Directed by:
Toby HaynesScreenplay:
Peter HarnessComposer:
Benoît CharestCast:
Eddie Marsan, Bertie Carvel, Marc Warren, Charlotte Riley, Ariyon Bakare, Alice Englert, Peter Bowles, Enzo Cilenti, Jason Deline, Richard Durden, Paul Kaye (more)Episodes(7)
Plots(1)
The year is 1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon, and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation’s past. But scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains: the reclusive Mr. Norrell, whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country. Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange. Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. So begins a dangerous battle between the two great men. Their obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts will cause more trouble than they can imagine. (Acorn Media UK)
(more)Reviews (2)
As if the "Victorian Dickens spirit", complex, refined in terms of style and packed with different aspects, and through and through purely British (non) fantasy original was also reflected in the BBC's respectful approach to capturing this material. With this being said, it is rather an illustration of the original than its adaptation. However, it must be acknowledged that it is a beautiful and detailed illustration that accurately captures the original (in terms of atmosphere, cast, slow pace and processing), which is definitely not so common. Wait a minute… it is for BBC actually.
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The BBC made me really happy again. I haven't read the book (but I’m going to), so I couldn't compare the result to its source, but I'm absolutely thrilled by what I saw. The story is obviously based on stories from old England, very different from the J.R.R. Tolkien's world. The elves are glorious in both, but here they are extremely dangerous and sneaky, which is fine by me because I like Terry Pratchett and Andrzej Sapkowski better. Marc Warren was an excellent choice for the role of the Elf King, as he was extremely convincing, just like Eddie Marsan as Mr. Norrell. For some reason I was apprehensive about this series, but I got hooked from the very first episode and I really enjoyed it.
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