Recommended Television Programmes

[jayne lee wilson]

Absolutely. This and many other excellent - and truthfully "dramatic" documentaries have made it very hard for fictional drama based on the same events to compel us to deeper, or even the same, level of involvement.

It could only do so by focussing keenly on individual lives and characters, within that epic context. For me this is the main weakness of World on Fire, precisely because there are so many of them and there is little real development, so far at least... but at the same time, the direction has failed to achieve a genuinely epic sweep; so the conceptual ambition falls between two stools. If series two narrows its focus a bit, that may help.

As Adam Sweeting put it "more depth and less breadth might have been advisable".

[LMcD]

Absolutely. This and many other excellent - and truthfully "dramatic" documentaries have made it very hard for fictional drama based on the same events to compel us to deeper, or even the same, level of involvement.

It could only do so by focussing keenly on individual lives and characters, within that epic context. For me this is the main weakness of World on Fire, precisely because there are so many of them and there is little real development, so far at least... but at the same time, the direction has failed to achieve a genuinely epic sweep; so the conceptual ambition falls between two stools. If series two narrows its focus a bit, that may help.

As Adam Sweeting put it "more depth and less breadth might have been advisable".

The title 'World On Fire' might lead one to expect a broad focus. I think Mike Bowker has cleverly weaved together threads dealing with characters and events in 2 countries which have been invaded and defeated, those in a 3rd country which has thus far avoided that fate, and those in the country that started it all. The Parisian thread highlights the fact that it was not only Jews who were targeted by the Nazis but also homosexuals (or other terms in use at that time), blacks (cf. Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics) and people who played 'degenerate' music. The whole thing can be seen as a character-driven examination of different forms of resistance to evil. Different people react in different ways, not only in the different countries but also within them, with some feeling driven to perform acts that they might previously considered unspeakable. In Germany, for example, we move from the tearing down of banners to the dumping of a body in a lake.
I also find the developing relationship between Harry's mother and her Polish 'guest' fascinating.
(I agree that Olivier's contribution is a major factor in the success - if I can put it that way - of 'The World At War').

[Nick Armstrong]

The title 'World On Fire' might lead one to expect a broad focus. I think Mike Bowker has cleverly weaved together threads dealing with characters and events in 2 countries which have been invaded and defeated, those in a 3rd country which has thus far avoided that fate, and those in the country that started it all. The Parisian thread highlights the fact that it was not only Jews who were targeted by the Nazis but also homosexuals (or other terms in use at that time), blacks (cf. Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics) and people who played 'degenerate' music. The whole thing can be seen as a character-driven examination of different forms of resistance to evil. Different people react in different ways, not only in the different countries but also within them, with some feeling driven to perform acts that they might previously considered unspeakable. In Germany, for example, we move from the tearing down of banners to the dumping of a body in a lake.
I also find the developing relationship between Harry's mother and her Polish 'guest' fascinating.
(I agree that Olivier's contribution is a major factor in the success - if I can put it that way - of 'The World At War').

[jayne lee wilson]

The title 'World On Fire' might lead one to expect a broad focus. I think Mike Bowker has cleverly weaved together threads dealing with characters and events in 2 countries which have been invaded and defeated, those in a 3rd country which has thus far avoided that fate, and those in the country that started it all. The Parisian thread highlights the fact that it was not only Jews who were targeted by the Nazis but also homosexuals (or other terms in use at that time), blacks (cf. Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics) and people who played 'degenerate' music. The whole thing can be seen as a character-driven examination of different forms of resistance to evil. Different people react in different ways, not only in the different countries but also within them, with some feeling driven to perform acts that they might previously considered unspeakable. In Germany, for example, we move from the tearing down of banners to the dumping of a body in a lake.
I also find the developing relationship between Harry's mother and her Polish 'guest' fascinating.
(I agree that Olivier's contribution is a major factor in the success - if I can put it that way - of 'The World At War').

