The Crimson Petal - DVD

Film: London at the end of the 19th century: William Rackham (Chris O'Dowd), a wealthy industrialist's son, dreams of becoming a great writer one day. William doesn't see that he lacks the necessary talent to do so. But as long as he sticks to writing, he gets no more money from his father, which leads to William slowly but surely running out of funds. When one day he meets the beguiling as well as mysterious prostitute Sugar (Romola Garai), he quickly falls under the sensual woman's spell. In order to keep Sugar as his sole mistress, William agrees to give up writing and run the business at his father's soap factory from then on. His mentally ill wife Agnes (Amanda Hale), who lives in complete seclusion in the house they share, hardly notices the changes in her husband's life. Only when he decides to bring Sugar into the house as a nanny for daughter Sophie, the young woman also changes Agnes' life drastically, as she believes to have found her saving guardian angel in her husband's mistress. And that has fatal consequences.

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Michel Faber, director Marc Munden's four-part BBC adaptation of The Crimson Petal is a gripping and disturbing drama that can be a little exhausting and depressing at times, but in the end convinces with a fascinating visual realization and strong actors. Among the actors, Romola Garai (Abbitte) stands out in particular. As Sugar, consumed by hatred for men, she sees the naive William as the perfect opportunity to escape her dreary existence, only to discover that she has swapped one prison for another. The fact that she doesn't simply surrender to her fate, but forges a plan that could give her freedom and simply a better life, makes the very mysterious prostitute, especially at the beginning, by far the most exciting character in the mini-series. But X-Files star Gillian Anderson as a ruthless madam and Chris O'Dowd, known from the wonderful comedy series The IT Crowd, also leave a lasting impression.

The set and camerawork make the filth and squalor of London's less-than-beautiful neighborhoods seem almost palpable, especially in the first episode. You think you can literally smell the stench on the streets, which is perhaps not really pleasant, but testifies to what an excellent job the makers have done here. However, the fact that disease, hatred, misery play the distinguished roles here and that there are only a few moments that could commonly be called beautiful, makes this almost four-hour-long adaptation a real challenge. Watching characters that aren't really sympathetic for so long, slowly consumed by either rage, or disease, isn't necessarily a pleasure. However, those who are prepared for it and consciously face the often rather depressing whole are rewarded with a cleverly constructed and, in places, very compelling story that clearly stands out from the crowd of rather colourful costume dramas.

The Crimson Petal is thus no light feel-good fare, no costume romance for the Jane Austen audience, but a dark, provocative tale of human depths, despair and revenge. And as such, then, this mini-series is undoubtedly worth watching!

Picture + Sound: The action held in mostly drab colors comes thanks to a good technical implementation coherently to the fore. Just how good the colouring actually is is particularly evident at the end of the second episode, when Sugar is standing in a sea of purple lavender flowers. A wonderful shot. Other than that, the image sharpness also leaves a positive impression that lasts through the numerous dark moments. The audio is very restrained, dominated by dialogue, ambient sounds and the understated score. Big surround moments should not be expected, even in the German Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Overall, this earns a well-deserved: good!

Extras: The bonus material for the mini-series is on the first DVD. To see here there are just under 17 minutes of very interesting interviews, in which the creators discuss, among other things, the adaptation of the novel, the sets, the equipment and the costumes. As a further extra, viewers get about 7 minutes of cut scenes. Good.

Conclusion: The Crimson Petal is not light fare. The drama is bleak, with depression and illness dominating the proceedings. However, the good cast and especially the excellent set, which makes the dirt and grime just palpable, especially in the first episode, make this BBC best-selling adaptation well worth watching for viewers who enjoy costume dramas beyond Jane Austen romance. The good technical realization and the not uninteresting bonus material also strike a positive note. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp