Labyrinth

Oh dear. How sad. Never mind. Great book. Rubbish film. That just about sums it up for me. Having enjoyed the book so much I was really looking forward to this when I stumbled upon it in the Weekend TV Supplement, but where was the pre-publicity or trailers? Maybe the TV execs knew they had a turkey on their hands when they scheduled it on two consecutive nights over a long weekend when they knew that half the nation would be on holiday. It wasn't all bad - the screenplay was pretty close to the book, which is good, but at nearly 700 pages it is a big ask, and it has to be down to the screenwriter and director to put the story across in an accessible way, and on this occasion I think they have fallen short. The locations, lavish sets, costumes, and the star cast, were all great however. But something was lacking. I wish I could put my finger on it.It was all a bit clichéd. I know the body count was pretty high but there were far too many death-bed scenes when profound words are exchanged just before they croak and the eyes go north. I rarely criticise actors because they can only work with the material they are given but it would help if they could articulate a little more clearly. Without the help of subtitles (and having read the book) I would probably not have had a clue what was going on. Poor Jessica Findlay-Brown has an unfortunate speech defect that when she speaks quietly she breaks into a whisper every other syllable. Very distracting. And central casting please note - Tom Felton, fine actor though he is, does not have the physical presence or vocal gravitas to carry off the part of a warrior leader. And why was it necessary to cast Will as an American? This is a European story about European culture with European settings and characters. No need for a token American. This film will bomb in America anyway with their bite-size attention span. Can you imagine this complex storyline on American TV with adverts every five minutes? The audience will quickly lose the plot if not the will to live! Oh dear. How sad. Never mind. There, I've said it again.

Somber. Poignant. Thought Provoking. I was thinking about the film and its implications long after it was over. It echoes so many repeated events in history of committing acts of violence, all in the name of religion. The crusading party proclaiming itself morally correct and never guilty. To be honest, I never knew about the Cathars and their fate until I watched this miniseries. It really got me interested in learning more about them.

So much criticism from other people and low ratings because the feature was dark and portrayed a harsh reality of a very dark aspect of Christianity. I felt compelled to chime in with the minority of viewers who liked this feature. The film neither revels nor vilifies the darkness and violence of the antagonists. Instead it gives a realistic portrayal of historical events as much as we can know them. This is especially true during the Medieval ages. It was a time rife with examples of religions committing heinous and cruel acts of violence against "non-believers", all in the name of God and Christianity. There are plenty of examples from history where many were converted to Christianity under duress through acts of violence, at a sword point, hanging, beheading, etc. The film takes great care not to go overboard with either the victims or villains portrayal and paints a very haunting picture of medieval France and the Crusades and the Cathar massacres.

The acting was very good across the board for the Medieval portion of the story (with some minor exceptions). Tom Felton as Viscount Trencavel delivered an especially passionate and spirited performance as a noble and charismatic leader of Carcassonne. Jessica Brown Findlay as medieval Alaïs Pelletier du Mas and Emun Elliott as her husband, Guilhem Du Mas brought a very evocative performance as well, making the ending of the story that much more powerful and tragic.

The beautiful soundtrack, scenery and landscapes, believable settings, good costuming along with strong performances all contributed to an engrossing story. Though occasionally slow, the thick as tar tension, atmosphere and believable acting keep the story moving forward and viewers invested in the events and characters.

Perhaps my only one but big complaint was the back and forth switching between medieval and modern times. It was distracting at times, and I did not feel the 2012 events connected well with the past. Some plot points felt contrite and forced to fit the events of 1209 Carcassonne. The whole modern time arch felt just thrown together, not nearly as interesting, and realistic as the past. As if instinctively sensing that the 2012 events really didn't belong in the series, the scriptwriter's and actors' performances and the characters' stories were uninspiring and not nearly as compelling and believable. The modern part of the story did not connect well with the medieval part and was too disjointed to be its own separate story. I just found it too hard to care for its characters. I wish they had focused exclusively on Cathars of medieval Carcassonne. It was a fascinating story, albeit a tragic one, that deserves more coverage.

If you have an interest in history in general or consider yourself a history savant, then grab a cup of soothing chamomile tea and watch the miniseries. I am giving this film a high rating solely based on the strength of the medieval story.

I watched this while on holiday and was quite literally blown away.

I knew a little about the book (i'd read half of it on holiday before accidentally leaving it in hotel room) and what I'd remembered seemed almost identical to what was realised in the film.

The story flicks back and forth between Alice in the modern (played by the excellent Vanessa Kirby) and Alais her medieval counterpoint (played by Jessica Brown Findlay- Lady Cybil from Downton Abbey.

The subject matter (the quest for the Holy Grail) could easily have been silly but somehow everything feels very convincing and real. It is a little violent at times but it was a violent period so I suppose it had to be.

There are a lot of characters in the story so there's a lot to take in in episode one but it all builds up to an amazing battle that looks like it was made for cinema instead of TV.

Overall amazing TV that really took me by surprise. Now I want to read book again.

First of all, I think the story on Cathars is a brilliant topic for film - barely touched in films. I'm disappointed that not everything was filmed in location (Southern Africa? Why? Languedoc and around wasn't good enough?). The other thing, but it's a personal thing, the archaeological excavations were rubbish - nobody digs like that! (but I'm an archaeologist, so it's my thing). I didn't really enjoy the modern part of the story because of acting - actors and actresses were very stiff and unnatural. It looks like the modern story was directed and filmed by somebody else, but the Medieval part was much better in execution. I give 9 for the Medieval part and 3 for modern part, so it's 6 in general. My opinion is based on the first episode.

A TV miniseries adaptation of the Kate Mosse novel LABYRINTH. I made a point of reading the book before watching this, and I found out that I didn't think very much of it at all. The miniseries would be an improvement, right? Well, it is, but it's certainly not a "great" piece of entertainment, saddled as it is with various flaws and contradictions.

The good news is that although it follows the same basic plotting as the novel, pretty much every scene and sequence is changed slightly, enhanced to be more entertaining for TV audiences. Thus it's also a lot more explicit, with some bloodshed and nudity thrown in for adult viewers.

It's better than the book because it doesn't drag so much, preferring to get on with the narrative instead of throwing in the three-pages of travelogue stuff that lets Mosse's writing down. The enhanced levels of violence make this hard-hitting in places, but the calibre of the acting is a disappointment. Some of the established supporting actors are okay - John Hurt, Tom Curran, even Tom Felton in a Orlando-Bloom-in-Kingdom-of-Heaven type role, but the leads are weak, particularly Vanessa Kirby. Who ever thought she'd be experienced enough to carry the central role?

There are still problems with the story, namely the sub-DA VINCI CODE antics of the modern-day tale (which could have been removed completely), although the historical stuff is more interesting. Some of the direction is also a little cheesy, especially when it descends into sub-Shakespeare melodrama at the climax. Still, I suspect those unfamiliar with the story will enjoy it more than I did...