Gormenghast [M]

The castle of Gormenghast is home to the ancient family of Groan, where nothing has changed and ancient duty has remained for thousands of years. But now the dynasty is threatened by the charming and sinister kitchen servant, Steerpike. With the birth of a new heir, Titus Groan, Steerpike begins his ruthless ascent to power. As he charms, outwits, and terrorises the castle’s inhabitants, only Titus stands in his way. Can the rituals and traditions of Gormenghast survive? 

Based on two of the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake comes this wonderful miniseries comprised of four episodes and positively packed to bursting with suspense, drama, sinister plots, madness, knockout performances, and familiar faces. 

The castle of Gormanghast has stood for thousands of years and is home to the ancient family of Groan. Throughout its time, nothing has changed and duty, tradition, and loyalty have always been the stones that keep the castle standing. Deep in the bowels of the castle’s kitchen dwells a charming and sinister servant who dreams of escaping the kitchens and rising to power. With the birth of a new heir, Titus Groan, the dynasty is threatened as the wicked kitchen-boy, Steerpike, escapes the kitchens and begins his ruthless ascent to power. As he charms, outwits, and terrorises the castle’s inhabitants, Titus is the only person who stands in his way. Who will triumph? And will the ancient traditions of Gormenghast survive? 

When this came into work, I was instantly intrigued by it, mainly because it had an absolutely stellar cast. Upon mentioning it to my dad, he said that it was actually based on a trilogy of books, that he himself owned, and so I read the books hungrily before renting out the series. When I finally finished the books and sat down to watch the series, I was in two minds about the whole thing. 

There is really only one thing that really annoyed me with this series and that was the setting. The Gormenghast that I read about in the books was gloomy and overcast, sinister and gothic. And the Gormenghast that I saw in the series was bright and visually quite beautiful. Um, wrong wrong wrong. 

But the performances make up for the mistake of the picturesque setting. As much as I would love to rave about each individual performance, I cannot, for I’d be here for hours. So I’ll just make mention of the one performance that completely eclipsed all the others: that of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Playing the sinister and charming kitchen-boy Steerpike, his was absolutely phenomenal. At times he was nothing short of completely manic, he had deadly timing, grandiose gestures, and was both seductive and manipulative throughout the entire piece. You cannot take your eyes off him from start to finish. He positively steals every scene he is in. 

Starring Lynsey Baxter, June Brown, Stephen Fry, Richard Griffiths, Celia Irmie, Christopher Lee, Neve McIntosh, Warren Mitchell, Ian Richardson, Andrew N. Robertson, John Sessions, Fiona Shaw, Zoe Wanamaker, Martin Clunes, Phil Cornwell. Windsour Davies, James Dreyfuss, Gregor Fisher, Sean Hughes, Spike Milligan, Steve Pemerton, Cameron Powrie, Eric Sykes, and Mark Williams, Gormenghast is an enthralling miniseries filled with delightful and eccentric characters (which are more like caricatures), sinister plots, conspiracy, rebellion, and murder.  It’s an absolute visual treat from start to finish.