The Luminaries is a joint British and New Zealanddrama television miniseries based on Eleanor Catton's 2013 novel The Luminaries. The series is centred on a young adventurer named Anna Wetherell, who has travelled from the United Kingdom to start a new life on the South Island's West Coast during the 1860s West Coast Gold Rush. The series premiered on TVNZ 1 on 17 May 2020 and is also available on TVNZ's streaming service TVNZ On Demand. The series was first broadcast on BBC One in the UK on 21 June 2020. It is distributed worldwide by Fremantle Media.
Synopsis
's description: "An adaptation of the Man Booker-prize winning novel, this epic drama tells the 19th-century tale of love, murder and revenge as men and women travel across the world to make their fortunes on the wild West Coast of New Zealand'sSouth Island." The BBC synopsis added that the series is set "in the boom years of the 1860s gold rush". The script was written by Eleanor Catton and was said to be "very different from the book". Trailers for the series, providing additional specifics, were released by the BBC on 12 June 2020.
In 2019, it was reported that BBC Two was producing a miniseries adaptation, that was directed by Claire McCarthy with the novel's author Eleanor Catton being involved in the production process. The miniseries was produced by Working Title Television and Southern Light Films for BBC Two in association with TVNZ, Fremantle, and Silver Reel, with funding from the New Zealand Film Commission. According to Condé Nast Traveler, the production was filmed at many locations in New Zealand, including the South Island’s southeast coast and Hokitika on the west coast and also near Auckland. The Wild West-style main street of Dunedin was set in the parking lot of a film studio. Other locations included the Tāwharanui Peninsula, Te Henga and a farm where the village of Hokitika and Chinatown were recreated. Because the Arahura River was experiencing flooding, the production shot at Crooked River. The scene of Anna and Emery’s arrival by boat in New Zealand was filmed at Whangaroa; a small set was built on a barge.
Release
The Luminaries premiered on TVNZ 1 on 17 May 2020 and is also available on TVNZ's streaming service TVNZ On Demand. In the United Kingdom, the series first aired on BBC One on 21 June.
Reception
Early reviews in the UK were quite positive. "It is glorious escapism, perfect for our times... promises to be as addictive as it was in its original form", according to The Guardian. The Times review was neutral but praised the fine performance by Eve Hewson. The review in The Telegraph was less favourable: "It sounds odd to say that a period drama feels dated... seemed a stuffy throwback" and complained of the overly dark lighting effects. According to BBC News, "many viewers on social media also pointed out the dim lighting, with some saying they had to turn up their brightness while watching". Aggregator Rotten Tomatoes indicated that 60% of the fifteen reviews it had found as of 2020 were favourable. The Critics Consensus states: "Lucious, but lacking, The Luminaries has style and character to spare, but those looking for a little more depth may be left wanting."
