Having experienced my first ever comic con on Sunday I've been re-watching Gothic series, Penny Dreadful, racking my brains over reasons why and how the series leaves me utterly confounded by the scenes constructed. For one, the mere illumination of the Gothic genre makes this series all the more compelling and and vastly unique when compared to fantasy series like Game of Thrones and contending films of a familiar genre (which are consequently more often explored than the Gothic genre); it's set in a dark and foreboding Victorian London: hardly exotic, yet it still holds a fermenting reality that's unlike the now familiar fantasy realms. The collision of infamous literary characters woven into the fabric of Victorian London has allowed John Logan to create a masterpiece of programs, where fans of the accredited Gothic novels can find refuge in this carefully constructed art form. There are many key aspects to consider when it comes to this series, notably because not only does the cinematography, set and score have to live up to our expectations for a high-end series, but also in delving into a territory birthed in the late 19th century, how the programme both subverts and conforms to the conventions of the Gothic genre and to what degree the characters are portrayed, is equally as vital to the plot.
Cast & Characters
Meeting an actor is a lot different to meeting a music artist. So when I met both Reeve Carney and Harry Treadaway on Sunday the experience was altogether new and exhilarating. What's most intriguing however is that in meeting the actors I was able to get a glimpse of the real people behind the screen and essentially see, for myself, how they present themselves through their own idiosyncratic actions and tone of voice. Both actors were sincere and amiable in their nature and mildly disparate from the characters they play. After having watched some of the first few episodes again, I have now come to see the actors actually
playing their characters rather than just
being the characters. And although this might seem bad, it means that seeing them for who they are has enabled me to see that they have incredible acting prowess. When I watch Harry play Frankenstein, I can see that he puts his all into creating such a conflicted character, provoking an array of emotions simply to beget the fear, sadness and longing suffered by Frankenstein. As for Reeve, even the mere drop of his gaze means so much when it comes to bringing the intensity and sensuality needed to bring Dorian to life. The careful gesture of his hand and the slight inclination of the head makes all the difference with this character, and just as Harry does with Frankenstein, Reeve does this exceptionally well.
- Frankenstein- In Penny Dreadful, we find John Logan exploring Harry's character in an extremely provocative way, showing that Frankenstein is a character who not only suffers from the result of his endeavours (to create a being that now only haunts his every step), but yearns for the compassion of a lover, to return him from the frailty and bleakness of his tormented life. We also find the strong determination rooted in his belief in the revolution of medics and the divide between life and death. Essentially, this is a character built to feel pathos for: for his inner demons and weakness of mind and body. The sheer smart-mouthed and quite frankly sassy demeanour upheld by Frankenstein as he expostulates with Ethan Chandler is yet another reason why it is hard not to fall in love with Logan's illumination of Shelley's classic, Frankenstein.
- Dorian Gray-Dorian Gray is a character momentous of his sensuality and ability to classically entrance other characters and the reader/ viewer. In Penny Dreadful, we find that the score and use of lighting and shots help to eclipse the horror of the Gothic world, to instead focus on Dorian's coquettish nature. Having met Reeve, under first impressions it's not hard to see that his familiarity with the character rests mostly on the clothes, which although modernised, seem to inspire the character of Dorian Gray. It's the unique individuality and dual-personality of a man interested in the luxuries of life yet someone who shackles away a residing demon that has allowed Reeve to truly reach his potential with this role. A simplest gesture has the power to highlight the serenity surrounding Dorian which altogether makes him enigmatic and estranged from the characters that like most people interested in the Gothic world, would have felt heavily drawn to. Furthermore, during the first series the use of shallow focus, close up shots of the shot-reverse-shots between Dorian and Vanessa seemed to help extend the illusion that Reeve was unblinking, making Dorian and Vanessa's infatuation with one another all the more significant.
What fundamentally makes both actors serve as profound artists in this series is their adaptation of the literary characters. One cannot be compared with the other between bounds of which is better because they are simply binary opposites; Frankenstein is traumatised and ironically weak and powerless, despite his ability to almost 'play God' and so naturally shows frailty but strength in his belief in the search for knowledge. As a doctor, the use of extreme close up shots is necessary to show the delicacy of his work whereas although we see this precision with Dorian, Dorian is a character whose very nature is to be soft, and graceful, but sly also. This is much more divergent with Frankenstein who in comparison, appears less graceful and more clumsy in spite of his medical ability. Both actors however play their characters superbly well, taking on their mannerisms and creating persona's that are strikingly different from their own.
Setting & Costume/ MUA
Decidedly being set in the late 19th century, Victorian London, constructing a live and authentic environment is fundamental in upholding the verisimilitude of the series, really grinding in the viscous reality faced by the characters. Penny Dreadful offers remarkable sets, that astoundingly produce as many sensations as would have been expected to be found back in the late 1800s, showing that the team behind it certainly have a practised eye for sticking to historical accuracy. Even the clothes alone are icons of power, important in providing our reading of characters' class and position in society. The late 1800s was a time when the socialist vs capitalist debate was coming into people's minds, much like the later bid for women's votes. Evidently it was a time of dramatic social change. Here in Penny Dreadful the Gothic world truly shows that it's ready to challenge the comfortable expectations once fashioned by early society.
Conventions of the Gothic genre
A Gothic novel is bound to contain several of the following conventions:
- Antagonist vs. Protagonist theme (Good vs. Evil)
- A monster
- Be set in an isolated area or decadent building
- Set in and around the 19th century/ early 20th century
- Dreary weather
As a culmination of several Gothic novels, Penny Dreadful is filtered with a rise in tension between both good and evil forces. Monsters lurk in every corner, whether it be the sad, isolated, yet poisoned mind of Frankenstein's monster (John Clare) or the vampires, werewolves and witches that fretfully taunt the minds of the Londoners, incapable of understanding the world in any way other than fear. As for the decadence and brilliance of Sir Malcolm's home in London where the story resides, the architecture is grand but also Gothic in it's structure, making it an ideal location for any haunted story. We also find the isolated, shabby and worn home inhabited by Vanessa and Ethan in series 2 which yet again shows that Penny Dreadful conforms to the remote, uninhabited location which only makes the threat of unspeakable dangers closer and more terrifying.
All in all, Penny Dreadful is much like the books it unravels: timeless and ruthless in how it neither shies away from the debauchery and horrors of the Gothic genre nor refrains from delving into the characters' stories and searching for the inner demons among us all. The only criticism I could give this series is the odd continuity error found on several accounts when I happened to be watching where one character's movement would match up with the next shot. However it is a pitfall even the greatest of directors struggles to avoid and seeming as the process of filming is such a long one, I can't stress enough how insignificant this becomes when matched with the collation of a provocative and emphatic script, score and intelligible use of cinematography. This is a truly inspiring series not to be taken lightly at all.
