Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - BBC TV series

[Caledfwlch]

The Faeri chap, it's not so much that what he is saying is unintelligable, its that they have put some sort of weird echo effect over it, presumably to make him seem "other wordly"

 

[Ursa major]

I blame the whistlethistledown hair....

 

[Caledfwlch]

One thing I am confused about - am i correct that England is the only place to have Magic even in the past?

And was it just England or Britain in general, so there were welsh, irish and scots sorcerers?
It just occurs to me, if France for example had magic, then surely it would have defeated england long ago, once it was no longer defended by magic.

 

[Ursa major]

No other countries seem to be mentioned in the TV programme, and I can't recall what the position was in the book (though I think it was just England again). This probably has something to do with John Uskglass (the Raven King) and his use of faerie magic. Perhaps -- and this is just speculation on my part -- save for Uskglass's efforts in (northern?) England, the use of faerie magic is confined to Faeries and they generally leave the human world alone. (The King's Roads possibly have something to do with this: it's only where** they exist, i.e. England, where the human and other worlds can influence each other.)


** - Save for when magicians move, say, to Iberia, when they take the magic with them.

 

[hardsciencefanagain]

AARGH
checked my recorder
Episode three is missing

 

[clovis-man]

Got the DVR set to record the series here in the U.S. I've avoided reading this doorstop of a book for some time. Will I be forced to relent after watching the filmed version??

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It's finally showing in the US. I just watched the first episode for the second time.

It seems to me to be shaping up well. Many of the characters are not at all as I envisioned them! I didn't care for the man with the thistledown hair (I think they were trying a little too hard to make him look like a fairy, whereas I always envisioned him as looking more human but just a bit . . . not). Childermass is not at all as I thought he would be, but he's suitably mysterious and just a little sinister, so no complaints there.

My husband, who's never read the book, had some trouble following the story and the motivations of the character. So I guess there are flaws in the script. But since I did read the book it all made perfect sense to me. At the same time, it's been so long since I read the book, I don't remember everything, so there is still the pleasure of the occasional surprise (like the card reading scene).

 

[HareBrain]

Many of the characters are not at all as I envisioned them! I didn't care for the man with the thistledown hair (I think they were trying a little too hard to make him look like a fairy, whereas I always envisioned him as looking more human but just a bit . . . not).

He looks a bit less obviously faery (I think) in future episodes, especially in his costume. I agree he wasn't like I pictured him from the book (or as he was illustrated), but now that he's eclipsed that earlier image I think he's extremely well done.

 

[hardsciencefanagain]

Watched part of episode II.
I haven't read the book,so i am judging this adaptation solely on its merits.

I think the beeb has done a fantastic job.
the sets,the actors,the whole mood.
Once more,a quality series from the BBC.
Belgian television is rerunning LUTHER.Yet another great series,edge of your seat stuff
Idris Elba is fantastic in it.
*fondly remembers RED DWARF*

 

[HareBrain]

Episode 5 was shown in the UK on Sunday, and after what I thought was a bit of a lull**, it's picking up again now very nicely, and a character we've seen too little off has reappeared. I'm happy I've forgotten so much of the books, as it makes it seem all new again.

** So to anyone who thinks it gets a bit repetitive or bogged down in ep3/4 -- and it never did to any great extent, in my opinion -- my advice would be to stick with it.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

the sets,the actors,the whole mood.

Of course it's early days for me, since I've only seen the first episode, but so far I very much agree.

One thing I like is that the sets don't look like sets. The interiors look like people really live in them. And I like that the clothes, even the finest, look like they have been worn before. Nevertheless, I think I might like to see a little more starch in the neckcloths of the gentlemen and some better-fitting trousers (most of them seem a little loose and droopy), but maybe I wouldn't. Maybe the intention in making the clothing look a little careless and tired is to show that society has gone to seed along with the loss of magic. If that was the intention I suppose

Spoiler

I shouldn't expect to see any of that change by the end because if the story follows the book there still won't be a great revival of magic where all the theoretical magicians start practicing magic.

But now that I'm considering that might be something they are trying to convey, I think I'll start looking for it elsewhere.

