"Gormenghast" (2000)TV mini-series

Director:

Andy Wilson

Writers:

Mervyn Peake (novels)
Malcolm McKay (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 June 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

77 generations built the kingdom of Gormenghast... Will one kitchen boy bring it down?

Plot:

A villain threatens the rise of a new earl in an ancient kingdom.

Plot Keywords:

Art | Epic | Steampunk | Surreal | Ambition

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Celia Imrie	...	Lady Gertrude
John Sessions	...	Dr. Prunesquallor
Warren Mitchell	...	Barquentine
George Yiasoumi	...	Bookman
Ian Richardson	...	Lord Groan
Neve McIntosh	...	Lady Fuchsia
June Brown	...	Nannie Slagg
Christopher Lee	...	Flay
Richard Griffiths	...	Swelter
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Steerpike
Zoë Wanamaker	...	Clarice Groan
Lynsey Baxter	...	Cora Groan
Fiona Shaw	...	Irma Prunesquallor
Olga Sosnovska	...	Keda
Eric Sykes	...	Mollocks

Runtime:

232 min (4 parts)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The miniatures of Gormenghast Castle were made by the same department that made the futuristic Hyde Park "Xanadu" Hotel Tower for Dennis Potter's last TV series "Cold Lazarus".

Quotes:

Lord Groan: [despairingly] Gormenghast!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Goodbye 2000 (2000) (TV)

Real World - Gormenghast

I've read Mervyn Peake's books over and over again. To me, the story of Titus Groan, 77'th earl of Gormenghast, is one that can actually compete with Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings".

So what do I think about the mini series? Well, obviously no one would dare do what Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema did with the aforementioned movie, so I guess a four part mini series was the next best thing. (Although I would have loved to see this in a cinema!) Good actors and an excitingly stylistic production makes this a worthwhile four hours. Some has been left out, of course, but there's still plenty of material left to build the characters of the story.

This is not a fantasy movie. It has no or few classic fantasy elements at all in it. I would rather see it as a fantastic movie, where the laws of the "normal" world aren't broken - just a little bent out of shape...

Gormenghast will provide a glimpse into our own world, and even though it's not always pretty, it's always done in beautiful colors.