The show should have had 10 episodes. These scenes should have absolutely been kept in - they clear up some things that otherwise remained kind of nonsensical (Jonathan not questioning why he gets no letters and both him and Arabella not even mentioning it to each other afterwards) and others should have been added to better explain and further the characters. Best example: Stephen, who, I think, is the most "damaged" in the transition from book to screen. So much of his thinking process is lost that, at least to me, his trajectory was a little baffling. He seems totally complicit with the Gentleman in some instances (Arabella's kidnapping). Stephen *needed* some more screen time to show how much control over him the spell had and his situation in England, his brushes with racism (much more than just "see, your mother died a slave"), his general life mentality and his constant attempts to control at least a little of what the Gentleman is doing to him or in front of him.
I wish they'd included more scenes from the perspective of Stephen and Jeremy. It would''ve emphasized Jeremy's character who was bigger in the books as is Stephen's. I particularly liked the scenes of Stephen walking around the city and getting the items of a ruler (the sphere, the sceptre, and the crown) and all the scenes of Stephen and the gentlemen.
They really should have added some of these scenes in the final cut. There is no mention of Strange and his wife's letters not getting to each other as Norrell has employed Childermass [against his will, it seems] to 'steal' any correspondence between them in case she should mention Norrel's involvement regarding Lady Pole's 'condition' and the bargain with the 'Gentleman'. You'd think there would be some small mention of it between them seeing as they are married and deeply in love. Often in times of war, letters from friends and family are the one thing that you desperately look forward to & binds us to the world of peace and happiness outside of being yelled at for not performing our duty as soldiers. Granted, the scene where Strange persuades Jeremy, his manservant, to have them spend more time with the ORs to find out just what it is that a magician could do to help them rather than supplying the officers with brandy is a scene that can be dispensed with but the deleted scene of Arabella's brother confiding in, of all people, Norrell and Laiselles, is a mistake that even Childermass feels is beyond the pale and has a quiet word with the priest as he escorts him out of the house as if to say, "put your faith in me and I will press it better to my Masters on your behalf" when we all know Childermass is deeply concerned by Laiselles' influence upon the ever fearful Norrell as Laiselles no more believes in 'magick' than he does in 'all men being equal'. I have the DVD boxed set but it does not have these scenes in it. My copy has different 'deleted scenes'.
I realize yours is a comment from six years ago, but I should like it very much to see these different deleted scenes. Is there any chance you might upload them?
@Fiona Cahill Yes. Even with the lack of more episodes which led to events being compressed and the development of some characters having to suffer, it's great. Some things are slightly changed from the book, I know that may bother book fans, but the performances of the actors involved are absolutely amazing and they did their research about their role down to having the right accent; if nothing else, it's worth watching just for that.
I thought the series was really very good. But some things were quite wrong. IN the book, Norrell didn't nab the letters between Jonathan and Arabella. That was VERY silly. For a start, the minute Jonathan returned home, it would have been revealed that something very planned and long term had taken place. Nor was there any need to have Jeremy be killed and all that palaver. I understand WHY it was done, but it was Hollywood style cheesy....cheap emotion by killing off someone. S Clarke is quite above that. Also...the ending. What a mess. I know the scene in which the land, nature, and weather of England assist Stephen in killing The Gentleman would have been hard to accomplish, but why did they do all the mishmash they did. There was NO narrative reason for having Lascelles turn into china. It would have been VERY easy to create the scene of Childermass riding into Faerie, and that was SO important to the plot...that the realms were now reconnected. Having Lascelles meet his real book fate was perfect, as he so hated any mentions of Faerie or fairies, and he would have HATED having to be "subject" to anyone, let alone a woman, let alone x2 a woman fairy. It was a PERFECT fate for him.
The show should have had 10 episodes. These scenes should have absolutely been kept in - they clear up some things that otherwise remained kind of nonsensical (Jonathan not questioning why he gets no letters and both him and Arabella not even mentioning it to each other afterwards) and others should have been added to better explain and further the characters.
