Jonathan Creek: The Judas Tree

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Rating 2


Written and directed by David Renwick

Starring Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek), Sheridan Smith (Joey Ross), Paul McGann (Hugo Dore), Sasha Behar (Harriet Dore), Natalie Walter (Emily Somerton), Doreen Mantle (Mrs Gantry), Ian McNeice (Father Roderick Alberic), Florence Hall (Young Emily), Susanne Ahmet (Kim) and Stuart Milligan (Adam Klaus)


Emily Somerton is hired to help the aging housekeeper of a large house where a mysterious and still unexplained death occurred more than a hundred years previously. Emily suffers from a nervous disposition following a strange incident several years earlier when she saw a house that seemed to disappear and was then attacked by an old man slithering through the long grass in the field where the vanishing house had stood. Her state of mind is made more fragile by strange happenings in the house where she has gone to work and live and she asks self-styled psychic investigator Joey Ross for help, who in turn involves Jonathan Creek. Before long they are desperately trying to solve the puzzle and prove Emily innocent of the charge of murder.

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‘Jonathan Creek’ ran for four seasons and 25 episodes on BBC1 between May 1997 and February 2004, attracting an audience as big as 11.5 million viewers. Each episode was written by David Renwick, who is otherwise best known for the often surreal sitcom ‘One Foot in the Grave’, which subverted the form with some inspired black comedy. Renwick also dramatised four episodes of ‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot’ starring David Suchet in the early 1990s, amongst his portfolio of other work.

Following a gap of nearly five years, a new episode of ‘Jonathan Creek’ was broadcast at New Year 2009, attracting an audience just shy of 10 million, and now after a further lengthy break comes another “special”, broadcast at Easter 2010, with the promise of more to come.

Jonathan Creek designs illusions for a cheesy and amoral stage magician called Adam Klaus, the only other character to have been featured in the whole of the series. Creek also solves seemingly unsolvable mysteries, placing the emphasis on discovering how something was done and not the identity of the perpetrator. Klaus is not involved in these mysteries and his presence in the series is for comic purposes. For example, in an irreverent and irrelevant sub-plot in ‘The Judas Tree’ he becomes the victim of an online prankster and is painted as a racist. Klaus is not racist; he is simply entirely self-absorbed. The role of Adam Klaus was played in the very first episode by Anthony Head, whose future involvement after that was presumably curtailed by ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. Stuart Milligan assumed the role in the first episode of the second season in January 1998.

Creek’s foil was initially an investigative writer called Maggie Magellan (played by Caroline Quentin), who would quite happily lie and use dishonesty in pursuit of material for her books. She frequently involved a reluctant Creek in her investigations and they had an on-off sexual relationship. Quentin played this role in the first three seasons up to January 2000. There was no new season in 2001 or 2002, but Julia Sawalha made her first appearance in the Christmas 2001 special, playing Carla Borrego, a theatrical agent. Sawalha became a regular cast member in season four in 2003, by which time her character had married and become the presenter of a real-life crime show on television. Her husband was played by the comic actor, writer and musician Adrian Edmondson, whose frequent on-screen partner Ric Mayall had guest starred in a season two episode.

Following the five-year hiatus, Sheridan Smith made her first appearance in the January 2009 special, playing Joey Ross, and has repeated that role in ‘The Judas Tree’. Smith is probably best known for the sitcom ‘Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps’. Her other television work includes the comedy-drama series ‘Love Soup’, which was created and written by David Renwick.

David Renwick has said one of the reasons he stopped writing ‘Jonathan Creek’ after the fourth season was that it was becoming increasingly hard to think up new puzzles and mysteries for his title character to solve. His reason for bringing the character back was largely because the only other viable option was to retire, unless he attempted to create an entirely new show, something he says he does not have the energy for. ‘The Judas Tree’ does seem to indicate that his powers are waning. Although it starts quite brightly, the story never really goes anywhere and there is very little for Jonathan to ponder. Worst of all, the twisty ending is very sloppy and undefined. Jonathan does not solve the puzzle at all, although he has put most of the pieces in place, and it has to be explained to him, following which it is not entirely clear how it all ends.

Having said that, Jonathan has always been a likeable character, albeit one with a mixture of detached reticence and off-hand arrogance, and the one-time stand-up comedian Alan Davies is a perfect fit for the role, although he was not the first choice. A number of other actors had been approached and at one point Hugh Lawrie was signed to the project before Davies was eventually hired. Sheridan Smith has also, I think, proved to be a successful addition to the cast. She does, of course, have the advantage that she has not immediately succeeded Caroline Quentin and it is now ten years since Quentin left the show.

Familiarity and likeability work in favour of ‘The Judas Tree’, which is otherwise a rather weak and undistinguished addition to the list of ‘Jonathan Creek’ episodes. The symbolic significance of the Judas tree that perpetually fails to flower remains somewhat elusive.

Review posted 6 April 2010


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The Turn of the Screw

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Rating 2

Directed by Tim Fywell

Written by Sandy Welch, based on the novella by Henry James

Starring Michelle Dockery (Ann), Sue Johnstone (Sarah Grose), Dan Stevens (Dr Fisher), Nicola Walker (Carla), Eva Sayer (Flora), Josef Lindsay (Miles), Mark Umbers (Master), Corin Redgrave (Professor), Wendy Abiston (Baines), Sarah Buckland (Diana), Edward MacLiam (Peter Quint) and Katie Lightfoot (Emily Jessel)


Ann takes up the position of governess to two young orphaned children in a large isolated house in the country. They have been cared for by the housekeeper Sarah Grose since the sudden departure of the previous governess. The girl Flora lives in the house, but her brother Miles is away at school, until a letter arrives to say he is being sent home and will not be allowed to return to the school. Ann becomes increasingly concerned by the behaviour of the two children and as the secrets the house hides are slowly revealed she becomes convinced that a depraved and malevolent presence from beyond the grave is attempting to claim them.

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The BBC has a long tradition of broadcasting Gothic ghost stories at Christmas, often those written by M R James, who remains probably the most celebrated English writer of ghost stories. For Christmas 2009, however, they chose a new production of the famous novella by Henry James, the famous British-based American writer. It was first published in 1898 and has frequently been the subject of literary analysis and discussion. This new adaptation, written by Sandy Welch, who has written many costume dramas for the BBC, including adaptations of ‘Emma’, ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘North & South’, sexes up the story, presumably in an attempt to make it more palatable to television audiences now, and in the process destroys much of the sinister mystery and ambiguity of the themes to found in the book.

Michelle Dockery (whose previous credits include ‘Cranford’, ‘Waking the Dead’ and ‘Fingersmith’) is very good in the central role and Sue Johnston is always worth watching. Eva Sayer and Josef Lindsay are suitably creepy as the strange young brother and sister, but while the production is well mounted, I found it ultimately a little disappointing.

