Birdsong- BBC series 2012

Birdsong, the novel by Sebastian Faulks, has been recently adapted into a miniseries by the BBC, with a screenplay written by Abi Morgan (Iron Lady, Shame) and directed by Philip Martin. As usual, we can expect great things from it, and it truly is a beautiful work of art, although it has certain flaws.

Episode 1
The story follows Wraysford, a young British man, through two different periods of his life: the first, set in 1910, is the short, but memorable time spent in the house of a French family, where he meets Isabel, and the second, set in 1916, is the world war.

Eddie Redmayne, as Stephen Wraysford, is good, but he does annoy me with some of his manners and gestures; if you have seen My week with Marilyn, you know what I mean: his eyes. I'm not saying they are not beautiful, because they are, but his glance, the way he looks at someone or something, even if it's Isabel, the love of his life, or a random tree in the woods, it's always the same- his starring eyes are becoming a signature move/look. He is quite a character and I loved him in Pillars of the Earth, but he relies too much on his pretty eyes, which is not good- the British film industry is growing day by day, showcasing younger, attractive, talented men like Harry Lloyd, Douglas Booth, Jeremy Irvine or Richard Madden, and in a few years, those eyes of his won't be enough.

Speaking of attractive British men, we also have Matthew Goode and Richard Madden in the cast. While the Single Man star is briefly seen in some scenes of the episode, The Game of Thrones resident King plays Weir, the nice guy with knitted sweaters who is, probably, the only friend of Wraysford on the battlefield. Joseph Mawle also gives a heartwarming performance and it should be interesting to see how his character evolves in second part.

Clemence Poesy portrays the young French woman who falls in love with Wraysford, and unfortunately, the only thing I saw in her was beauty, that's all. Effortless elegance and grace, lovely features and great style, but nothing more. She acts her part, but brings nothing new; it's like she is keeping a distance between her and Isabel, and you, as a viewer, cannot feel the connection, which is too bad, considering the interesting part she was giving.

As for the actual filmmaking aspect of it, BBC has, yet again, outdone itself- the sets are fantastic, the costumes, lighting and cinematography-breathtaking, and the direction beautifully highlights the story and its characters; absolutely nothing bad that I could comment on.

The series is off to a good start and I am curious to see what episode 2 brings to the story and the characters.

p.s. Sometimes, I just hate accents, I cannot understand what they are saying- case in point, Madden's Scottish one.

Episode 2
The second episode continues in the same rhythm as the first one: transitions between the past (Isabel time) and present (war time), excessively using the slow-motion shooting style (one of the film's major flaws). Apart from a few resurrections (of Wraysford) and far too many violent, unnecessary deaths (SPOILER-Weir, Firebrace, soldiers), there's not a lot of action, and I think that is the series main problem: although the story has a fluent and visually attracting pace, in the end, it is not satisfaying for the viewers. Maybe it's the book, maybe it's the script (but I doubt that, Abi Morgan has done a wonderful job), but something doesn't click- in the end, we get too much visual and too little action- it can get a little bit boring.

But the again, the cinematography is stunning and I love the difference between the two storylines: going from the light, bright tones of the Isabel time, to the dark, shady colors of the war time. The direction is good, but I do think they overused some techniques to create the dreamy, remembering state of the film.

Performance-wise, all actors have improved, Redmayne showing a little bit more the second time around. Madden is just as good and I loved the sensitivity of his character, although his ending was stupid. Joseph Mawle shines and Matthew Goode shows that he does have a leading man potential (he is a fantastic actor and a personal favorite).


Overall, Birdsong is a good, beautiful miniseries, but I am sure we can find better ones out there. I really hope you are interested in these type of TV shows, because I plan on seeing and reviewing more of them! :)

Do you usually watch miniseries? What other similar shows do you recommend?

Great Expectations[2011] BBC

BBC1 has unveiled another great miniseries, this time adapting Charles Dicken's classic novel, Great Expectations. The 3 episodes aired on the 27th, 28th and 29th of December 2011.

