Earthsea (2004– )

A reckless youth is destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known. When the young wizard Ged discovers that he possesses infinite magical powers... See full summary »

Stars:

Shawn Ashmore, Kristin Kreuk, Isabella Rossellini

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 7 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Shawn Ashmore	...	Ged

Storyline

A reckless youth is destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known. When the young wizard Ged discovers that he possesses infinite magical powers, he seeks to master the ancient arts. As he journeys to manhood, he will combat dragons, fall in love, cross death's threshold, and ultimately wield the power to reunite a kingdom.

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Plot Keywords:

island | dragon | earthsea | wizard | amulet | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Drama | Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Legend of Earthsea

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sci-Fi Channel, The, Bender Brown Productions, Hallmark Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 90 min (2 parts)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Shortly after Ged and Oigon turn their backs to the goat, the crystal from Oigon's staff falls to the ground. After the cut, the crystal is back.

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Quotes

Tenar: So this is our destiny?
Ged: If not us, then who?

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #34.9 (2005)

User Reviews

Worse than I thought possible

I had read Ursula K. LeGuin's response to some statements made by the director and I expected it to be bad. What I saw was horrendous. This is, to my mind, one of the best fantasy series ever written. This adaptation of it only resembles it in the location it was set and the names of the characters.

I have seen a couple of posts to which I must respond:

1) Comparing this to other works such as Dune and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant miss the mark. While both of those series were great, A Wizard of Earthsea precedes them. Moreover, the best of the series was the last two books, unlike most other most similar series (was it Frank Herbert that said "every good trilogy is five books, at least"?

2) Changing the race of the characters misses an integral part of the statement made by the author. I know she hates it when people read meanings into her works, but given that the book was written in the middle of racial unrest in the '60s a statement was made, intended or otherwise. The "good guys" were the dark skinned peoples and the "bad guys" were the tall, blond white peoples (yes, I know it's no where near that simple, but the basic idea stands).