Tim Fywell is an experienced director, primarily working in television. He has directed several episodes of the brilliant long-running BBC crime drama series ‘Waking the Dead’. He also directed the Disney film ‘Ice Princess’, starring former ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ actress Michelle Trachtenberg, and prior to that ‘I Capture the Castle’, a film that starred another former ‘Buffy’ actor, Marc Blucas, together with Tara Fitzgerald, one of the current main cast of ‘Waking the Dead’.

Review posted 9 January 2010


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Ghostboat

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Rating 2½


Directed by Stuart Orme

Written by Guy Burt, based on the novel by George E Simpson and Neal R Burger

Starring David Jason (Jack Hardy), Ian Puleston-Davies (Commander Travis), Tony Haygarth (Alan Cassidy), Julian Wadham (Captain Byrnes), James Laurenson (Admiral Nealy), Robert Whitelock (Spender), Jamie Martin (Tyler), Roger Evans (Monroe), Robert Horwell (Mason), Alan Stocks (Peterson), Lee Whitlock (Reeves), Ricky Nixon (Langdon) and Jonathan Cullen (Captain Basquine)

1981: HMS Scorpion, a World War II British submarine, suddenly surfaces in the path of a Russian merchant ship, 38 years after it disappeared in the Baltic Sea. When the hatch is opened there are no bodies found inside and the vessel shows no signs of aging or having been at the bottom of sea for such a long period of time. Commander Travis of naval intelligence is put in charge of finding out what happened and decides to follow the path of its final known voyage, taking with him Professor Jack Hardy, the only survivor of the original crew, who was picked up by the German Navy in open water, but has no memory of what happened or why he survived, and Alan Cassidy, one of the submarine’s designers. A series of strange and disconcerting events leads Hardy to the conclusion that they are caught in some kind of rift in time.

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‘Ghostboat’ is a feature-length drama production made for Yorkshire Television (ITV) that was broadcast in two parts, with a total running time in the region of 140 minutes. It stars David Jason, a staple of British Television, who is perhaps best known for his role as Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in the much-loved BBC sit-com ‘Only Fools and Horses’, but had, between 1992 and 2008, starred as Inspector Jack Frost in the popular ITV crime drama ‘A Touch of Frost’. ‘Ghostboat’, which was first broadcast in April 2006, is based on a 1978 novel of the same name, although in the book the action takes place in the 1970s in the Pacific Ocean and the “enemy” is the Japanese. In the film the action occurs in the early 1980s, the enemy is Nazi Germany and the action takes place against a backdrop of the Cold War and the uneasy diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

The film, although rather slow moving and repetitive, is quite effectively staged, although I have read that the submarine is not authentic, something that did not affect my viewing because I know nothing about these things. It is too long and once it becomes clear what is happening and Hardy begins to piece together memories that he had previously blocked it does start to drag somewhat. I am not convinced that David Jason is particularly effective in the lead role. He doesn’t give a bad performance by any means, but he does seem a little miscast.

Ultimately it is all a little daft, but I enjoyed it. Some comparisons might be made with the 2002 film ‘Below’ and, up to a point, the 1980 film ‘The Final Countdown’.

Review posted 22 December 2009


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Waking the Dead: Magdalene 26 (season eight, episodes one and two)

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WARNING: This review contains a major spoiler and should not be read if you have not watched it and you have any intention to do so.

Rating 2½

Created by Barbara Machin

Written by Declan Croghan

Directed by Andy Hay

Starring Trevor Eve (Peter Boyd), Sue Johnston (Grace Foley), Tara Fitzgerald (Eve Lockhart), Wil Johnson (Spencer Jordan), Félicité du Jeu (Stella Goodman), Stacey Roca (Katrina Howard), Sharon Maughan (Elizabeth), Cian Barry (Michael O’Hare), Bosco Hogan (Father Quinn), Lynda Rooke (Sister Rooke), Adam Best (Young Father Quinn), Alki David (Coban), Tam Mutu (Zafer), Sam Vincenti (Olgac), Daniel Lapaine (Samuel Knight), Danial Pirrie (Tony Muller), Denise Gough (Kathleen), Lisa Hogg (Teenage Elizabeth) and Elizabeth Barrett (Young Elizabeth)


A woman is found wondering naked and bloody along a country road. She seems to be suffering from amnesia. DNA tests places her at the scene of an unsolved crime that took place in a Soho club in 1966. When a crashed and abandoned car is discovered close to where she was found, it is traced back to her home, where her husband has been brutally tortured and murdered.

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‘Magdalene 26’ is the opening story of the eighth season of the BBC police drama series. In keeping with previous seasons, it is told across two one-hour episodes broadcast on consecutive evenings. The series began with a pilot story broadcast at the beginning of September 2000. The first season began in June 2001.

The main cast from seasons six and seven all return here, but not for long. Stella Goodman (played by the French actress Félicité du Jeu), who had been first introduced into the series during season five in 2005, had been noticeably underused during season seven and the same thing seemed to happen again in this opening story of the eighth season. In fact, it was referenced that Stella had become something of a spare part, rather ignored by her boss, the perpetually angry Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd. It also seemed odd that another character, Katrina Howard, was introduced into the story, appearing to fill a space already occupied by Stella, although she was not actually a part of the team. All was revealed in the closing scene when we learned, somewhat unexpectedly, that Stella had died following what had earlier seemed to be a fairly innocuous gunshot wound to the leg. I like this character and feel they really didn’t make the most of her, in season seven especially. Whatever the reason for her departure, it is a shame to see her go.

The story itself drew on themes already familiar from previous episodes, including a less than positive depiction of Catholics nuns, something Declan Croghan, the writer here, had delved into in the season six opener ‘Wren Boys’. Although initially quite typical of the long established style of the series, somewhat far-fetched but diverting, the story does become increasingly ludicrous during the second episode and ends up being completely barmy – involving long lost twins, barbaric nuns, Soho brothels, Turkish gangsters, as well as commentary about Britain’s less than flattering role in Iraq and the unregulated widespread greed that led to the worldwide financial crash in 2007. However, the real joy of watching ‘Waking the Dead’ is the interaction between Boyd and the team’s psychological profiler Dr Grace Foley – and the performances of Trevor Eve and Sue Johnson in these two roles. That hasn’t changed.

The series has, I suspect, long since past its best days, but it’s good to see it back and I am looking forward to the remaining three stories in this latest season.

Review posted 14 September 2009



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Marple: Murder is Easy

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Rating 2


Directed by Hettie Macdonald

Written by Stephen Churchett, based on the novel by Agatha Christie

Starring Julia MacKenzie (Miss Marple), Benedict Cumberbatch (Luke Fitzwilliam), Margo Stilley (Bridget Conway), Shirley Henderson (Honoria Wayneflete), David Haig (Major Hugh Horton), Russell Tovey (PC Terence Reed), Steve Pemberton (Henry Wake), Sylvia Syms (Lavinia Pinkerton), Lyndsey Marshal (Amy Gibbs), James Lance (Dr Geoffrey Thomas), Tim Brooke-Taylor (Dr Edward Humbleby), Camilla Arfwedson (Rose Humbleby), Anna Chancellor (Lydia Horton) and Jemma Redgrave (Jessie Humbleby)


Miss Marple meets Lavinia Pinkerton during a train journey, who tells her she is travelling up to London to report a double murder to Scotland Yard. When Lavinia dies, seemingly after a tragic fall on an escalator at an underground station, before she can report her suspicions to the police, Miss Marple travels to the village of Wychwood to investigate her claims. She discovers a web of secrets and intrigue and before long more murders occur, disguised as accidents.

