Neverwhere

[cellio]

Last night and tonight I (re-)watched the BBC miniseries Neverwhere, written by Neil Gaiman. I had forgotten how well-done it is in many ways. If you liked the Sandman comic book, you'll probably enjoy this show too.

Neverwhere focuses on Richard Mayhew, a businessman (banker?) in London who gets sucked into the underworld. Not underworld like in mafia -- underworld as in a different world that exists beneath the streets of London and that is populated by some very other-worldly sorts of folks. Gaiman seems to do particularly well with putting ordinary people in extraordinary situations and making good story come out the other end. One of the things I liked about Sandman is that despite the millieu, I felt I was reading about people. Maybe not people who could ever exist on Earth, but people nonetheless. Some of the core characters in Neverwhere share that quality.

There are stock characters, and caricatures, to be sure. The visible bad guys (who I keep wanting to call Guido and Luigi though those aren't their names) are stereotypical but well-done and just the right blend of archtype and creep. The enigmatic Marquis is a mystery until the end. Door, the sweet young thing at the center of the conflict, seems helpless but isn't entirely so.

At the center of this is Richard, who doesn't really fit in either world and is now caught between them. The resolution of his story is nicely done, but I won't say more lest I spoil things.

There is one bit of cinematography (or art design, or something -- not sure where to place the credit) that was very effective. Somewhere in each episode we see this sequence of images -- the first time it's a dream, but not always -- that doesn't make a lot of sense. It's always the same sequence. Over the course of the six episodes, the meanings of the images become clear. Nice.

In general the production values are, um, toward the lower end, but you know what? I don't care. It was well-done within what was apparently a limited budget. I care a lot more about story than about sets and props.

Neverwhere was released on DVD in the US last year. (That's good, because Nth-generation PAL-to-NTSC tapes aren't always so wonderful. :-) ) The show aired in 1996.

Caveat: There is also a book. I read the book before seeing the show. I didn't know it had been made into a TV show when I found the book, actually. When I learned about the TV show I thought it was based on the book. Nope -- other way around. The book is a novelization. I think I might have enjoyed the show more if I had not read the book first.

Comments

[arib.livejournal.com]

Gaiman liked the novelization more, from what I've heard.

[cellio]

I quite enjoyed the book, but I think I wanted to encounter them in the other order -- show, then book. I haven't reread the book since watching the show; maybe the book had more details and I noticed their absence on first viewing? I no longer remember.

[rani23.livejournal.com]

I loved the book and I bought the VHS of Neverwhere but the copy was so bad that it was unwatchable. I may have to get the DVD. :)

[cellio]

I don't know if my VHS copy is any better, but if I find it and you want it you can have it now that I've upgraded.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I had not had any idea the book was a novelization when I read it.

I found it relentlessly visual and confusing... but still better than a lot of the Sturgeon's Law out there.

Someone has to make a mini-series for smart people out of "American Gods".

[cellio]

I had not had any idea the book was a novelization when I read it.

Neither did I. It was only when I was later watching the show that I raalized that the match-up was too close to have gone in the other direction.

[jeannegrrl.livejournal.com]

I read the book some time ago and remember enjoying the heck out of it. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the DVDs - thanks for the review! :-)

[cellio]

You're welcome! I enjoyed the book too, which is what prompted me to watch the tape when I found out it existed. I'm glad to have it on DVD.