremely enjoyable adaptation of Mervyn Peake's work, and certainly one of the best productions of its kind that the BBC has ever produced.

Nothing has divided the critics more than this lavish fantasy drama.

The broadsheets loved it while Terry Wogan went to bed after two minutes scratching his head in confusion.

The purists may be moaning that it's not as good as Mervyn Peake's original novels but there's no denying that this has been an entertaining production perhaps best viewed as a Gothic version of Dallas or Coronation Street.

Okay, the opener was a lot to take in with so many eccentric characters, some gorgeous sets and costumes, not to mention that wealth of names from Steerpike and Barquentine to Flay and Swelter. But for those patient enough to bear with it, the series paid off handsomely.

Part two was a feast for the eyes as Steerpike (Jonathan Rhys Myers) continued his malevolent attempt to seize power, Lord Groan (Ian Richardson) re-enacted a scene from The Birds and Fiona Shaw threatened to steal the show as Irma Prunesquallor.

This week we said goodbye to the rambling, crumbling walls of Gormenghast; to the deliciously batty Clarice (Zoe Wanamaker) and Cora (Lynsey Baxter), the duplicitous Steerpike and the cat-loving Lady Gertrude.

TV is a poorer medium without it.

We may never see its like again.

This looks like being the year of big budget gothic adventure (all featuring Christopher Lee) with Sleepy Hollow packing them in at multiplexes around Britain and The Lord of the Rings trilogy currently shooting in New Zealand - not to mention this lavish mini-series which is one of the biggest fantasy productions ever staged on British TV.

Gormenghast spent five years in production and it seems like all the hard work was worth the wait.

With an impressive cast including Celia Imrie, John Sessions, Warren Mitchell and Jonathan Rhys Myers, the BBC have ensured that Mervyn Peake's classic tale of murder, seduction and tragic events striking the family of a crumbling castle is a faithful version of a literary classic.

At one point, Sting owned the rights to the books and was planning to star in a movie version - he settled for playing Steerpike in an adaptation from 1984.

It's perhaps best that this ended up as a TV drama: The plot and scale of the original material is far too dense to do justice in a two hour movie.

The casting is excellent, the special effects are fine and direction by Andy Wilson is assured.

Well worth a look.

to a fan and repeat reader of the books, this was a very disappointing production. it really had none of the atmosphere, depth of characters, sense of age, menace or drama of the books. instead it was bright and comical, clumsy and light-weight - really inappropriate and even amateurish. the cast had incredible potential, but they were given nothing to work with.

i only hope that peter jackson might take this on one day and do these books the justice they deserve.

to a die-hard Gormenghast fan, i'd say see it by all means, but be prepared for a pretty big let-down!!