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‘Murder Is Easy’ is the second episode of the fourth season of ‘Marple’, the ITV production based on Agatha Christie’s much-loved amateur detective. Geraldine McEwan played the title role in the first three seasons (twelve episodes). As brilliant an actress as McEwan is, I didn’t really take to her interpretation of the character or, more to the point, the style in which the stories were presented. They seemed to be forever winking at the audience, as if telling us that they were in on the joke that these are rather dusty and quaint old stories from an age that, if it ever really existed in the first place, is long gone. It became, almost, a parody, and Miss Marple, as portrayed by McEwan, was, for my tastes, far too obviously knowing.

Part of the problem, I imagine, is that I grew up initially with the Margaret Rutherford interpretations (four films in which she played a boisterous larger-than-life Marple modelled on herself as much as the character created by Agatha Christie) and then the classic BBC adaptations of the 1980s and early 1990s, with the definitive portrayal of Miss Marple by Joan Hickson. All twelve Miss Marple novels were dramatised, the last adaptation in 1992 when Hickson was 86 years old, six years before her death. Hickson is an impossible act to follow and McEwan quite rightly adopted a different approach, one that I didn’t particularly enjoy.

Season four of ‘Marple’ sees Julia MacKenzie take over the role of Miss Marple. MacKenzie’s approach is closer to the source material than McEwan and the first two episodes (‘Murder is Easy’ and, before it, ‘A Pocketful of Rye’) are less stylised, but there seems to be a spark missing. The BBC version of ‘A Pocketful of Rye’ starring Joan Hickson, first broadcast in February 1985, is one of my particular favourites and I struggled with the new adaptation, giving up on it less than an hour into its two-hour running time (with adverts). I stuck with ‘Murder is Easy’ until the bitter end, but came away feeling that it was all rather flat and uninspiring.

‘Murder is Easy’, although an original Agatha Christie novel, is not a Miss Marple story. It is, in fact, one of five novels featuring the character Superintendent Battle, this one first published in 1939. The story has been radically reinterpreted here to remove Battle and insert Miss Marple into the narrative, rather unconvincingly at times. Other changes have also been made to the original novel (which I have not read), including the motivation behind the murders.

The characters remain rather indistinct throughout. Although there are six deaths in quick succession, five as the result of apparently tragic accidents and one, it seems, because of suicide, all of them actually murders, nobody in the close-knit community of the tiny village seems unduly alarmed, apart, of course, from Lavinia Pinkerton, herself one of the victims.

A number of sub-plots are introduced that do not amount to very much. One of the subsequent murder victims appears to be suffering from a potentially quite serious illness (coughing up blood), but nobody, including the local doctor and the usually eagle-eyed Miss Marple, appears to be in any way concerned about this. In fact, this illness, whatever it might have been, is simply a way of creating a means to allow for her murder, a very contrived and rather obviously signposted one at that. A young American woman, allegedly visiting the village to take brass rubbings in the local church, is clearly there for another purpose altogether, but although both Miss Marple and Luke Fitzwilliam, the former police officer she collaborates with, know this, they seem quite content to allow it to slide until the eventual dénouement.

Following a coroner’s inquest into the apparently accidental death of one of the victims, at which Fitzwilliam expresses his opinion that it was, in fact, murder, the coroner adjourns the inquest to allow police enquiries to take place. These are conducted not by a detective or team of police officers, but by a young constable, who asks questions that are fed to him by Miss Marple, sitting in an adjoining room, listening in. While some degree of suspension of disbelief is necessary to allow a scenario in which Miss Marple is allowed a role in the investigation, this is a particularly flimsy and unlikely set-up.

Julia MacKenzie seems, at this early stage, to be a reasonable choice for the new Miss Marple and there is a decent supporting cast here. The setting looks authentic and there are good production values, but the result is not especially satisfying.

The next instalment, ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’, is, once again, an adaptation of a Agatha Christie novel that does not feature Miss Marple.

Director Hettie Macdonald directed the brilliant and acclaimed 2007 Doctor Who episode ‘Blink’.

Review posted 14 September 2009



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Wallander

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Rating 3½


Directed by Philip Martin (‘Sidetracked’ and ‘One Step Behind’) and Niall MacCormick (‘Firewall’)

Written by Richard Cottan and Richard McBrien, based on novels by Henning Mankell

Starring Kenneth Branagh (Kurt Wallander), Jeany Spark (Linda Wallander), Sadie Shimmin (Lisa Holgersson), Sarah Smart (Anne-Britt Hoglund), Tom Hiddleston (Martinsson), Tom Beard (Svedberg), Richard McCabe (Nyberg), Polly Hemingway (Gertrude) and David Warner (Povel Wallander)


Sidetracked; Kurt Wallander sees a young girl pour petrol over herself and ignite it. He is then called in to investigate a number of killings in which the victim is scalped and realises that the two things are connected.

Firewall; A teenage girl stabs a taxi driver multiple times and claims it was to rob him of money. A man is found dead in the town square, apparently having suffered a heart attack. When the young girl escapes from police custody and is later found dead and the body of the man is stolen from the morgue, Wallander realises the two are connected.

One Step Behind; When the bodies of three young people who had been reported missing are discovered in a secluded woodland, Wallander realises too late that his colleague Svedberg had tried to tell him something important and has now left clues that somehow connect him to the killings.

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At the time of writing this review, there are nine Kurt Wallander crime-thriller novels written by the acclaimed Swedish author Henning Mankell, with another one due for publication in Sweden in August 2009. The first novel was published in 1991 and translated into English in 1997. Wallander is a police inspector working in Ystad, a locality on the southern tip of Sweden, near to the city of Malmö. The novels set out to shine a light on the hidden rotten core at the heart of Swedish society.

All nine novels were adapted into films in Sweden between 1994 and 2007, the first eight for the SVT television channel and the last one direct to video. Rolf Lassgård played the lead role. A further thirteen films, with Krister Henriksson in the lead role, were made in 2005 and 2006, one for theatrical release and the others released to DVD and broadcast on Swedish television. The first of these films was based on a Henning Mankell novel and the remainder were new stories, based on plots written by Mankell. A further thirteen films were commissioned in 2008.

The English-language ‘Wallander’ series was produced for BBC Scotland and broadcast on BBC1 in three feature-length weekly instalments between 30 November and 14 December 2008. ‘Sidetracked’ is based on the fifth novel ‘Villospår’, first published in 1995. ‘Firewall’ is based on ‘Brandvägg’, the eighth novel, published in 1998, and ‘One Step Behind’ is based on ‘Steget efter’, the seventh novel, published in 1997.

