Earthsea (2004) (TV)

Director:

Robert Lieberman

Writers (WGA):

Ursula K. Le Guin (novels)
Gavin Scott (teleplay)

Release Date:

13 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Drama | Adventure

Plot:

A reckless youth is destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known...

Plot Keywords:

Island | Wizard | Dragon | Amulet | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 7 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 1	10:00 AM	SYFY
Tue. Dec. 1	12:00 PM	SYFY

Cast

Shawn Ashmore	...	Ged
Kristin Kreuk	...	Tenar
Isabella Rossellini	...	High Priestess Thar
Danny Glover	...	Ogion
Sebastian Roché	...	King Tygath
Chris Gauthier	...	Vetch (as Christopher Gauthier)
Jennifer Calvert	...	Kossil
Emily Hampshire	...	Rosa
Mark Hildreth	...	Jasper
Alan Scarfe	...	Archmagus
Alessandro Juliani	...	Skiorch
Erin Karpluk	...	Diana
Dave 'Squatch' Ward	...	Dunain (as David Ward)
Mark Acheson	...	Gebbeth
John Tench	...	General Doar

Also Known As:

Legend of Earthsea (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

90 min (2 parts)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | UK:12 | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Hallmark Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

Ged: I'd never met anyone who defined the world through their stomach.
Vetch: Well now you have my friend

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#34.9)" (2005)

Lack of character motivation mirrors lack of viewer motivation

One of the main problem is the massacre of most of the motivations that guided Ged & helped me relate to him as a character. In the original, Ged started out with a delight in control over other creatures; this delight was warped by his pride, which was the origin and core of the conflict. His desire to impress arises from his interactions with a witch's daughter, leading to his first summoning of the shadow (not to mention the fact that the daughter plays a key role later in the story). In an equal-and-opposite kind of way, Ged's pride and power unleashed his own potential destruction. The mini-series detaches the characters from almost any sense of motivation, turning them into pieces passionlessly moving about in something akin to a bad D & D adventure.

For the record, I voted with a rating of 2/10. Under ordinary circumstances, I need to black out from the pain before I rate something this low; unfortunately, the fact that the movie claims to somehow be related to Le Guin's series warrants a further deduction for misrepresentation.