I am a big fan of the book but before I go out and buy the set on DVD I'd like to know what people who have READ THE BOOK thought of the series. I don't feel comfortable going solely with the opinions of people who only saw the TV series. So, any fans of the book have an opinion on the tv series? Thanks!
shareOooh, I SO don't want to say this but...the book's better.
I don't want to diss anything of Gaiman's, but the book has so much more depth. I read it after avidly watching the series on TV, and of course the book had more scenes and plot development. But I was BLOWN AWAY by the book - not by the series.
The real depth that lies in the scary mind-pictures Neil Gaiman paints; these are missing in the series. No one is that scary. Islington is not awe-inspiring. Carabas is too effete. Richard develops from wuss to wimp - he's never a hero. In the book so much more is said and unsaid between the characters. The TV can't capture that.
Having said all that.. I do own the video. I still think it's an enjoyable fantasy series, worth owning. It's about accepting the limitations of filming someone's fantasy. But you might want to borrow a copy first.
Hope this helps,
Sandy
Does anyone know where I can get ahold of the series without paying £50 +, since I've read the book and it's marvelous...
shareI bought the two video tape set on eBay a couple years back. It pops up there from time to time. You can probably get it for a decent price.
Like the person above said, there are some elements missing from the video that are in the book. However, I do like all the choices that were made for the cast. My girlfriend was sitting and watching A Knight's Tale, with Heath Ledger, and I kept looking at the girl playing the blacksmith, and I knew I'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't place her. I came here and read her bio and realized that she also played Door in Neverwhere. The guys playing Croup and Vandemaar are absolutely perfect as far as I’m concerned. They nailed it perfectly.
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Tejas,
Robin
Desert Moon Art
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I also picked up the 2 tape set on ebay a couple of years back for about $15 US. Just checked...and someone has it up again. Good Luck. It's worth a go to try and get it at a good price.
I have the video and the audio version. Both are great. Never read the book so can't make that comparison. Sorry.
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You should be able to import the US DVD for less than half that.
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The acting alone is remarkable, and for the sake of fashion and beauty, see it.
Incidentally, reading the book gave me a new tale and many new ideas. The movie was exciting and mysterious and it led me to get the book. Thank you Neil Gaimen.
I noticed some commented that the Hunter character was not perfectly cast. The Hunter I think would be the hardest to play, and it was finely acted, anyway.
Let's set a few things straight. Gaiman wrote the book, after it became certain that the BBC wasn't going to exactly do what he wanted. Actors would get hurt, things would get changed. So he got the idea of doing the book, so he could tell the story without having to change it. There was alot of things that didn't go the way he wanted them to, in the process. Hint the ,"Depth," in which you speak of that is missing, is missing because the tv series was scripted, and produced first. During the process Gaiman decided to do it with an ,"infinite," budget as a book. You really can't compare them because in the end they are two different things. One really can't exist without the other. It's fairly certain that Gaiman might've never wrote the book had the BBC actually ran the ship better. The book was just Gaiman being his own producer. By writing the book we got to see what he wanted the series to be. Because in novels, ideas don't cost money.
As for this entire attitude some people seem to have, really they are just companions. I'd suggest just reading the book. You really only have to see the series if you want to. See the series if you curious to what Gaiman's works look like with a small budget. [Again it only has more depth because Gaiman added it after realizing things weren't going to be made, or shown the way he wanted them to.]
I read the book and watched the series, knowing full well which existed first. However, while the book is one of my favorite of all time, I thought that the series was a waste of time. It just seemed...cheesy, compared to the book's wonder throughout. I would much rather read the book alone without having the show ruin my mental imagery.
In fact, if you want pictures, there was a marvelous graphic novel based on both that you could check out instead. Maybe you should look into that.
A rather similar situation in regard to the film "2001" - Clarke was writng the novel as he was working oith Kubrick on the film; in fact, he once remarked that the credit on the film should read "by STANLEY KUBRICK and Arthur C Clarke", and the book should say "by ARTHUR C CLARKE and Stanley Kubrick"...
shareThe book "Neverwhere" is one of the best books that i´ve ever read and i´m still hoping that Gaiman write a sequal to it. But the BBC production is just a plain insult. It is so low budget that it almost brings tears to my eyes watching it, while thinking what a great big motion picture it could have been if it was made in Usa for cinemas on a much bigger budget. Coz it really deserves that. Now, the actors is actually ok, but the effects and locations like the sewers are just awfully made and so is everything else. Do´nt EVER watch it!!!!!
My advise is to wait and hope for an american version in the nearer future...
