![]() ![]() Rhys makes Jasper’s crippling rage and lecherousness crackle on screen. And whether dark or light, the emotion is all heightened by a fantastic score by composer John Lunn ( Downton Abbey).Īs a Dickens story and a teleplay, the production is awash in strong characters, and the cast give outstanding performances. ![]() Providing a conscientious counterpoint to this widespread animosity are the story’s kindly characters: Rosa’s legal ward, Mr Grewgious (Alun Armstrong, Little Dorrit) and clergyman Septimus Crisparkle (Rory Kinnear, Quantum of Solace).Įdwin Drood is a vastly dark tale, and director Lawrence captures the mood by employing chiaroscuro with great effect: During Jasper’s opium hazes, Lawrence uses a color balance that emphasizes blue, creating a foggy dreamlike atmosphere when Neville and Edwin come to blows, it’s on a darkened street and in Jasper’s dimly lit home and when curious questions are posed or harsh accusations made, the action happens in darkly furnished spaces.īy contrast, scenes depicting the kindness of Mr Grewgious, the peacemaking efforts of Crisparkle and the compassion of Helena are bathed in warm light. The stage is set for a murder mystery to unfold. When Edwin (Freddie Fox, The Three Musketeers) arrives in Cloisterham, the tension ratchets up quickly: Rosa confesses she doesn’t wish to marry, Neville gets angered by Edwin’s racially insensitive remarks and brusqueness towards Rosa, youthfully gormless Edwin makes it clear he’s rather fond of himself, and all the while Jasper seethes with envy and lust while finding refuge in opium-fuelled fantasies of strangling Edwin. Neville (Sacha Dhawan, The History Boys), meanwhile, finds himself rather smitten by Rosa. Helena (Amber Rose Revah) is taken in at the Nun’s House, where she quickly befriends Rosa. Severely complicating Jasper’s pervy aspirations is the fact Rosa is betrothed - by dint of her late father’s will - to the age-appropriate Edwin Drood, who also happens to be Jasper’s nephew.Īdding more complexity is the recent arrival in Cloisterham of two orphaned siblings from Ceylon, Neville and Helena Landless (a bluntly symbolic surname from Dickens’ pen). He also lusts after 17-year-old Rosa Bud (Tamzin Merchant, The Tudors), an orphan who lives in the Nun’s House of Cloisterham. Choirmaster John Jasper, played by Matthew Rhys (ABC’s Brothers and Sisters), feels trapped in what he sees as a humdrum existence and seeks escape in an opium den. As its unsubtle name suggests, Cloisterham is a place apart, and much of the local activity centers on the cathedral. Most of the action takes place in Cloisterham, a fictitious stand-in for the actual town of Rochester. ![]() Part one hews closely to the Dickens book. This made-for-television film is broken into two hour-long episodes, and is divided as such on the DVD. With Hughes’ thoughtful writing, solid direction by Diarmuid Lawrence and great performances by a talented cast, this latest entry in the Edwin Drood canon provides a praiseworthy finish to Dickens’ incomplete story. Since that time, there have been several attempts - in print, on stage and on the big and small screen - to sort out the story’s ending. Unfortunately, Dickens passed away before he could finish the work. The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a co-production of the BBC and PBS Masterpiece and released on DVD this month, is based on the Charles Dickens story of the same name. Cloud MN | St.There’s a curious credit in the opening titles of part two of The Mystery of Edwin Drood it reads, “Completed by Gwyneth Hughes”, a nod to Edwin Drood’s biggest mystery of all: how it ends. Rio Grande St #2072, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 | Artsopolis Network Members: Akron OH | Austin TX | Bainbridge Island WA | Birmingham AL | Boston MA | Cape Cod MA | Charlotte NC | Cincinnati OH | Cleveland OH | Colorado Springs CO | Columbia SC | DuPage County IL | Durham NC | Flagstaff AZ | Flint MI | Fort Lauderdale FL | Indianapolis IN | Kalamazoo MI | Kansas City MO | KeepMovingOKC | Macon GA | Main Line Area PA | Marin County CA | Marquette County MI | Mendocino County CA | Middlesex County NJ | Milwaukee WI | Montgomery County MD | Nantucket, MA | Napa Valley CA | Nashville TN | Niagara County NY | Oklahoma City OK | Orange County CA | Orlando FL | Ottawa IL | Palm Desert CA | Pittsburgh PA | Providence RI | Richardson TX | Roswell GA | Sacramento CA | San Antonio TX | San Diego CA | Sarasota FL | St. © Copyright 2023 - Utah Cultural Alliance Foundation. ![]()
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