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A drama follows the battles of Gilbert Norrell, a gifted magician, and Johnathan Strange, a youthful fledgling, who navigate through life during the Napoleonic Wars in England to turn into the best entertainers.
CRITICS OF "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Season 1"
Newark Star-Ledger
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is not so much about good versus evil but the the clash of the men's two very different natures -- reason versus romanticism, intellect versus emotion.
It's still an enjoyable break from the mundane, non-magical life, provided you're willing to open your mind to it. It moves along fairly quickly... and the fact I haven't read the book is certainly not limiting my enjoyment of the miniseries.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is a visual treat, a great original period piece that makes costume dramas seem absurdly stuffy and conservative. One episode down out of seven and already it's put a spell on me.
The problem with the miniseries, written by Peter Harness and directed by Toby Haynes, is its lack of emotional potency, at least in the first two episodes.
The deeper we get into its labyrinth of conflicted magicians, conniving faeries and period-piece-gone-mad atmosphere, the more you fall prey to its spell.
... the mini-series / limited series-seven hour-long episodes, to be specific-appears to be the perfect format and BBC has given it the scope and texture of a film.
What remains is the rivalry at its center, prickly and loving, between the two magicians of the title: chipper Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel) and dyspeptic Gilbert Norrell (Eddie Marsan).