The Crimson Petal and the White

After the first time I watched this magnificent period drama, I was totally hooked. I have since watched it 2 more times (in a row), I found it so compelling. The sets, costumes, everything about this is the epitome of classic Vitorian life. I closely formed a bond with Sugar, and felt for the way William treated her. It's a classic of good overcoming bad. I adored it and cannot wait for the DVD! The change made by Sugars love and affection for poor little Sophie was commendable, and the mental illness suffered by Agnes, was so believable as she slowly went out of her mind, and the gentleness shown by Sugar with her was heartfelt. The cast, directer, set producer, period costumer are all at their very best!

I have to admit, one of the only reasons I watched this is because I'm a huge fan of Romola Garai, but after the first episode I was completely hooked. It's well worth watching even if you don't care at all for any of the actors because everything about it is superb.

The Crimson Petal and the White is based on a neo-Victorian novel by the stupendous writer Michel Faber. The wonderful thing about neo-Victorian works is that they can revisit the Victorian age without being constrained by all the things that the Victorians liked to keep under wraps, like frank sexual talk. This comes in handy in The Crimson Petal and the White which is focused a great deal on sex and sexuality.

The main character is Sugar (Romola Garai, fantastic as always), a prostitute who has been working in the trade since she hit puberty (or maybe even before). Sugar has a deep distaste for men (she's working on a fantasy novel in which she tortures, maims, and kills her clients), but is well renowned because of her willingness to do anything (sexually speaking). She attracts the attention of William Rackham (Chris O'Dowd), a bumbling entrepreneur trapped in an unhappy marriage who is actually attracted to Sugar's mind as well as her body as she is self-educated and extremely literate and they both are well read. The more time Sugar and Rackham spend together the more they become obsessed with one another which leads to Sugar becoming more involved in Rackham's business and Rackham becoming concerned with keeping Sugar to himself.

There is a lot more to the plot than that, but it's a wonderful tale. The aspects of Sugar and Rackham's personalities are set down early, and as the story unfolds we see these aspects play out. Sugar, who is tough minded and hard, is also incredibly smart, has the capacity to grow and change and also to love. Rackham is weak and selfish and these aspects are exposed as he faces difficult decision after difficult decision.

The cast is excellent (special shoutout here to Chris O'Down whom I had previously only seen acting in comedies. He handles the darker material with ease putting to rest that lie about comedians not being able to handle anything but comedy). Beautifully shot and excellent costumes as you would expect from a BBC drama.

Loved it. Exactly what I want in a movie. I had read the book first and was not disappointed with the movie as is sometimes the case. I've re-read the book and re-watched the movie many times. Bravo!

I'm so glad I was not dissuaded by the brutality and raw portrayals that set the scene for this series. Once the moral and physical decay is established this story soars on the courage and ingenuity of our heroine using all her wit and intelligence to survive in a world controlled by the baser nature of men. Masterfully played by Romola Garai, we quickly become invested in this woman who becomes an angel for those who are trapped by and in their lives. Chris O'Dowd, Amanda Hale, Mark Gatiss, Shirley Henderson and Gillian Anderson are just some of the stellar supporting cast. The production brilliantly captures the mood through its costumes and sets. The original work was a novel by Michel Faber which Lucinda Coxon skillfully adapts to the small screen. A dark and disturbing portrayal of the vices and decay of Victorian London, Chris O'Dowd put it best, "It is a wonderful love story which is almost entirely bereft of love". I give this series an 8 (great) out of 10. {Victorian Drama}

Addictive, and not in a bad way. Sooo rich in character and setting. You feel dirty when you see the homeless old men, hopeless, skinny children, and the mentally gone, all whose skin is the same color as the coal smoke filth of London. You smell the urine in the streets as you follow Sugar from her whorehouse to the market. The whores you meet are vacant, empty souls eaten by diseases and beaten to pulp by cowardly customers.

There isn't anyone good in this story, but they're all marvelous.

Sugar plots imaginary revenge against her johns, and it's such a pleasure to see that she has some power, if only in her mind, over her miserable world.