Episode 1

The story follows Pip, a boy who, in his way back home from the cemetery where his parents were burried, is attacked by an escaped prisoner and forced to help him; Pip obliges and brings the man food and tools to set him free, but the man is caught, and when it's time to admit, he does not reveal his "angel". After this incident, Pip is called at the house of miss Havisham, a peculiar lady who lives in strange conditions with her adopted daughter, Estella. The three of them spend time together, but after a while, the boy is bought off and restricted from the house. The first part of the miniseries ends with the surprising news that Pip, now a young man, has a benefactor and was rewarded with a fortune; he must leave for London immediatly and live a proper young man's life.

This episode set the mood of the film, a dark one, but fascinating and beautiful none of the less. The cinematography is spectacular, the costumes are perfect and the performances are, quite possible, among the best I have seen- everyone delivers, although Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham looks like she is trying too much; I think Helena Bonham Carter will slay this part when the big screen adaptation comes to cinema. Young Estella is intriguing, but a little odd-looking for her age, and Oscar Kennedy as young Pip is adorable and rightfully portrays the part. Also, a nice surprise seeing Mark Addy as Pumblechook (all hail King Baratheon). I do think some parts were a little rushed into and out of, but overall, it is a lovely start of the adaptation of this classic English novel.

"Your eyes have been opened and now you cannot close them"


Episode 2- 

The story:  Pip arrives in London and Mister Jaggers installs him into a new house, having Herbert Pocket introduce the young man to the customs of London. After a while, as Pip settles in, he even receives a visit from Joe Gargery, his uncle, wanting know more of him and we are first introduced to Drummle, during a visit of Pip to mister Jaggers. Several key situations occur: the young man visits to miss Havisham with Estella, where he learns more about the family and the women, he helps Herbert to get a job without him knowing, his relationship with Estella becomes much more interesting, and, in the end, he finds out who his benefactor is, after he receives an unexpectated visit from him a night before reaching his age: it is Abel Magwitch, the man he helped rescue all those years ago.


I must confess I am loving the characters and the actors portraying them, so far. Grown up Herbert Pocket shows up and Harry Lloyd plays him- I love Harry, he has such a pleasant, yet powerful presence to him; one other spectacular part from him is in Game of Thrones. Clara, his fiancee, is a familiar face, but I can't say where from exactly. As for Gillian Anderson, she gets better and better with every scene and I am really starting to like her as her character slips into madness more and more.

One special mention has to go to the lake scene: everything was perfect- the costumes, the lighting, the direction, the performances, absolutely beautiful.

The second episode, as a whole, is as superb as the first one, but I keep hoping something great, some action will occur. If episode 1 was about introducing Pip and his family, now episode 2 is about introducing the London crowd. Maybe, with the appeareance of Magwitch, things will change.

Episode 3

The third episode begins with Pip desperate try to prove that Magwitch is not his benefactor- he goes to Satis House, only to find out that Estella is about to marry Drummle. The next 40 minutes contains so many beautiful, unexpected situations, full of twists and turns; I don't want to ruin the fun for you. I will just say that it is worth your time and the two episodes that I said were preparing for something bigger, proved their importance.

As always, there were some memorable moments:
- the scenes between Pip, Estella and Miss Havisham- the dissapointment, learning that not only Estella was just "practicing" on him, but also that Miss Havisham never had his best intentions- the moment where he calls him "a mere boy from the forge" is heartbreaking. Evrything about those scene is stunning and almost perfect
- Miss Havisham  (in horrible conditions both physically and mentally; after the last meeting with Pip) ending her life
- Pip confessesing the truth about his daughter to Abel
- The very last scene, at the Satis House, between Pip and Estella

"I told you I can make you cry...if only you'd listened"


To conclude, I must say that I was mesmerized by this adaptation- it almost achieved perfection in every category and I loved it! It is a true work of art and you should see it, even if you don't like period drama. Watch it for the performances, for the beautiful cinematography, for the costumes, for the story, for Gillian Anderson and Douglas Booth, just do it!