The three television adaptations run in this sequence – ‘Sidetracked’, ‘Firewall’ and ‘One Step Behind’ – and it is essential to continuity that ‘One Step Behind’ takes place after ‘Firewall’. However, the novel ‘Steget efter’ (‘Firewall’) was published after ‘Villospår’ (‘One Step Behind’). I am not sure why this is and having not read the novels, I do not know how far, if at all, the television adaptations deviate from the books.

The three films are really rather good and although I have not previously found Kenneth Branagh an especially interesting or watchable actor, I thought he was excellent here, even if I suspect he is not necessarily a perfect match for the character of Kurt Wallander. Branagh portrays Wallander as very world-weary. He seems obsessed by his work, but is at once both very emotionally involved in the cases he investigates and at the same disengaged from the world around him. This is explored through his relationship with his daughter Linda and we see parallels in his father Povel, an artist who is in the early stages of dementia. Wallander himself has to face the truth of it in the third story ‘One Step Behind’ when he realises that he knows next to nothing about his colleague Svedberg, even though Svedberg had described Wallander as his best friend.

It wasn’t as unrelentingly bleak as I had expected, which I actually think is to its detriment. I could not help but think throughout that it was just a little bit too slick, almost too hopeful. I found myself comparing it to ‘Jar City’, an Icelandic film based on a novel by the crime-thriller writer Arnaldur Indriðason, and in comparison it was almost like watching an episode of ‘Heartbeat’. I also had to remind myself several times that these stories were taking place in Sweden and the characters were Swedish, even though the location filming was done in Ystad and the interior sets were constructed at Ystad Studios. I felt that the geographical location sometimes rather got lost, perhaps simply because all the actors are British.

Not being particularly knowledgeable about the geography of Scandinavia, I wondered about Wallander’s apparent ability to drive from Ystad in Sweden to Copenhagen in Denmark, seemingly in a couple hours. It was only when I did some research that I discovered that Malmö has a direct link to Copenhagen/Kastrup airport via the Öresund Bridge.

The three episodes were very well received by critics and watched by an audience in excess of 5.5 million viewers. A second series, adapting three more Wallander novels, has been announced. Production is due to start sometime in 2009.

Review posted 6 June 2009



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Alice in Wonderland

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Rating 5


Directed by Jonathan Miller

Written by Jonathan Miller, based on the noval by Lewis Carroll

Cast includes Anne-Marie Mallik (Alice), Wilfrid Brambell (White Rabbit), Alan Bennett (Mouse), Michael Redgrave (Caterpillar), John Bird (Frog Footman), Leo McKern (Duchess), Peter Cook (Mad Hatter), Michael Gough (March Hare), Wilfrid Lawson (Dormouse), Peter Eyre (Knave of Hearts), Alison Leggatt (Queen of Hearts), Peter Sellers (King of Hearts), John Gielgud (Mock Turtle) and Malcolm Muggeridge (Gryphon)


Jonathan Miller’s adaptation of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ was broadcast on BBC1 on 28 December 1966 as part of “The Wednesday Play”, a series of acclaimed weekly one-off dramas that ran from 1964 to 1970. These included, perhaps most famously, ‘The War Game’, which was scheduled for transmission in August 1966 on the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, but was considered to be so shocking and controversial that it was banned and not finally shown by the BBC until 1985, although it was screened in art house cinemas prior to that. Also of note is ‘Cathy Come Home’, which was directed by Ken Loach and first shown in November 1966, leading to a considerable amount of comment and debate, as well as the raising of awareness about issues like unemployment and homelessness.

Jonathan Miller came to prominence at the beginning of the 1960s as part of the groundbreaking satirical stage revue Beyond the Fringe alongside Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, the pre-eminent comedy writer and satirist of his generation. After that he was the editor and presenter of the BBC arts programme ‘Monitor’, before producing and directing ‘Alice in Wonderland’ from his own adaptation of the celebrated Lewis Carroll novel. During the 1970s he became best known as a director of opera for the English National Opera and in the 1980s he famously directed six of the plays of William Shakespeare for the BBC.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ was mentioned to me recently by my brother. Although I was only 8-years-old when it was broadcast and had certainly not previously given any thought to it, I immediately had vague memories back to the programme, including the knowledge that Wilfrid Bramble (then famous as old man Steptoe in the long-running BBC television comedy series ‘Steptoe and Son’, which had ended its original run the previous year) played the White Rabbit and the mercurial Peter Cook was suitably cast as the Mad Hatter. My interest was roused enough to want to watch it again and as I did so, presumably for the first time in more than 42 years, more vivid memories of it came flooding back, including Alice following the White Rabbit through the tunnel (as depicted by Miller, rather than down a rabbit hole) and the scene in which the gardeners attempt to paint the white roses red before the arrival of the Queen of Hearts.

The scene above all others that stands out for me, although not necessarily from memory, occurs late in the story when Alice meets the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle, played beautifully by Malcolm Muggeridge and John Gielgud. I laughed loudest, though, at the entrance of the Mad Matter at the Trial that takes place immediately before Alice wakes from her daydreams.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ was filmed in black and white – BBC1 did not start to transmit colour programming until November 1969, two years after BBC2. It eschews the frenetic child-like lunacy of most adaptations of the novel, instead giving it a sleepy hallucinogenic quality that is very much a product of the time; The Beatles had released the ‘Revolver’ album a little less than five months prior to the broadcast. It perfectly captures the stillness of an English summer’s day. The actors do not wear prosthetics or appear in animal costumes, instead appearing in human form with an assumption made that the audience will have some pre-existing familiarity with the story. There is a wealth of famous acting talent on show here, including theatre heavyweights like John Gielgud and Michael Redgrave, Miller’s old cohorts Alan Bennett and Peter Cook, and a genuine film star in the guise of Peter Sellers. Eric Idle of Monty Python fame is featured in a non-speaking role in what I believe was his first television acting appearance. However, perhaps the most interesting piece of casting is that of 14-year-old Anne-Marie Mallik as Alice, in what appears to have been her only professional acting performance.

Alice is often on the fringes of the various scenes, frequently looking off in some other direction to the characters surrounding her; her expression impassive and immobile. In this respect, she is not even an observer. Mallik, who looks a little like a young Scarlett Johanssen and for some reason put me in mind of Kate Bush, projects a kind of disinterested melancholia. Whether or not her acting would have been up to close scrutiny had her acting career advanced on from this is a point of conjecture, but her performance here is in perfect keeping with Miller’s adaptation.

As might be expected, Miller draws out the satirical aspects of the story. For example, we are reminded that this is a story written and set in Victorian England that shines a magnifying glass on the Establishment – The Queen of Hearts is a representation of Queen Victoria and the King of Hearts is Prince Albert. The Knave of Hearts is, I imagine, the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, whose own son Prince Albert Victor has been somewhat spuriously linked in the past to the Jack the Ripper killings in the Whitechapel area of London between August and November 1888, some 23 years after the book was first published.