"Hail to the king, baby" :OD
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I disagree. I thought "neverwhere" was a wonderfully unique fairytale because it took place in todays sewers of london. "Stardust" was just a plain fairytale with a much too long intro considering the few pages its written on. But thats just my opinion.
"Hail to the king, baby" :OD
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Just my two cents about making it a big "USA" movie. I'm getting sickened by the way the American movie industry practically rapes a good book in order to make a buck. Isn't the whole point of a movie to tell a tale? Yes. And making it look good is an added bonus. But why must everything turn into a big budget film? I read the book many time before finally buying the DVD and although in my mind it looked different, I was pleased with the way the BBC produced it. There were no special effects, just attention to background detail. There were no horrible actors relying on the editing team to make them look good, but rather great actors relying on their skills of story telling. I think it's time people need to step away from the digital surround sound theaters with overpriced tickets and just enjoy a good story.
shareThe book was wonderful, I read it before the miniseries came out. I waited but our station never showed it. I finally bought it from a bookseller a few months ago, cost a fortune , soooooo not worth it!
shareBook=Excellent. Tv Series= Worse than horrible.
It reminds me of Land of the Lost. Low budget doesn't even begin to describe this thing. I've seen better acting at highschool plays. Litteraly. I had my wife start to watch it with me and found myself embarrased that I had recommended it. I told her just to read the book , that it would be much more rewarding.
I can't overstate how terrible this series is. The acting by the guy who played Vandemar was o.k. But the guy who played Croup was just....it gave me pains to watch him. And Door...oh wow. That scene where she's talking to the pigeon in the first episode will go down in acting history as "how not to do it".
No offense to those who enjoyed it. I'd never want to steal your thunder. My opinions are my own and not meant to offend.
Later,
Stitch
P.S. Check ebay soon if you want a copy cheap. I'll be selling mine.
It is low budget, but that's not enough reason not to watch it. I thought it was worth seeing, although like just about everyone else who's even willing to make a comparison, I liked the book better. To me it was totally worth the $25 I paid for it on Amazon, but I'm also not the type who needs flashy computer animation and high-budget filming to suspend disbelief and get into a story. That said, the directing was pretty rough, and there's a scene with Laura Fraser crying that makes me want to throw stuff at the TV.
Watch it if you're not afraid of a low-budget, but if you read the novel and you're expecting to see it gloriously brought to life, don't waste your time. (As other people pointed out, the novel was really what brought the miniseries to life, not the other way around.)
About Laura Fraser crying- AGREED. That one scene almost made me turn the thing off. It just seemed like unnecessarily sloppy work, on the parts of all involved.
shareWas written after the series.
There is another reality...NEVERWHERE
It is so low budget that it almost brings tears to my eyes watching it, while thinking what a great big motion picture it could have been if it was made in Usa for cinemas on a much bigger budget...
My advise is to wait and hope for an american version in the nearer future...
*eyeroll* Yes, all the people that read the book and loved it would just adore that version. It is the kind of story that would benefit from a bigger budget, and if jumping the pond is what it takes to make an on-screen version of Neverwhere that does justice to the original concept, well then good, glad it's listed as in-production.
Obviously without Cameron Diaz, Samuel L and his snakes, and Ben Stiller. I'd love to see Chiwetel Ejiofor as the Marquis, any other takers?
Watched the series when it came out in '96, loved it, read the book about 3 years ago, loved it, bought the DVDs last month and watchem 'em again - still loved it. One of my favourite tales in any incarnation. Brilliant.
Just a painted face on a trip down suicide row
I got it at the public library for free kekekeke
'You can wish in one hand and crap in the other...' - mick
The neverwhere movie is in pre production now,to be shot in the spring,and neil gaiman has a sequel to the book planned,called"The seven sisters"
In my opinionmthe show and book are incredible.The art for the comic is horrible,they made door look like a damn street hooker,but with worse clothes!
Oh god save us from an American remake. A huge part of the charm of the series is its use of British iconography, humour and character observation. You hand it over to Hollywood and, unless the director is very sensitive, you'd end up with a sanitised version of London, like in V for Vendetta.
Ewan McGregor as Richard? Bleurgh.
Really, they did very well with the limitations of budget and era. It's an enjoyable series and it's worth watching. The idea of throwing money at Neverwhere to make it 'better' just doesn't work. Big budget means bugger all. Batman and Robin had a big budget, and it still stank.
Yeah, i'm curious too, though I'd never buy a DVD without having first seen it. But I loved the book and, in my mind, it would be difficult for the series to have been better. But then again, anything Neil Gaiman is associated with is brilliant.
