SummaryThe heir (Chris O'Dowd) to a perfume business begins an affair with a prostitute named Sugar (Romola Garai) in Victorian London in this British four-part adaptation of Michel Faber's novel airing in the US on Encore.
SummaryThe heir (Chris O'Dowd) to a perfume business begins an affair with a prostitute named Sugar (Romola Garai) in Victorian London in this British four-part adaptation of Michel Faber's novel airing in the US on Encore.
It's also a pungent, harrowing and thoroughly captivating entertainment, a welcome reminder of the power of the classic miniseries, which the networks have shunned for far too long.
Britain's BBC2 and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon have captured the feverish tone and most fascinating storylines of Faber's book in a miniseries making its U.S. debut.
What truly makes the miniseries, though, are the performances in general and that of Garai in particular. The entire story and theme turn not only on contrasts but also on character evolution, which demands precision and nuance from the cast.
So while The Crimson Petal is tough, grim and explicit--and by the last measure provocative, at least relative to those accustomed to Dickens or Austen--the production finally feels unworthy of its length or leading lady.