If I am being truthful, a couple of scenes did veer a little too close to tedium, notably the caucus race that occurs near to the start of the story. However, this is a remarkable work, a wonderful adaptation, and an excellent example of the kind of production the BBC was once capable of.

The music for the production was composed and performed by Ravi Shankar.

Review posted 16 April 2009


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Whitechapel

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Rating 2½


Directed by S J Clarkson

Written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip

Starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, Steve Pemberton, Johnny Harris, Sam Stockman, George Rossi, Christopher Fulford, Alex Jennings, Sophie Stanton and Paul Hickey


Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) is being fast-tracked by senior police officials. He is appointed by Commander Anderson (Alex Jennings) to head up what appears to be a straightforward murder enquiry in Whitechapel, his last step towards promotion to a senior ranking position. The fastidious and book educated Chandler immediately comes into conflict with cynical down-to-earth Detective Sergeant Ray Miles (Phil Davis) and his team of officers, not least because he insists on taking a hands-on approach and questions their methods and motivation.

Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton), an eccentric “Ripperologist”, approaches the police, claiming the murder is a copy of that of Mary Ann Nichols, the first canonical victim of Jack the Ripper. He is dismissed out of hand by Miles, but taken seriously by Chandler, creating even more animosity between the two. However, when a second murder bears the hallmark of the Ripper’s second victim, Annie Chapman, it seems that they have a copycat killer on their hands.

Chandler begins to win the respect of his men, but comes into conflict with his superiors. They have no interest in the victims or the ongoing investigation; they simply want to avoid public scrutiny and bad press.

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‘Whitechapel’ was broadcast on ITV in three one-hour segments over a three week period. It gets off to a very ropey start, seeming to follow the path taken by the utterly appalling Lynda La Plante police drama ‘Above Suspicion’, which was broadcast by ITV during Christmas 2008. However, although it continues to be decidedly hackneyed in many respects, it does improve dramatically, particularly during the second and third episodes. Much of the credit must go to Rupert Penry-Jones and the excellent Phil Davis, who work very well together and make two decidedly clichéd characters more interesting than they have any right to be. Penry-Jones is certainly more successful here than he was in the disappointing BBC adaptation of ‘The 39 Steps’. Steve Pemberton, from ‘The League of Gentlemen’, is also watchable in the role of the slightly creepy Jack the Ripper expert.

There is probably not enough substance to the other police officers working the murder enquiry, meaning that they tend to blur into a single entity, and there is too much reliance on annoying visual trickery to try to create an atmosphere. Modern day Whitechapel bears little resemblance to the district that Jack the Ripper haunted back in 1888, but not enough is made of those little nooks and crannies that do remain from Victorian London.

It isn't brilliant, but it is a lot better than I feared it might turn out to be. The Jack the Ripper story is a well-worn path that no longer offers much in the way of surprise, but this is an interesting variation on the theme.

Review posted 17 February 2009



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Veronica Mars (Season Three)

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Rating 4½


Created by Rob Thomas

Written by Rob Thomas (three episodes), Diane Ruggiero (five episodes), Phil Klemmer (five episodes), John Enbom (seven episodes), Jason Elen (one episode), Jonathan Moskin (two episodes), David Mulei (two episodes), Robert Hull (two episodes) and Joe Voci (two episodes)

Directed by John Kretchmer (five episodes), Harry Winer (three episodes), Jason Bloom (two episodes), Nick Marck (three episodes), Michael Fields (three episodes), Steve Gomer (one episodes), Rob Thomas (one episode), Tricia Brock (one episode) and Dan Etheridge (one episode)

Starring Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, Michael Muhney, Ryan Hansen, Tina Majorino, Chris Lowell, Julie Gonzalo, Ed Begley Jr, Patrick Fabian and James Jordan



Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) has now graduated from Neptune High and enrolled at the local Hearst College, as have various other graduating students from the high school, including Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) and Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III). Veronica continues to live at home with her father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), the former sheriff, who now works as a private investigator. Wallace moves into a dorm room on campus, as does another friend of Veronica’s from high school, Cindy ‘Mac’ Mackenzie (Tina Majorino). Logan is living in a suite at the Neptune Grand, a luxury hotel, where he is later joined by his friend Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen). Veronica soon finds herself investigating a series of rapes on the college campus and gets embroiled in campus politics, falling foul of the Dean, Cyrus O’Dell (Ed Begley Jr).

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The third and final season of ‘Veronica Mars’ marked several changes. The main characters had now graduated from Neptune High and, mostly, enrolled at Hearst College, requiring a new setting. There was also a change of network, following the merger of UPN and WB to create the CW Television Network.

The show had initially been commissioned by UPN to fill the gap left when ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ came to an end. It was heavily promoted as the “New Buffy”, which it clearly wasn’t, but once again it is impossible not to compare the change brought about at the beginning of this third season with that in season four of ‘Buffy’, when that show made the change from its original high school setting to a university campus. ‘Buffy’ made the transition successfully, although it certainly wasn’t welcomed by all fans, and ‘Veronica Mars’ does the same. In fact, it proves, I think, to be a better setting for the show.

This third season introduces a new title sequence, intended I imagine to create a more sophisticated and noir feel, complete with a new (inferior) version of the title song, ‘We Used To Be Friends’ by the Dandy Warhols. Although hardly the most important aspect of the show, it did take me a while to get used to it. As a friend remarked to me, it sets the mood, which might partly explain why I felt slightly underwhelmed and disappointed during the first few episodes.

In the first two seasons, each episode would house a self-contained story, a “case” for Veronica to solve, and also hold clues to the wider murder mystery, a story-arc told across all 22 episodes of the season. Season three follows a similar format, but this time rather than having one season-long story arc, there are three, dividing the season into smaller segments. There are also threads connecting one segment to the next. It perhaps does not flow as smoothly as the earlier seasons, chopping and changing as it moves through the episodes and leaving the impression that something is either missing or being held back from us. Some characters now feel sidelined and have a lesser impact than before; Wallace, for example, and, in particular, Eli “Weevil” Navarro (Francis Capra), although it is interesting how believable his change from the leader of a motorcycle gang to a maintenance man at Hearst College actually turns out to be. Ultimately, however, I think I enjoyed the third season even more than the first two seasons, although I do not claim it necessarily to be the best of the three.

There are 20 episodes in total this time around. I am not sure why this is. The final episode leaves a number of storylines unresolved and, having not paid close enough attention to the DVD set when I first purchased it, I was fully expecting two more episodes. As a result, the ending felt anti-climactic and left me disappointed. In retrospect, I think it actually works quite well, although I will have to wait until I watch the season again in its entirety before I discover just how well.

