Neverwhere (BBC/DVD/2011)
Science-fiction, and now –fantasy, has remained steady in young people’s eyes for over a hundred years. The thrill, one may assume, of reaching out to the stars to expand the intellectual visions of humanity reach back to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Jules Verne’s´ “From the Earth to the Moon” in the 19th Century, through Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein and Anne McCaffrey in the 20th and 21st Centuries. And while it has mostly been supported by teenage boys and young men, beginning in the early 1960s women writers and readers began to demand acknowledgement and equality.
So when film began to take notice of potential audiences, beginning with Georges Méliés and his 1902 Sci-Fi silent, “A Trip to the Moon/Le voyage dans la Lune),” (currently praised in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo”), and with the advent of sound, Sci-Fi was off and running.
Which brings us to 1996 and a strange and beguiling BBC six-part miniseries, “Neverwhere,” (written and produced by gamester Neil Gaiman), which has finally made it to DVD. Starring Gary Bakewell and Laura Fraser, it details a medieval underground London that above-ground Londoners know nothing about. Our young hero (Bakewell) rescues a damsel in distress, Door (Fraser) – much to the annoyance of his rich and spoiled fiancée, Jessica (Elizabeth Marmur), who then promptly dumps him. As he is also losing his job, he feels free to join Door underground wherein they have many adventures. It’s just this side of silly, but as it keeps itself in perspective, a good time can be had from it. Especially enthralling are actors who play two vile henchmen, Mr. Croup (Hywel Bennett) and Mr. Vandemaar (Clive Russell); the best soldier in the area, Hunter (Tanya Moodie); a Marquis De Carabas (Paterson Joseph); the Angel Islington (Peter Capaldi) the Earl (Freddie Jones); and the Abbott (Earl Cameron). The performers all seem to be having a great time of it, which helps.
The plot is hash and the small budget makes it fairly dismal to watch, but there is creativity to be seen in it (director Dewi Humphreys keeps it honest) as the actors keep up the energy and pace.
The bonuses include some excellent background on the project by writer Gaiman along with a map of Greater Underground London. It’s all a bit of a lark and now that the Web is beginning to produce similar shows (“Dragon Age: Redemption” being one), there is a market for such older fare. If it’s your cuppa-tea, then buy it. You’ll probably enjoy.