Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell [Blu-ray] On Sale

Title : Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell [Blu-ray]
Category: TV
Brand: BBC Home Entertainment
Item Page Download URL : Download MOVIE File
Rating : 4.8
Buyer Review : 10

Description :

Based on Susanna Clarke s award-winning novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell reveals mysterious secrets and scandalous thrills between the two men destined to be England s greatest magicians. Spend some time with this diabolical duo in the fantasy story adored by fans and critics alike. Featuring Tony Award-nominee Bertie Carvel (Matilda the Musical) as Jonathan Strange and Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes) as his arch-rival magician Mr. Norrell, the clash between these two British magicians is about to become a dangerous duel of the dark arts where, in the midst of the Napoleonic wars, the real battle is between their oversized egos.


Review :
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a triumph in its transfer to the screen
Having watched the high-definition version of the long-awaited seven part serialization of the Susanna Clarke novel about the return of magic to Napoleonic-era England after a 300 year long absence, it is gratifying to say that the series more than does the book justice. Those of us who loved the novel were somewhat worried that no single film could approach its richness of characterization and period detail, and certainly no two or three hour film could. But a seven part serialization with production values as high as any I've ever seen, a recreation of the era that is so lovingly detailed you would think that you were watching a documentary rather than a drama, and acting so spot-on that the characters seem to have literally leapt off the page and on to the screen, give this series all of the life that made the novel so remarkable. Not since the 1995 Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice has there been a small-screen version of a celebrated novel as brilliant as this one...
Magic is returned to England...and television.

I have not loved a TV show as thoroughly and completely without complaint since Firefly. An absolutely astounding bit of entertainment in its own right, it also has the distinction of being one of the purest adaptations in book-to-television or book-to-film history. I can't think of an adaptation this faithful since the Megan Follows-led Anne of Green Gables.

I cannot possibly recommend it enough. I intend to buy multiple copies and give them away as gifts. Even to people I don't like that much.

So absolutely worth your time.

An extraordinary production
I can make no comparisons to the book since I've not read very far in it yet, but perhaps that's a good thing. Every work of art must be it's own thing, borrowing, certainly, inspired by other things, certainly, but copying nothing. And honestly I have never seen anything quite like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

On the surface it's a tale about how magic re-enters the world. But if that was the only thing it was about, it would almost certainly not be as rich and intriguing as it is. Magic isn't really the central focus here. Rather, what we see is the politics of magic (and life), the tension between different ideologies with Norrell upholding the idea of practical, disciplined, "respectable" magic, and Strange seeking the old, wild magic of the Raven King. Neither sees that the two are not mutually exclusive.

Everything about this production is perfect. The performances are superb, the sets and costumes spot on period pieces with just enough...