My other prose
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/libr/g/i/giannini/giannini.html
I really, really love the book. Gaiman is just the best at what he does, period. At the same time, I do also own the DVD set and have watched them a few times. They guy that plays Da Carabas is excellent, as is the Angel and Mr. Vandamer and Krupp (I know I butchered their names). Door is cute, too.
Do yourselves a favor. Read the book and then get a hold (somehow, without stealing of course) the television show. It is a great story and worth your time.
"That's why I don't kiss 'em on the mouth." Dating advice from Jayne Cobb.
i LOVE the book, and have just finished watching the series (bought the 2 disc DVD from Amazon.com).
First i will say that i am SO glad i read the book first to understand what was going on in the series, and second what the hell happened to the budget?!
It was like watching an episode of Doctor Who, but with half the budget, and each set was about the size of my bathroom! And the music awful, although the title graphics were pretty cool.
The scenes in the book are so immense, but in the series they are SO small.
i really hope Neil Gaiman can get a bigger budget movie made for Neverwhere - ideally with Ewan McGregor starring as Richard Mayhew, and i think Morgan Freeman as the leader of the Black Friars.
To be fair, the guy who played the Marquis in the series was actually very good, although the girl who played Hunter was appalling! The girl who played Door wasn't bad, just not at all how i imagined her, but she was very cute, with a sexy voice, so that helped ;)
I don't know why everyone's so down on the BBC production. I've read the book, which is certainly better by far, but I still watch the miniseries on a monthly basis. I think it's wonderful, well-acted (especially Croup and Vandemar), and absolutely true to Gaiman's world. It's fun, enjoyable, and entertaining--much more so, in my opinion, than the usual Jim Henson fantasy flicks it is compared to regularly.
And remember: the miniseries is the ORIGINAL. That is what Gaiman wrote down as the basis for everything you read in the book. Comparing the two for plot, development, character, whatall is simply an academic exercise, like comparing King Lear to Kurosawa's Ran. They are just different, and I like them both. The BBC production is fun, has infinite rewatchability, and is easily worth the $35 that I paid for it brand new on DVD at Borders.
Bad acting? I do not think so at all.
I don't judge the book and the movie on the same parameters. Why would you, really? It's low budget, you can tell it looks like television episodes, but I think a lot of people just may be brainwashed into thinking anything that doesn't look like a movie is low-budget crap. Well, I disagree. I thought this was very entertaining, the whole bit with the Beast of London looks shabby, but the lighting and the sets are pretty nice, I think, and how can you bag on the guy who played Mr. Croup? Come on.
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I love the Book. Just wonderful...
I was jazzed about getting the DVDs and I wasn't a bit disappointed.
Books are with few exceptions better. I thought the DVD's had great acting and some fantastic sets.
I highly recommend seeing it.
Good as the book? Is anything?
But I will say if I hadn't read the book, I would have still loved the series version.
Oh, get the DVD's, not video-tapes. Sound is great and the sharpness of some of the scene sets really is sharp with the digital.
Now if we could only get a Sandman..*pines*
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I had the lucky opportunity of reading the book before seeing the movie. The book is better, if solely because Gaiman got to inclue everything he wanted, because there were no shoddy production values to worry about. However, despiet the low-budget, the Neverwhere series is amazing and fun. The british always seem to have a way of creating this "other-worldly" feel in television.
shareI have read the book more than once. Still haven't seen the miniseries. And I didn't know that Gaiman wrote the screenplay and then wrote the book after the series was made.
But I would believe, by reading what Gaiman has posted on his blog and reading the previous posts, that anyone interested in a more in-depth look at London Below should enjoy the book more. Gaiman is a genius at painting out scenes with his words and like most fantasy/fairy tale/sci-fi; these images don't always translate well to the screen, especially a low-budget, taped, tv miniseries. The images formed in my mind while reading descriptions of Croup & Vandermar are really scary-just the things they eat are pretty frightening.
I am looking forward to the DVD edition now available. And Gaiman has been very enthusiastic about the commentary and extras available on the DVD edition released by A&E. So I'm sure I'll say the book was better and anyone who is able should read this as well as watching the series.
Saw the series on TV when I was a little kiddie, okay 17. It always stuck in my mind because it was so good. Bought and read the book after, which was also great. Recently bought the DVD and it's still good after all this time. I know it can make a difference reading the book first, but I would definitely recommend it.
"Shiny. Let's be bad guys".
Well, I will not say that I was disappointed, but where the book would be a milliondollar project, if filmed as written, the tv-series was made for whatever money the producers could dig out of the BBC leaders couch. Therefore, it is kind of underwhelming. That is not to say that it is not fun. It is pretty good, considering that, apparently, they did not have much to work with.
At the top of the mountain, we are all Snow Leopards. -Dr. Hunter S. Thompson