Rape, specifically rape involving the use of a so-called “date rape drug” on the victim, such as GHB, was a theme of both the first two seasons and is dealt with again in the third season, in greater detail this time around. ‘Veronica Mars’ is not a gritty hard-hitting realistic show and an in-depth exposé of this serious and very emotive subject should not be expected, but it does deal with it in an interesting and, I think, responsible way, looking at the issue from various angles.

A feminist group on campus wants the Pi Sig fraternity house shut down, but campaigns for their cause in a very confrontational manner. Veronica argues that she is searching for the truth, whereas they are seeking revenge and simply direct their anger at the most obvious target. Equally, the attitudes of the members of the frat house, and the activities that allegedly take place there, are repulsive – as reprehensible as the stance taken by the Dean, who refuses to accept that the institution he represents has any responsibility in the matter.

Various characters are used to represent different views and attitudes. Dick Casablancas, another graduate from Neptune High and a member of Pi Sig, is a repellent sexist, his attitudes born out of ignorance and arrogance. A friend of mine commented that he was impossible to relate to on any level, even simply laughing at him, because he was the kind of person who would be capable of raping a woman without even realising he was doing it. I understand the sentiment, but I don’t agree. As objectionable and downright offensive as Dick clearly is, I think he does know the difference and I actually don’t think he would be capable of rape, in as much as such a statement can be made with any degree of certainty. In fact, I suspect the character was used to make this very point, that the very overt juvenile and simplistic sexism of someone like this is not, in itself, an indication of his likely inclination towards perpetrating rape, knowingly or otherwise.

One aspect of the show that many television critics picked up on for particular praise across the three season of the show is the relationship between Veronica and her father, Keith. I concur. It was a highlight of the show – one of many.

The viewing figures for season three increased slightly from the season two average of 2.3 million to 2.5 million, although this is perhaps to be expected because CW has greater network coverage than UPN did. However, it was officially announced in January 2007, four months before the final episode of the season was broadcast, that the show would not be returning for a fourth season.

In September 2008 it was confirmed that creator Rob Thomas has been working on a possible film script. It has also been claimed that executive producer Joel Silver is keen on the idea of a film version, but in January 2009 it was stated that Thomas’s priority is the new television series ‘Cupid’, an updating of his short-lived 1998 series of the same name.

‘Veronica Mars’ was not a groundbreaking television series in the way that, as examples, ‘M*A*S*H’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, were. The influence of that latter show is obvious, but so are other influences. One storyline, in season one, about an inspirational teacher who proves to be anything but perfect, is a copy of an episode of the earlier ‘My So-Called Life’, a series that ‘Buffy’ also borrowed heavily from.

In the end, ‘Veronica Mars’ is just a very likeable show that easily becomes addictive viewing, helped by some good casting and a constantly impressive performance by Kristen Bell in the lead role. Given its viewing figures, the cancellation was inevitable and, in fact, it did well to survive as long as it did, but its demise is to be lamented.

Review posted 1 February 2009





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Veronica Mars (Season Two)

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Rating 4


Created by Rob Thomas

Written by Rob Thomas (three episodes), Diane Ruggiero (five episodes), Phil Klemmer (six episodes), John Enbom (six episodes), Dayna Lynne North (three episodes), Cathy Belben (four episodes), Russell Smith (one episode) and John Serge (one episode)

Directed by John Kretchmer (six episodes), Nick Marck (three episodes), Jason Bloom (two episodes), Harry Winer (one episode), Kevin Bray (one episode), Steve Gomer (two episodes), Rob Thomas (one episode), Guy Norman Bee (one episode), Sarah Pia Anderson (one episode), Rick Rosenthal (one episode), Michael Fields (two episodes) and Martha Mitchell (one episode)

Starring Kristen Bell, Percy Daggs III, Jason Dohring, Teddy Dunn, Enrico Colantoni, Francis Capra, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Ryan Hansen, Charisma Carpenter, Steve Guttenberg, Krysten Ritter, Harry Hamlin, Michael Muhney, Jeffrey D Sams, Erica Gimpel, Alona Tal, Amanda Noret, Alyson Hannigan and Amanda Seyfried


The simmering conflicts between the super-rich residents of Neptune, California and the poor majority have reached boiling point following the arrest of the killer of Lilly Kane (see season one of the show). Woody Goodman (Steve Guttenberg), the self-styled “Mayor”, intends to incorporate Neptune (with reference made to the genuine Californian charter city of Palo Alto, home to Stanford University) and thus marginalise the poor even further. Gang warfare is rife and when a Neptune High school bus is blown up during a field trip, Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) is convinced she was the intended target.

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The second season of ‘Veronica Mars’, first broadcast on the UPN television network between 28 September 2005 and 9 May 2006, kicks off in the aftermath of the events that occurred at the climax of season one. It largely follows the format of that season, mixing high school teenage drama and murder mystery, weaving a tangled web of different storylines involving a large number of characters that ebb and flow until they finally come together at the end of the twenty-two episode run. It doesn’t have the freshness of the first season, simply because the format is now familiar, but by and large it maintains the same level of quality. Once again, it is very addictive viewing.

In the first season, Veronica had been ostracised by her former friends, the rich clique at Neptune High. This time around she is, more or less, back in the fold, although her father is not rich by any stretch of the imagination, unlike the parents of her reacquainted friends. This creates a degree of conflict with the people she had got to know when she was an “outsider”. This is perhaps not explored as thoroughly as it might have been, although it is interesting to observe her frequently rather smug disposition become more pronounced and she seems to have some rather ambivalent attitudes generally.

It does seem as if the narrative had to be shoe-horned to accommodate some things that were driven by external factors. There are examples of stunt casting that are all too obvious, such as the cameo appearance by Joss Whedon, the creator of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and a supporter of the show, in episode six, although it passes by painlessly enough. In other areas, budget constraints might have played a part. Wallace Fennel (played by Percy Daggs III, one of the lead cast), Veronica’s best friend, is written out entirely during episodes six through nine and is also missing in episode fourteen. His mother Alicia (Erica Gimpel), disappears from the storyline altogether after episode five and is not seen again until the final episode. Having said this, production standards are high, at least to my untrained eye.

The season-long story arc is a little convoluted, drawing together the blowing up of the bus and the imminent trial of the accused killer of Lilly (Amanda Seyfried), plus several other story strands introduced in individual episodes. This is generally done very well, although it does rather unravel at the very end, becoming particularly chaotic and messy in the concluding episode, which tips over into implausibility and becomes all rather silly. It’s a minor quibble, though, and should not be allowed to take away from what precedes it. This final episode, ‘Not Pictured’, was rated as the best of the series by Empire magazine.

Viewing figures for the show on UPN dropped from the 2.5 million average of season one to 2.3 in season two.

