Review of Gormenghast

First and Foremost, let me note that I have not read the books that this movie is based on. I point this out so that you will know I am not reviewing it as an adaptation of a book but as a movie in and of its own right. I would like to further add on this point that anyone who has read the books and feels that the movie did a terrible job on the adaptation has a right to their opinion (which for all I know is correct), but I would beg them to consider this: Even if this movie ripped out the soul of the books and pasted the still bleeding carcass onto film (as I feel both the screen adaptations of Dune did [sorry I know that was a biased non-objective credibility destroying rant, but I had to do it]), it at least did two things well. One, it entertained me, and two, it gave at least one person (me again) , who might otherwise have never heard of them, an interest in the books. Now. On to some basic background info on what I am talking about for those of you who have never heard of Gormenghast.

This film that I am discussing here is a BBC mini-series based on a the first two books in the Gormenghast trilogy, by Mervyn Peake. It is set in a enormous castle ruled by traditions, laws, and precedents that are as carved into stone as the castle itself. Every moment of every day has been mapped out for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years. The daily rituals never change, never alter. Year in and year out events in Gormenghast remain constant. But the castle is decaying. Its ruling family, the Groans, seem also to be tiring of the ritual.

It is this ruling family that is at the center of the plot line. The opening scene is the birth of the latest heir to the title of Earl of Gormenghast, Titus Groan. We then see the birth being announced to the rest of the castle. These first few moments clearly establish important facts such as the strict rule of tradition and the present Earl’s boredom with it. Indeed, in my opinion, the first breakfast scene, which consists of the Master Secretary reading the days schedule from a massive and ancient book to an extremely bored looking Earl, is one of the best in the film.

After being introduced to the entire Groan family, we then become acquainted with the film’s villain, Steerpike. He is a lowly kitchen boy who hates his life and will do anything to escape it and gain power for himself. His ruthless ambition is bolstered by massive amounts of intelligence and charisma, but he is in no means a flat character who is evil for evil’s sake. Indeed, he is my favorite character in the film. He is both complex and sympathetic. To me, a good villain is the just as important as a good hero.

Steerpike’s struggle to overthrow the rule of the Groans and gain power for himself is at the core of the next four hours of film, but is (thankfully) not the entirety of the action and plot. Many of the subplots and minor episodes spring directly from this struggle, but some such as the Irma Prunesquallor’s desire for a husband and the hatred between Flay, the Earl’s manservant, and Swelter, the chef, have little if nothing at all to do with the main plot line. The film takes its time and feels no need to rush. It allows subtle plots and schemes to develop over time. It dwells lovingly on its character’s and how they interact with each other. In doing so, it manages to mix humor into the drama without upsetting the viewer’s sense of propriety with obvious gratuitous comic relief.

I generally try to avoid rattling on too much about the plot, so as not to ruin it for others, but I feel that there is one major sub-plot that should be addressed. This plot is an on-going love affair between Steerpike and Lady Fuchsia, Titus’ older sister. Fuchsia is a member of the ruling family but being a women has no role in it. As a result, she spends her days daydreaming and reading about fantastic romances and adventures. When Steerpike first escapes the kitchens he preys upon her dreams in order to promote himself, indeed throughout the film he manipulates her at every turn (with the possible exception of two scenes at the end). Yet, through all his machinations he truly does love her, he just cannot express it in a normal way. Fuchsia, has a similar problem, she loves Steerpike but cannot accept him because he is not the Knight in Shiny Armour she has dreamed of her whole life. It has all the elements of the sort of tortured romance I am fond of (“Cyrano de Bergerac” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” being two other examples of GOOD twisted love stories) complete with a suitably realistic ending. This, to me, is what a love story should be.

If the movie has one major flaw, it is pace. There were occasional moments when I felt the plot to be dragging. Never bad enough that I was truly bored, just enough that I felt anxious. I will admit that this might just be my own personal bias. For, in truth, any four hour film makes me anxious. I never watch a miniseries as it is broadcast. I always tape them and watch them at my leisure to avoid just this problem. So I will mention this flaw and leave it to you, gentle reader, to decide.

One other, less major, flaw that should be mentioned is Titus. Titus is an understandable and somewhat likable character, but as a hero I have a few problems with him. He feels unloved and imprisoned by the rules of Gormenghast, which I can understand. He doesn’t care about Gormenghast and doesn’t want to be Earl, which I can also understand. Yet this gives rise (in me at least) to the feeling “If Titus doesn’t want the power, why not let Steerpike have it?” Also there were several times in the movie when I wanted to smack Titus and tell him to act like a man. After all, even you don’t care about your duty to the castle you shouldn’t let anyone treat your family like that. Titus comes through in the end though and I really liked him by the movie’s closing scene.

Visually, however, this movie leaves nothing to be desired. I am not talking about special effects here. Unlike some recent American miniseries I can think of, Gormenghast doesn’t get lost in fancy computer generated special effects sequences or other sundries. Rather it creates a rich, beautiful, and (most importantly in my opinion) consistent atmosphere through brilliant set and costume design. The way character’s dress changes over time to reflect changes in the character or their station. The actors are cosmetically aged as time progresses in the story. (All but Titus, who is played by three different actors due to his age changes being so drastic. He changes from a baby, to a 12 year old, to a 17 year old. I’d like to see you do that with make-up.) That is not to say that their are not the occasional moments of special effect, but they are used to further the realism of the setting rather than to show off how much money was spent in production.

The majority of the actors in the film will be most likely be unfamiliar to American viewers, but they all do a wonderful job at bringing their characters to life. The two most famous actors are Christopher Lee of Dracula fame (who is cast as Saruman in the upcoming LoTR movies much to my delight) and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (who is not to be confused with Jonathan Rhys-Davies who is cast as Gimli in the upcoming LoTR movies) from “Velvet Goldmine” and “Titus.” Lee plays the loyal, if somewhat mono-syllabic, servant of the Earls, Mr. Flay. While Rhys-Meyers plays none other than the coniving Steerpike. Although you may not have heard of the rest (with the exception of Stephen Fry who we should all remember as Lord Melchett from “Blackadder”) the entire cast is excellent. Of particular interest to some may be the chef, Swelter, and the Doctor’s sister Irma. They are respectively played by Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw, who will play, respectively, Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley in the forthcoming Harry Potter movie.

Now that I’ve extolled the manifold virtues of this film, where can you find it? That could be something of a problem. I saw it on my local PBS station. If you get PBS, I would recommend finding the listing for your station on http://www.pgb.org and checking for Gormenghast. If you live somewhere devoid of PBS you have my deepest and sincerest sympathy. It is possible to order both the VHS and the DVD of the mini-series on http://www.amazon.com, but they haven’t been released yet and I don’t know if many of you want to pay 30 some odd dollars for a movie you haven’t seen. The books on the other hand should be very easy to find. I found a copy of the new omnibus edition (containing all three novels) at every one of my local bookstores. I was also able to find several copies of the third one at my local used bookstore (which means you should be able to find all three of them a decent used bookstore as mine sucks).

Finally, I will address the question that has probably been burning in your mind since you started reading this review: “What the heck does this have to do with role-playing?” A valid question since it is posted on a RPG based site. First and foremost I feel that anything can serve as inspiration and source material for RPGs, this movie especially. If you want a crash course in how to design a wonderful villain or are looking to steal some neat characters for your private campaign, look no farther. Second and secondmost, I am a review junkie. I love reading them. I love writing them. Since I went through the trouble to write this thing, I decided to see if someone would post it.

For more information on the Gormenghast series visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/gormenghast/home.htm