Best example: Stephen, who, I think, is the most "damaged" in the transition from book to screen. So much of his thinking process is lost that, at least to me, his trajectory was a little baffling. He seems totally complicit with the Gentleman in some instances (Arabella's kidnapping).
Stephen *needed* some more screen time to show how much control over him the spell had and his situation in England, his brushes with racism (much more than just "see, your mother died a slave"), his general life mentality and his constant attempts to control at least a little of what the Gentleman is doing to him or in front of him.
I wish they'd included more scenes from the perspective of Stephen and Jeremy. It would''ve emphasized Jeremy's character who was bigger in the books as is Stephen's.
I particularly liked the scenes of Stephen walking around the city and getting the items of a ruler (the sphere, the sceptre, and the crown) and all the scenes of Stephen and the gentlemen.
Stephen and Pole in the carriage breaks my heart - sheds more light on Stephen's motivations. They should have kept it in
06:26 Lol, they should have kept this scene. An extra Lascelles vs. Childermass would have been welcome.
They really should have added some of these scenes in the final cut. There is no mention of Strange and his wife's letters not getting to each other as Norrell has employed Childermass [against his will, it seems] to 'steal' any correspondence between them in case she should mention Norrel's involvement regarding Lady Pole's 'condition' and the bargain with the 'Gentleman'. You'd think there would be some small mention of it between them seeing as they are married and deeply in love. Often in times of war, letters from friends and family are the one thing that you desperately look forward to & binds us to the world of peace and happiness outside of being yelled at for not performing our duty as soldiers.
Granted, the scene where Strange persuades Jeremy, his manservant, to have them spend more time with the ORs to find out just what it is that a magician could do to help them rather than supplying the officers with brandy is a scene that can be dispensed with but the deleted scene of Arabella's brother confiding in, of all people, Norrell and Laiselles, is a mistake that even Childermass feels is beyond the pale and has a quiet word with the priest as he escorts him out of the house as if to say, "put your faith in me and I will press it better to my Masters on your behalf" when we all know Childermass is deeply concerned by Laiselles' influence upon the ever fearful Norrell as Laiselles no more believes in 'magick' than he does in 'all men being equal'.
I have the DVD boxed set but it does not have these scenes in it. My copy has different 'deleted scenes'.
I realize yours is a comment from six years ago, but I should like it very much to see these different deleted scenes. Is there any chance you might upload them?
I loved this book and until now was not aware that a tv adaptation had been made. I wonder was it any good?
@Fiona Cahill Yes. Even with the lack of more episodes which led to events being compressed and the development of some characters having to suffer, it's great. Some things are slightly changed from the book, I know that may bother book fans, but the performances of the actors involved are absolutely amazing and they did their research about their role down to having the right accent; if nothing else, it's worth watching just for that.
it’s one of my favorites, I’ve watched it at least 4 times now and I love it just as much as I did when I first saw it. It’s on Netflix, give it a go.
@@potato-rn4eh It's a pity there's no season 2
I thought the series was really very good. But some things were quite wrong. IN the book, Norrell didn't nab the letters between Jonathan and Arabella. That was VERY silly. For a start, the minute Jonathan returned home, it would have been revealed that something very planned and long term had taken place.
Nor was there any need to have Jeremy be killed and all that palaver. I understand WHY it was done, but it was Hollywood style cheesy....cheap emotion by killing off someone. S Clarke is quite above that.
Also...the ending. What a mess. I know the scene in which the land, nature, and weather of England assist Stephen in killing The Gentleman would have been hard to accomplish, but why did they do all the mishmash they did.
There was NO narrative reason for having Lascelles turn into china.
It would have been VERY easy to create the scene of Childermass riding into Faerie, and that was SO important to the plot...that the realms were now reconnected. Having Lascelles meet his real book fate was perfect, as he so hated any mentions of Faerie or fairies, and he would have HATED having to be "subject" to anyone, let alone a woman, let alone x2 a woman fairy. It was a PERFECT fate for him.
British officers were not permitted beards in this era !!!! Tut tut tut !
But this IS an alternative reality.