Reviews

Don't be fooled by the title, there is a lot of interesting stuff here.

No real complaints, decent lick-down fare. Had to laugh in E2 when they landed in Edson, Alberta. First it is a small town with nothing but a little private plane airport. Second, in the spirting goods store they show firearms (both rifles and handguns) on easy access display. Not so much in Canada 😊 All that said worth a watch so far.

Really well done satire (not something Americans are known for). Great for the laughs but an actual whodunnit as well. An improbable feat!

Should historical fiction at least have a basis in fact. There are so many things wrong with this one can only assume the writer developed a story and then slipped it into a period piece without doing any research. In no particular order:

1) For the British, in 1914 those that rushed to enlist were not immediately sent to France. It was the BEF's 'Old Contemptible" that fought the battles of Mons and the Marne. The Passing Bells has it that raw recruits comprised this force.

2) In the opening days of the war there was no trench warfare, it was still a time of movement on the open field. Only learning the lessons of the killing power of artillery and the machine gun during the opening battles did the trenches appear and the static war begin. The Passing Bells has the raw recruits filing into the trenches in the Autumn of 1914.

There's more but this givers the general idea. I hope the story surpasses the shortcomings in the next episodes.

The Village captures you with it's imagery, but holds you with the characters and superb acting. It's sometimes hard to watch as the grim reality of early 20th century rural English life is relentless.

The BBC should be praised for not giving it a coat of historical whitewash and trying to depict life in the period with with both the warts and the beauty. Ultimately it is the characters that you become invested in. Not the stock portrayals of the noble working class or morally vacuous upper class. The main characters have layers and depth that makes them both interesting and empathetic. They are brought to life by terrific performances and you believe them completely.

Overall this is superbly done.