I'm watching this - although an episode behind at the moment (Where is it airing in the US Kevin?).
I tend to agree that the characters are not the best from writer and director Stephen Poliakoff, but I'm sticking with it even though the setting is a little too close for my liking to his last BBC series Dancing on the Edge. That had too had a period hotel, black American jazz players and a larger than life American. That was pre-war; this post-war. However I'll always watch Poliakoff's work because he's done such interesting stuff in the past - Caught on the Train from 1980 and Shooting the Past from 1999 perhaps being my favourites. I like Jim Sturgess's character although I find him utterly unbelievable marching around doing as he pleases. And for a hotel being closely monitored by security services, there seem to be slightly too many suspicious characters kicking around. My biggest criticism is that the direction is a bit off at times, and the editing is a little jerky with bits of scenes seemingly missing. Perhaps they shot far too much material and had to work to get it into the right length. One part of the story of particular interest to me is the secret goings on in Enfield, which is based on true events. This is the mansion house on the edge of north London where Sturgess's character starts, and returns to every so often. This is based on a real place that is very close to where I live. Trent Park has a mansion house, and during the war it was requisitioned by the military to house captured high-ranking German officers. The British treated the Germans very well, and let them walk around the extensive grounds (now a fantastic public country park) and even occasionally took them on trips into central London! The Germans thought the British were mad giving them such a relatively comfortable life as POWs. What they didn't know was the the entire house and grounds were wired up with bugs. In the basement a team of German speaking interpreters were working night and day listening to the officers as they talked with one another. The relaxed atmosphere was to lull them into a false sense of security so that they might mention war secrets. Seemingly it was a very successful strategy and was carried out at another site too. The house hasn't been open to the public for some years, but I did get a one-off guided tour a couple of years ago and the rooms where the listeners sat are still clear with the remains of the wiring still in place. Latterly the mansion house has been bought by a developer, but they're looking to build a museum celebrating the "secret listeners" who occupied it during the war. I should note that they didn't actually film the series in Enfield, and nor did they use London much. It's all too new now, so locations around Liverpool were used. Adam On Thu, Dec 8, 2016 at 5:37 AM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote: > Is anybody else watching this? By any measurable standard, it shouldn't > work. Horrific stereotypes (smug British spy, sassy African American > singer, uptight German scientist...), bland setting, and an inattention to > detail that boggles the mind (I swear I saw an Apple Watch on one of the > actors). But I find myself liking the series. It is quirky, well-paced, and > despite the stereotypes, the situations are unique. > > Close to the Enemy -- the first episode was free on iTunes... not sure if > it still is > https://itun.es/us/xwTRfb > > -- > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
