SS-GB

[GNC]

There doesn't seem to be an alternative history in fiction thread, but there was a new adaptation of Len Deighton's alternative World War II novel SS-GB on BBC 1 last night. Narratives where the Nazis have won are always very dour (see Amazon's Man in the High Castle), and this was no exception, but there's a murder mystery and a heavy dose of paranoia which made a nice hook. Not bad, not brilliant, but I'm going to stick with it.

Two observations: Sam Riley sounds like (but doesn't look like) the late John Hurt, and his character's Nazi boss is very reminiscent of Sam Kelly in 'Allo 'Allo (granted, we never saw him in bed with a bare naked lady, not even a fallen Madonna etc).

 

[ramonmercado]

I liked it but a bit too much muttering, especially by Riley. Been a while since I read the book but the narrative may be moving a bit away from it.

 

[GNC]

It's like nobody's learned anything from that Tracey Ullman sketch, "Another Mumbly Drama"! I could follow it OK, I think.

 

[ramonmercado]

It's like nobody's learned anything from that Tracey Ullman sketch, "Another Mumbly Drama"! I could follow it OK, I think.

Most of it was ok, Riley was just annoying at times.

 

[Coal]

I liked it, palpable fear and paranoia, some intrigue. Promises much, fingers crossed.

 

[GNC]

Apparently this lost 2 million viewers last week because nobody could understand what they were saying. Shame, I like Kate Bosworth's Martha Gellhorn impersonation and she's as clear as a bell.

 

[ramonmercado]

Apparently this lost 2 million viewers last week because nobody could understand what they were saying. Shame, I like Kate Bosworth's Martha Gellhorn impersonation and she's as clear as a bell.

WTF is going on? Why do directors allow this?

Letter in Irish Times:

Sir, – Has anyone in these islands been able to make out what the actors were saying in the first episode of the new BBC drama, SS-GB?

The BBC spends millions on a fictional drama set in an England that had been defeated and occupied by Germany in 1941, and contains actors that can only mumble their way through. Did anybody in the BBC “not haff vays off making them dalk” clearly? – Yours, etc,

IVOR SHORTS,

Rathfarnham,

Dublin 16.

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/mumbling-television-actors-1.2988088

 

[Coal]

Apparently this lost 2 million viewers last week because nobody could understand what they were saying. Shame, I like Kate Bosworth's Martha Gellhorn impersonation and she's as clear as a bell.

I've got no such problem with the sound, all absolutely fine. I think this is mismatch between the sound system used to record (e.g. stereo) and the one being used to watch to it (e.g. four speaker surround).

Loving the program, it's really tense stuff.

 

[GNC]

I didn't think about the viewers' TV speakers as an issue, but you might be right, I don't have any fancy bells and whistles on my TV and haven't had a problem, Riley swallows his lines a bit but I can understand him OK. I'm not technical enough to know what the solution is, but you can adjust how your TV sounds if you know how.

 

[ramonmercado]

I didn't think about the viewers' TV speakers as an issue, but you might be right, I don't have any fancy bells and whistles on my TV and haven't had a problem, Riley swallows his lines a bit but I can understand him OK. I'm not technical enough to know what the solution is, but you can adjust how your TV sounds if you know how.

I'm not having a problem with other programmes. Imho Riley should be told not to mumble rather than expect viewers to adjust the sound. Unfortunately the mumbling seems to be costing a good show a lot of viewers.

 

[Graylien]

I can hear Riley just fine but I've turned subtitles on for some of the other actors. (I had to do likewise for Rillington Place.)

As for the series, it's entertaining enough but it does rely heavily on stock characters.

 

[GNC]

There you go, that was that. Last night's was better than last week's, the intrigue was more solid. I was expecting a UK Man in the High Castle and in a way I got it: they're both bloody miserable. Looked to be setting itself up for a second series, but I suppose that won't happen now?

 

[Coal]

Loved it, I like the way Huth turned out to be the more decent of the main German protaganists.

 

[GNC]

Huth really came into his own in the last few minutes, I like scenes where antagonists finally see eye to eye, pity they couldn't have made that more apparent earlier but the sting in the tail would not have been so impressive otherwise.