The Crimson Petal and the White

After the first time I watched this magnificent period drama, I was totally hooked. I have since watched it 2 more times (in a row), I found it so compelling. The sets, costumes, everything about this is the epitome of classic Vitorian life. I closely formed a bond with Sugar, and felt for the way William treated her. It's a classic of good overcoming bad. I adored it and cannot wait for the DVD! The change made by Sugars love and affection for poor little Sophie was commendable, and the mental illness suffered by Agnes, was so believable as she slowly went out of her mind, and the gentleness shown by Sugar with her was heartfelt. The cast, directer, set producer, period costumer are all at their very best!

I have to admit, one of the only reasons I watched this is because I'm a huge fan of Romola Garai, but after the first episode I was completely hooked. It's well worth watching even if you don't care at all for any of the actors because everything about it is superb.

The Crimson Petal and the White is based on a neo-Victorian novel by the stupendous writer Michel Faber. The wonderful thing about neo-Victorian works is that they can revisit the Victorian age without being constrained by all the things that the Victorians liked to keep under wraps, like frank sexual talk. This comes in handy in The Crimson Petal and the White which is focused a great deal on sex and sexuality.

The main character is Sugar (Romola Garai, fantastic as always), a prostitute who has been working in the trade since she hit puberty (or maybe even before). Sugar has a deep distaste for men (she's working on a fantasy novel in which she tortures, maims, and kills her clients), but is well renowned because of her willingness to do anything (sexually speaking). She attracts the attention of William Rackham (Chris O'Dowd), a bumbling entrepreneur trapped in an unhappy marriage who is actually attracted to Sugar's mind as well as her body as she is self-educated and extremely literate and they both are well read. The more time Sugar and Rackham spend together the more they become obsessed with one another which leads to Sugar becoming more involved in Rackham's business and Rackham becoming concerned with keeping Sugar to himself.

There is a lot more to the plot than that, but it's a wonderful tale. The aspects of Sugar and Rackham's personalities are set down early, and as the story unfolds we see these aspects play out. Sugar, who is tough minded and hard, is also incredibly smart, has the capacity to grow and change and also to love. Rackham is weak and selfish and these aspects are exposed as he faces difficult decision after difficult decision.

The cast is excellent (special shoutout here to Chris O'Down whom I had previously only seen acting in comedies. He handles the darker material with ease putting to rest that lie about comedians not being able to handle anything but comedy). Beautifully shot and excellent costumes as you would expect from a BBC drama.

Loved it. Exactly what I want in a movie. I had read the book first and was not disappointed with the movie as is sometimes the case. I've re-read the book and re-watched the movie many times. Bravo!

... a production uneven through four parts... the acting overall is fairly consistently good, it's the very thinly written story that is the weak element... the first couple parts are decent, then attempting to stretch things out for another two episodes the cracks show, as there's just not enough material to get four segments out of it... suffice saying, a good two hour movie would have been exceptionally better

... believability's suspect, there's just lots here that isn't... starting with Garai's character Sugar, just not making a lot of sense... a good hearted hooker looking like she does, never being 'discovered' very unlikely, and the ending with her and the child is just absurd, as well as the wife just-walking-off

... Garai really deserving another better-longer series like 'The Hour' (still her best TV work)... TCPATW not showcasing her abilities in best light.

I love a good period drama, and The Crimson Petal and the White is exactly that. The book is a masterpiece, full of rich, memorable characters and a very interesting story line that draws you in from the word go, and this series lives up to it very, very well. Not only as an adaptation, but on its own terms, and it is addictive and easy to get into. I am not going to say which is better, the book or the series, I love them both equally.

Where The Crimson Petal and the White scores especially is in its setting and how it looks. The whole series is beautifully photographed, and the scenery and costumes are astounding. Not only that, the lighting and colours look so rich and vibrant in colour. The Crimson Petal and the White also succeeds in conveying a major asset that most period dramas have but some just lack, atmosphere. The atmosphere is so strong and authentic often that you don't feel you're watching a series, you feel as though you are being transported in time and reliving that moment for yourself.

I am also fond of good music in pretty much anything, being an aspiring singer and growing up into a musical family. The music for The Crimson Petal and the White is exquisite. Sometimes it is beautiful. Sometimes it is poignant. And sometimes it is haunting and intense when it needs to be. All these fit wonderfully with every scene, and are thankfully done in a subtle way in alternative to being done in an over-bearing and overly bombastic manner.

There is also a lot of depth in this series. Not that the book didn't, quite the contrary, but here the characters especially have the richness and perhaps even complexity of those in a Dickens dramatisation, in particular Amanda Hale's character. In fact for me, characterisation wise, The Crimson Petal and the White is the most in-depth series I have seen in the past year or so.

The Crimson Petal and the White benefits from really strong writing. It is very intelligent and literate with a dark quality to it too and never jars from the scene it appears in or in the characters it helps shape. The story helped by the atmosphere is hugely compelling, with subplots and the like developed very nicely without feeling too underdeveloped or padded out. The length and pacing should be credited, The Crimson Petal and the White considering how mammoth the book is, doesn't feel to me like it was too short, too rushed, too long or too meandering, instead it is perfect.

The direction also helps, it is very stylish and elegant, very like the camera work and settings for the series. The acting is superb, my favourite being Amanda Hale who gives real credibility to her increasingly tormented character instead of making her fall in caricature. Gillian Anderson is almost unrecognisable and is very good, she always is very good, but the thing about Anderson is that the more I see of her the more she impresses me. And this is pretty much the same with Romola Garai, I liked her very much in Atonement and Emma but I loved her here as she plays for my money her most interesting character to date. The biggest surprise though, and in a good way, is Chris O'Dowd, when I think of O'Dowd his style of acting(cheeky and spontaneous boyish charm) is very different to what is seen here, and overall he does do a really good job.

Overall, an amazing series. 10/10 Bethany Cox