Yes but.... you almost make my point for me...... this detailed description could almost be of a documentary rather than a fictional drama.... the series problem so far has been precisely that it is trying too hard to cover everything, so the characters never develop beyond two-dimensional symbols, representatives of each group & its stories.......

As I said, Band of Brothers had a broad sweep (and better acting, and visually epic direction, far more varied than the rather stiff, fixed or limited visual perspectives of WoF...) but by focussing intially on a narrower experiential range, drew you into individual tales much more compellingly, from which you could then see and feel the local and continent-wide destruction as those individuals experienced it....... other excellent examples would be the films Dunkirk and Schindlers List....

I'm not completely alone in the this view....

https://theartsdesk.com/tv/world-fire-bbc-one-review-more-melodrama-drama

[Anastasius]

Vienna Blood....BBC Two. Beautifully staged and shot. Episode one was good...Episode Two even better. Not seen anything this good for ages.

[ardcarp]

...loved the Magic Flute scene near the end. Very droll.

[LMcD]

It's not strictly a TV programme, but Amazon's 'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel' is the smartest and funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I'm pleased to see that there will be a 4th series.

[johncorrigan]

Watched 'Elizabeth is Missing' on catch-up.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000c6pv

Glenda Jackson returned to our screens and gave an absolutely outstanding performance as Maud, as she and her family deal with Maud's Dementia. I was gripped throughout. It was a really well plotted story helping us make sense of Maud's history. I also enjoyed it because I realised that some of it was filmed in my old home town, Paisley.

[alywin]

On New Year's Day, the "Romeo and Juliet: Beyond Words" should be very good - it certainly looked great in the cinema. It's a shortened version of the Royal Ballet's production, filmed outdoors on the sets used for The Borgias, I believe. Good to see things being re-used ...

[johncorrigan]

I never watched Worzel Gummidge when it was originally on TV, and I know this updated version is very different, but I thought the first part of Mackenzie Crook's adaptation was a delight taking lots of the things that worked so well in 'The Detectorists' - funny, poignant, rural. Some fine music from the Unthanks in there too, and Crook and the Scarecrows of Albion were terrific. Second and final part is tomorrow night.

[ardcarp]

Watched 'Elizabeth is Missing'

I saw it too, and was at first sceptical about how the brilliant book (which I read when it first appeared) would translate to film. But it did; and I agree Glenda Jackson was excellent.

[Richard Tarleton]

Not sure if this counts as a TV programme or a film - but we watched it on TV - "The Two Popes", on Netflix, with Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce. One or two minor supporting cast members, but essentially a mesmerising two-hander, much of it in close-up, between these two remarkable and utterly convincing actors. It is based around an extended meeting between Cardinal Bergoglio and Pope Benedict when the former travelled to Rome to resign, the Pope determined to stop him and confessing his own intention to resign and the cardinal's incredulity at this - Jesus did not step down from the cross. There are also extended flashbacks to Bergoglio's early life - I had not appreciated his complicated and compromised position under the Generals, and what a divisive figure he had been in Argentina. Intercut in places with some real documentary footage, it ends with the two popes watching football (I don't think that's a spoiler, we know how it ends )

Bergoglio tells a nice Jesuit joke - about the man asking his confessor if it was permissible to smoke while praying - the confessor, appalled, said of course not. The man consults his Jesuit friend who says he was asking the wrong question - he should have asked if it was permissible to pray while smoking.

[LMcD]

I'm not sure which is the appropriate thread to use for reviewing or recommending films/programmes seen on Amazon Prime, Netflix or similar platforms. Any thoughts?

[johncorrigan]

Second and final part is tomorrow night.

Enjoyed part two just as much as I did the first one...and if you liked 'The Detectorists', you may well like this too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000csng

[ardcarp]

I'm not sure which is the appropriate thread to use for reviewing or recommending films/programmes seen on Amazon Prime, Netflix or similar platforms. Any thoughts?

It seems as good a place as any. It is a General Arts thread.