Review posted 22 January 2009





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Veronica Mars (Season One)

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Rating 4½


Created by Rob Thomas

Written by Rob Thomas (six episodes), Jed Seidel (five episodes), Dina Ruggiero (seven episodes), Dayne Lynne North (three episodes), Phil Klemmer (four episodes), Aury Wallington (two episodes), Russell Smith (one episode), John Enbom (three episodes) and Carolyn Murray (one episode)

Directed by Mark Piznarski (two episodes), Harry Winer (one episode), Michael Fields (two episodes), Nick Gomez (two episodes), Sarah Pia Anderson (one episode), Nick Marck (four episodes), Guy Norman Bee (two episodes), Marcos Siega (three episodes), John Kretchmer (three episodes), David Barrett (one episode) and Steve Gomer (one episode)

Starring Kristen Bell, Percy Daggs III, Jason Dohring, Teddy Dunn, Enrico Colantoni, Francis Capra, Harry Hamlin, Kyle Secor, Lisa Thornhill, Michael Muhney, Erica Gimpel, Corinne Bohrer, Alona Tal, Alyson Hannigan and Amanda Seyfried


A year has passed since Lilly Kane (Amanda Seyfried), the best friend of Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) and sister of her former boyfriend Duncan Kane (Teddy Dunn), was brutally murdered. Veronica’s father, Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), was the local sheriff at the time, but when he accused Lilly’s father, Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), a billionaire philanthropist, of the crime, he was removed from office and his wife Lianne (Corinne Bohrer) walked out on the family and left town. He now works as a private investigator. Veronica, who was ostracised by her former friends because of her father’s actions, does some sleuthing of her own.

They all live in Neptune, a coastal town in Southern California where the sons and daughters of the super-rich collide uneasily with the have-nots, such as Eli ‘Weevil’ Navarro (Francis Capra), the leader of a teenage Latino biker gang, at the local high school.

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‘Veronica Mars’ premiered on the now defunct UPN television network on 21 September 2004, four months after the finale of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, which had moved to UPN for its final two seasons. It was seen as a successor to ‘Buffy’, an attempt by the network to retain the younger audience that had been attracted by that show. During its first season, comprising 22 episodes, it averaged 2.5 million viewers, compared with the 4.1 million viewers who watched season seven of ‘Buffy’ (4.6 million for season six). The show survived for three seasons in all, the third one on the new CW television network, before being cancelled in 2007. During this time, it garnered a lot of critical support.

Stephen King called the show, “Nancy Drew meets Philip Marlowe,” and that is not a bad description. It plays out as a mixture of high school teen drama and murder mystery, with constant nods to the hard-boiled crime thrillers of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Is it realistic or believable? Hardly at all, but somehow it creates its own internal realism, just as ‘Buffy’ had done. In the end, ‘Buffy’ was far more believable than, as an example, the hospital-based soap-drama ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, despite the presence of vampires, demons and the supernatural. Something similar happens with ‘Veronica Mars’.

Kristen Bell, who, at 24 years of age, was seven years older than her character and looks it a lot of the time, is excellent in the lead role. It is easy to see why some observers expect big things from her in the future.

All of the cast are excellent. Many of them were new to me, although I recognised Bell from the remake of the J-horror film ‘Pulse’ and Enrico Colantoni from his role as Mathesar in the wonderful sci-fi spoof film ‘Galaxy Quest’. Amanda Seyfried had previously appeared in ‘Mean Girls’ and is now probably best known for her lead role in the hugely successful film version of ‘Mamma Mia’, which has a worldwide box office gross not far short of $600 million and is the biggest selling DVD of all time in the UK. Harry Hamlin, who plays Aaron Echolls, the film star father of Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), the boyfriend of Lilly Kane, is well known, of course, and Alyson Hannigan from ‘Buffy’ appears in three episodes as Logan’s sister, Trina.

When I first heard about ‘Veronica Mars’, prior to its premiere on UPN, I was very interested. By the time the show arrived in the UK in October 2005 I had lost interest, partly, I suspect, because of the constant claims that it was the “new Buffy” and what appeared to be some decidedly unsubtle stunt casting, seemingly intended to pander to a particular fan base. In any case, it was broadcast on a UK television channel I did not have access to. Over time, as the hype died down and then the show went off the air altogether, my interest began to increase again, but when I finally got to watch a bit of it, a segment from a random episode from either the second or third season, it made no sense whatsoever and I began to suspect this was a show that would just pass me by. However, following a recent conversation with a friend, I was finally persuaded to take the plunge and I purchased a second-hand Region 1 copy of the season one DVD set (it has never been released on DVD in the UK).

The first few episodes passed by painlessly. I enjoyed them, although I had a few minor reservations. Then, without realising it, I started to become completely hooked, ending up watching several episodes (eight, in fact) in a single day, something I have not done in a very long time. It quickly became completely addictive.

The mix of elements is very successful and the murder mystery is actually rather well done and genuinely diverting, with plenty of twists and turns. I found the character Logan, in particular, increasingly interesting. Initially, he is really rather repulsive and that same assessment is reasonable come the end of season, but he is also, by that time, considerably more complex and I found myself questioning my judgement of him.

‘Veronica Mars’ works much better than the similarly themed but significantly more stylised 2006 indie film ‘Brick’, which, despite generally favourable reviews, I found painfully contrived. I now have DVD sets of the second and third seasons and very much look forward to watching them.

Review posted 16 January 2009



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Above Suspicion

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Rating 1


Directed by Christopher Menaul

Written by Lynda La Plante

Starring Kelly Reilly, Ciarán Hinds, James Durr, Shaun Dingwall and John Savident


Rookie policewoman DC Anna Travis (Kelly Reilly) joins a murder enquiry headed up by no-nonsense DCI Langton (Ciarán Hinds), who asked for her because he had previously worked alongside her father. Several women, mostly prostitutes, have been brutally murdered and suspicion is soon directed towards Alan Daniels (James Durr), a successful actor.

...


‘Above Suspicion’ was produced for ITV and shown in two parts on consecutive evenings. It was written by Lynda La Plante and based on her 2004 novel of the same name, the first of four novels she has written about the character Anna Travis. La Plante is probably best known for her character Jane Tennison and the three ‘Prime Suspect’ novels, which were successfully adapted for television starring Helen Mirren.

I was looking forward to ‘Above Suspicion’, largely because of Kelly Reilly, who I liked in previous things I’ve seen, for example the 2006 remake of ‘A for Andromeda’. However, after a reasonably diverting if somewhat clichéd start, it quickly went downhill, not helped by the decision to portray Travis as a wet face flannel and the rest of the police team like some throwback to the 1970s and ‘The Sweeney’. I thought it was very poorly written, something I certainly wasn’t expecting, given Lynda La Plante’s reputation, and the acting was surprisingly unimpressive, although James Durr might have been better served with a stronger script.

Critical reaction was largely negative, but the viewing figures were good, something ITV badly needed, rising from 6.8 million for the first part to 7.3 million the following evening.

