Gormenghast
77 generations built the kingdom of Gormenghast...Will one kitchen boy bring it down?
The glorious castle of Gormenghast is home to the ancient family of Groan, where nothing has changed in thousands of years. The dynasty is threatened by the charming and evil kitchen-boy, Steerpike. With the birth of a new heir, Titus Groan, Steerpike begins his ruthless ascent to power.
As he charms, outwits and terrorizes the castle's inhabitants, only Titus, the young, timid Earl of Groan, stands in Steerpike's way. Who will triumph? And can Gormenghast survive?
Member Reviews
Too Bad - BIKO
A work of unique imagination, Gormenghast has been a sort of cult classic for decades- and is brought to the screen equally imaginatively-in that all the stops have been pulled to make this a Gothic visual marvel. Reminiscent of the over-the-top Terry Gilliam.Lovers of elaborate fantasy should be in heaven here.The problem- and in a way it's too bad- is the book lingers forever while the movie for me is a kind of overly-sweet candy, best forgotten quickly. Always happy to see Christopher Lee- I never thought I'd say even he was over-acting!! But he fit right in to an over-blown and ultimately empty film, in my opinion.This does not deserve a star - Gaucho
Ever see a movie that reduced the joy of reading a novel? This almost did.
In reading Peake's novels, I felt like I had wandered into a great room inside of a baroque palace. The colors were alive, the designs popped, and my senses, at times, were overwhelmed. Then I saw the movie. And it was as if someone shut all of the windows, blocking out the sun and brilliance to the great room.
This BBC mini-series, hoping to capitolize on the LOTR craze, follows the books with a "Color by Numbers" sincerity and contains all of the action out of the books. But it misses the heart. It missed the strange tension of the book, the horror and humor that co-existed and clashed upon the pages. The fellow playing Steerpike was awful (although he has done well in other things since) and the action stumbled along to a "kind of" conclusion.
Do yourself a favor, read the book.Wonderful - InpraiseofFolly
This series spells out quality. The costumes, the settings, everything is so beautiful in a very eerie, dilapidated sort of way. The characters are quirky and delightful, but it is Steerpike (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) who truly shines here. He is perhaps the most intriguing and cunning villain I have seen in a long time. You are meant to dislike him, but every ruse he uses to further his gains is so well-crafted and carefully planned that it is difficult not to develop a certain respect for the man.The last few episodes start to drag a little, but all in all I think this is a worthwhile rent.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Too Bad - BIKO
A work of unique imagination, Gormenghast has been a sort of cult classic for decades- and is brought to the screen equally imaginatively-in that all the stops have been pulled to make this a Gothic visual marvel. Reminiscent of the over-the-top Terry Gilliam.Lovers ...This does not deserve a star - Gaucho
Ever see a movie that reduced the joy of reading a novel? This almost did.
In reading Peake's novels, I felt like I had wandered into a great room inside of a baroque palace. The colors were alive, the designs popped, and my senses, at times, were overwhelmed. ...Wonderful - InpraiseofFolly
This series spells out quality. The costumes, the settings, everything is so beautiful in a very eerie, dilapidated sort of way. The characters are quirky and delightful, but it is Steerpike (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) who truly shines here. He is perhaps the ...