Gormenghast

Produced by BBC America/WGBH Boston, this lavish PBS mini-series, based on Mervyn Peake's fantasy trilogy, boasts sumptuous art direction, set design, costumes, etc., as well as a talented cast (Ian Richardson, Christopher Lee, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and many others). Still, the gratingly eccentric, one-dimensional characters on display here make this play like an overscaled Monty Python production. Billed as a "metaphor for the fall of an empire, the passing of an age and the rise of fascism," the frenetic tale chronicles the battle for the rule of an ancient dynasty and, in turn, the fate of the resplendent castle known as Gormenghast. Strictly optional. (T. Rich)[DVD Review—Aug. 22, 2006—BBC, 2 discs, 240 min., not rated, $34.98—Making its first appearance on DVD, 2000's Gormenghast boasts a nice looking transfer and DVD extras including a 31-minute “making-of” featurette, a gallery of costume and design stills, text character bios, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing miniseries.]