Review posted 8 January 2009



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Nemesis

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Rating 0


Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Written by Stephen Churchett and Nicolas Winding Refn, based on the novel by Agatha Christie

Starring Geraldine McEwan, Richard E Grant, Lee Ingleby, Amanda Burton, Anne Reid, Dan Stevens, Ronni Acona, Adrian Rawlins, Will Mellor, Emily Woof, Johnny Briggs, Laura Michelle Kelly, Ruth Wilson, George Cole and Graeme Garden


When financier Jason Rafiel dies, he conspires to bring together a disparate group of people on a coach tour, leaving Miss Marple (Geraldine McEwan) to unravel the tangled web of intrigue and solve the mysterious disappearance of a young woman called Verity Hunt several years earlier.

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‘Nemesis’ was the last of the twelve Miss Marple novels written by Agatha Christie and was first published in 1971, forty-one years after the first novel, ‘The Murder at the Vicarage’, Miss Marple having first appeared in a short story published in 1927. It was adapted for television by the BBC in 1987 with the inimitable Joan Hickson in the lead role.

The new ITV adaptation, part of the Geraldine McEwan ‘Marple’ series, was broadcast on 1 January 2009. Although it follows the basic premise of the novel, it makes numerous changes, omitting some characters and adding others. None of these changes add to the story. They do, in fact, detract greatly from it. Geraldine McEwan is an excellent actress, but I don’t especially like her take on Miss Marple, who is portrayed as far too knowing and vaguely bohemian, taking away completely from the person whose real achievement is being able to blend into the background and observe what is happening around her with needle-sharp incisiveness. That is the character created by Agatha Christie and portrayed so brilliantly by Joan Hickson. I do, however, understand the thinking behind the decision to “modernise” the character and offer an alternative to Hickson’s definitive portrayal.

Although not really a fan of ‘Marple’ (which began with ‘The Body in the Library’ in December 2004), I have enjoyed some of the eleven episodes that proceeded ‘Nemesis’, but this latest instalment, the last to feature McEwan, was painful to watch. I cannot imagine a worse and more dispiriting adaptation, quite frankly.

‘Marple’ continues during 2009 with four new episodes, now starring Julia McKenzie in the lead role, starting with ‘A Pocket Full of Rye’.

Review posted 2 January 2009

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The 39 Steps (2008 version)

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Rating 2


Directed by James Hawes

Written by Lizzie Mickery, adapted from the novel by John Buchan

Starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Lydia Leonard, David Haig, Patrick Kennedy, Patrick Malahide, Eddie Marsan and Alex Jennings


Richard Hannay (Rupert Penry-Jones) has reluctantly returned to London from Africa. He encounters Scudder (Eddie Marsan), who claims to be a spy working for the Secret Service Bureau. Scudder says he has uncovered a German plot to assassinate a member of the European aristocracy and so plunge Europe into war. He gives Hannay a code book, but is then killed by German operatives. Hannay is accused of the murder and flees to Scotland, searching for evidence to prove the plot and clear his name. Once there, he is assisted by Victoria Sinclair (Lydia Leonard), the daughter of Sir George Sinclair (David Haig), a member of the National Committee of Defence.

This famous novel, written by John Buchan, a Scottish-born politician, and first published in 1915, has been filmed several times, most famously a version directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935. This new version was produced for the BBC and first broadcast during the Christmas 2008 schedule.

The novel is very much of its time, with the British portrayed as gentlemen and the “Bosch”, as they are repeatedly referred to, portrayed as scoundrels who will stop at nothing in pursuit of their aims. Frequent references are made to cricket. By any present day interpretation, the story, or at least the characters portrayed in it, betrays bigotry and xenophobia typical of the British mentality, even if the story itself draws on the real-life assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand for inspiration.

To counteract this and give the story a more contemporary feel, the new adaptation portrays Victoria Sinclair as a suffragette, constantly bickering with Rupert Hannay, who doggedly maintains a stereotypical male opinion of the role of women. This does not work, simply because it jars with the old-fashioned feel of the story, not to mention that it is never-ending and we are constantly bludgeoned with it. By the time the bickering becomes playful banter we simply no longer care.

This is a middling version, efficiently made and acted, of a story that is best viewed in context and is probably best served now via the Alfred Hitchcock film.



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Affinity

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Rating 4


Directed by Tim Fywell

Written by Andrew Davies, adapted from the novel by Sarah Waters

Starring Anna Madeley, Zoe Tapper, Amanda Plummer, Anna Massey, Anne Reid and Domini Blythe


A year after the death of her father, Margaret Prior (Anna Madeley), who is being sedated by her mother with large daily doses of laudanum, becomes a “lady visitor” at Millbank Prison. Margaret, who is resisting pressure from her domineering mother to marry, takes a particular interest in Selina Dawes (Zoe Tapper), a young medium who claims to be innocent of the crimes she has been found guilty of committing. A close bond is formed between the two women, as Margaret comes to terms with the increasing distance she feels from her one-time best friend and lover, who is now married to her brother.

Sarah Waters’ novel ‘Affinity’ was first published in 1999, a year after her debut work ‘Tipping the Velvet’. Set in Victorian England and using Spiritualism as its central theme, it is a mixture of ghost story and romantic love story, influenced by Gothic novelists like Wilkie Collins and the ghost stories of M R James. The television adaptation was written by Andrew Davies, whose other work includes the superb 2005 adaptation of ‘Bleak House’ and the more recent ‘Little Dorrit’. He also wrote the screenplays for the two ‘Bridget Jones Diaries’ films.

It is a brilliant example of a Christmas ghost story, although not actually set at Christmas time. The atmosphere throughout remains oppressively gloomy. I found it interesting to observe the depiction of a Victorian women’s prison, but even more interesting was the relationship between Margaret and her mother. We are initially led to assume the laudanum is administered because Margaret is grieving for the death of her father, but it seems likely her mother is aware of her “unnatural” inclinations, as they would undoubtedly be perceived, something that remains unspoken, but is ever present. The course of action chosen by the man Margaret is expected to marry, intended to rid her of her ills, is to attempt to rape her, but she remains defiant throughout.

The acting is excellent, particularly that of Anna Madeley and Zoe Tapper.

Highly recommended.

Review posted 31 December 2008


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TV Index N - Z

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Nemesis (Episode 12 of the ITV series ‘Marple’)

Point Pleasant (introduction, characters and episodes)

Point Pleasant (review)

Poppy Shakespeare

Primeval

Prisoner, The

Pushing Daisies: The First Episode

Quatermass and the Pit

Robin Cook's Invasion

Shadow In The North, The

Square Pegs

Strange

The 39 Steps (2008)

Torchwood

Torchwood: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Torchwood: Children of Earth

True Blood (season one)

True Blood (season two)

Turn of the Screw, The

Unusuals, The (pilot episode)

Unusuals, The (season one overview)

Veronica Mars (Season One)

Veronica Mars (Season Two)

Veronica Mars (Season Three)

Virtuality

Waking the Dead

Waking the Dead: Magdalene 26

Waking the Dead: Missing Persons

Waking the Dead: Skin

Wallander

Whitechapel

Women’s Murder Club, The

Wonderfalls



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