Vinculus troubled me because he looked so familiar (not in the same way as an actor I have seen many times before, like Samuel West, but in a way closer to real life, despite the fact that he's so bizarre) until I remembered that I had actually met men who looked and acted very much like him (he's a little exaggerated but not much) in the days I was working at Renaissance Faires and visiting bookshops in Berkeley. There was always at least one guy who looked that scraggly and dirty, and who seemed to think that acting bizarre was the same thing as acting mystical (although drugs were probably a factor, too). I'd bet that the costume designers, the casting director, and the director all were thinking, "Yeah, Vinculus, he'd be like a total hippy!" Yet I don't doubt that some of the street magicians of the early 19th century were much the same. Some things never change.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Just watched the second episode. If I hadn't read the book, I think I would be very confused right about now.

 

[clovis-man]

Just watched the second episode. If I hadn't read the book, I think I would be very confused right about now.

I've watched the first episode and have both the first and the second set aside on my DVR. Not having read the book, the first episode seemed a little blurry. I'll be waiting for (1) my ordered copy of the book to arrive and (2) the time that I return from a couple of weeks on vacation to possibly binge-watch and/or read.

 

[Remedy]

I've been watching this without having read the book. I've been left a little confused at times, so I'm hoping everything will be cleared up in the last part that I'll watch later.

After reading the premise, I actually hoped for more from this series. Is it much better in the book?

The special effects have been quite impressive for a BBC production.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Is it much better in the book?

It's purely a matter of taste, I think.

A lot of people find the pace of the book very slow, and the style (which is a convincing imitation of something a 19th century writer might have written) strikes many as ponderous. But for others the style is part of what makes the book so delightful. In the book there is more subtlety in the characterization, and though some things are purposely left mysterious, it is a great deal easier to keep track of what is happening and why.

For myself, I am finding the book and the dramatization complimentary. Because I read the book (even though it was a long time ago and I don't remember as much as I might like) many things that probably would have been confusing aren't, and I have that greater understanding of the characters to draw on. With all that, watching it brought to life visually is a treat. I watched the third episode yesterday and was particularly caught up in JS's part of the story. As Bertie Carvel plays the role, Jonathan strikes me as more likable than in the book. Mr Norrell, on the other hand, is exactly as he was in the book.

Without having read the book, I probably would not have liked it so well. On the other hand, I am a bit of a push-over when it comes to that period if it is portrayed well, as in this case it is.

(I rather suspect that none of this is a really useful answer.)

 

[HareBrain]

Because I read the book (even though it was a long time ago and I don't remember as much as I might like) many things that probably would have been confusing aren't,

The writer of an article in a UK online TV magazine said the same (as I would have done myself), but almost all the comments came from viewers who hadn't read the book and found it easy enough to follow. I think the only thing the book really helps with is familiarity with the idea of the Raven King, who is left so vague as to possibly leave viewers wondering if they've missed something.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

the Raven King, who is left so vague as to possibly leave viewers wondering if they've missed something.

That's a good point. If I remember correctly, in the book most of the information about the Raven King is given in the footnotes, which naturally play no part in the dramatization.

 

[Ursa major]

Because I read the book (even though it was a long time ago and I don't remember as much as I might like) many things that probably would have been confusing aren't, and I have that greater understanding of the characters to draw on.

I think I'm in the same boat, although I obviously can't say whether I'd have found it confusing if I'd never read the book.

But in any case, I thought the series was wonderful.

 

[Idoru]

I really enjoyed it. I read the book ages ago and can't remember much, but as others have said here I think it did help inform my understanding. I thought it an excellently well made series that was exceptionally well acted, especially by the two leads.

I wonder if the ending has left it open for a second series, with Strange and Norrell finding their way home?

 

[Jesse412]

Just finished watching this and was really impressed by the production value. I'm not big into fantasy and magic but I absolutely loved this. There are some exceptional performances throughout especially the leads Bertie Carvel and Eddie Marsan as the title characters. Marc Warren also gives an excellent and creepy performance as The Gentleman. I really hope we get more.