BBC Suggestions

Films, TV shows, and books of the 'modern' era
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Birdy
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by Birdy »

You've made me want to see Upstairs, Downstairs again. I watched it some years ago on a scratchy PBS channel before we had dish. I haven't noticed it being shown for a long time, but I might be able to borrow it through inter-lib. loan.
It would be nice to see the decor and costumes more clearly and hear all the dialogue! I remember some of it was a little dicey, but I enjoyed it very much.
B
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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by movieman1957 »

Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain.

You can watch all the footage you want of war and it is often only so many dates, numbers and statistics. It means all the more when you listen to the stories of the people who fought it, lived through it or watched from the edges. It's a grand scale operation brought to the most individual detail.

In the middle of this telling of the British fighting off the Germans in 1940 are about a dozen stories of those people. From a man who fought the Germans in Belgium and couldn't bring himself to use the word "killed" but rather using the term "put away" to the story of a young girl who survived the sinking of her ship on the way to Canada the personal drama brought here is so real.

One man killed a German during his escape from behind enemy lines. One man lost his mother during the bombings by the unluckiest of things in where she sought cover. A sailor watched as they had to leave people in the water because they could not stop. One woman lost her fiance in an air fight. Sixty years after it all they cannot keep from crying. At some point they breakdown and are upset with themselves that they have. Who could blame them.

Extraordinary telling of the battle in its historic sense and wonderful weaving of the personal stories from that battle make this fascinating viewing, at least for me.

It is an amazing thing they did. And it is easy to lose sight of it and how resilient a people can be. If WWII documentaries interest anyone at all then this is one for the list.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
stuart.uk
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by stuart.uk »

Chris

My favourite tv show on the BBC at the moment is All The Small Things. Its about a woman, played by the wonderful Sarah Lancashire, who reluctantly forms a choir after her choirmaster husband leaves her for a talented, but bitchy soprano.

It reminds of The Partridge Family, only IMO it's miles better. When Sarah leaves her husband's choir she initially forms All The Small Things as a band with her son, him on lead vocals and her singing backup. It's only when other members of her husband's choir, who for one reason or another are made to feel unwelcom, that Sarah sets up in competition against her husband.

I'll send you a private email of a brilliant musical number from the show, as I'm not to sure the lyrics would go down well on the forum, but it's brilliant nonetheless

Stuart
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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by movieman1957 »

Stuart:

Thanks for the link. Sometimes things that are slightly off center are more funny when they are done straight. Funny lyrics too. (I think I recognized a man from "Cracker.")

On another topic and related to the show I watched, are you taught much about WWII and particularly the Battle of Britain? I hope Alison would answer too. Our kids learn so little about the war and I think they should spend more time on it because so much of our world is still a direct outcome of the war.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
Ollie
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by Ollie »

I keep wishing we'd have DAD'S ARMY shown on a regular basis!
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by stuart.uk »

Chris

We have a history channel too, though it's called Yesterday. It's a digital channel.
We have Nazis; A Warning From History, among many war time documentaries.

I was watching a series of docs about the 60s. It would centre around a tv show like The Avengers and tell of factual events. I was most interested to read about our Prime Minister of the time Harold Wilson, who was victim of a smere's wrongly suggesting he was a communist by right wing extremists in the UK, but not at he time of the 60s. What interested me was that despite the British ecomomy being in trouble, he refused Lindon Johnson's request to send British troops to Vietnam, therefor standing up to the American President. I found myself comparing it to the Bush/Blair relationship where the British P.M seemed to do whatever Bush asked off him. It looks like history might be kinder to Wilson than what it was when he was in office. There was another drama doc with James Bollam as Wilson, at a time of his resignation in the mid 70s. In a story, similar to both Six Days In May and All The President's Men there was a suggestion from British reporters that right wingers like Louis Mountbatten wanted to forcibly overthrow the Labour Goverment and the smearing of Wilson's good name was a part of it.

Another Doc I found interesting was Churchill's Bodyguard, discovering despite his age and portly build, Winston was an action hero P.M carrying a gun himself, ready to use it against potential assassins. It also suggested strongly that Churchill was involved in the death of actor Leslie Howard. The story goes that Winston got wind, through the breaking of the emigna code that an assassination attempt would take place when he was flying in the Lisbon area. Not wanting the German's to know that the code had been broken, Churchill's body guard Walter Thompson, tampered with the plane they were due to fly, making it non-operational. Also, knowing Howard and other's were flying at the same time, Churchill, didn't warn them of the assassination attempt. If true the great English actor was sacrificed for the greater good.
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Garbomaniac
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by Garbomaniac »

Has anyone mentioned Keeping Up Appearances? I don't think so. I am crazy about Hyacinth Bucket! It's pronounced Bouquet! All of the characters: Hyacinth, Richard, Elizabeth, Emmet, Daisy, Onlsow, Rose, and Violet are so effective. I really love British humor. And, as already mentioned, Are You Being Served, Fawlty Towers, and As Time Goes By are other big favorites.
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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by movieman1957 »

"Keeping Up Appearances" and especially "As Time Goes By" are favorites in the sitcom (if you will) genre.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by movieman1957 »

"House of Cards: To Play The King." Ian Richardson continues his charmingly, devastatingly evil Francis Urhquart. This time he takes on the King. Michael Kitchen, he of the soft James Mason-like voice, plays The King and the scenes with Richardson bristle with well mannered contempt. It's a tug of war of the worst kind and someone always gets hurt.

I haven't seen the third series yet but you ought to see it. Netflix members can watch it on their site.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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knitwit45
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by knitwit45 »

Michael -Sigh- Kitchen??? Sold! :lol:
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.. It's the way it is..
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." ~ Virginia Satir
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MissGoddess
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by MissGoddess »

Nancy I love your Barney Fife avatar! :lol:

I just bought season 1 on dvd of the AG Show. Love it, love HIM.

Have you seen this?



Okay, back to the more dignified world of BBC.....
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
-- Will Rogers
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knitwit45
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by knitwit45 »

Thanks, April. He looked and acted so much like my beloved "pop", and we always teased Dad about it (he didn't see it himself). I got to see Don Knotts in "On Golden Pond" years ago at a Dinner/Playhouse in KC. Believe it or not, he was fabulous! Didn't think of Henry Fonda once!

Ok, sorry, Chris...back to our scheduled programming.... :D
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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by movieman1957 »

I finished the last installment of "House of Cards. The Final Cut." If this show were any indication there is not one redeeming politician in England. According to Prime Minister Urqhuart he must beat Mrs. Thatcher's reign for longest serving PM. He will do most anything to achieve it.

This installment deals with an incident from his Army past that comes to light, a rival's attempt to unseat him and an international agreement that will give him a more important legacy then he might already have.

It is full of brilliant performances and smart writing. Ian Richardson is so menacingly charming and evil at the same time he still finds a way to put us his side more often than not. A bit of a surprise ending.

A few language situations but unlike the last two there are some explicit sexual situations with some nudity. Otherwise you have never seen backstabbing raised to such an art form.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
Ollie
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by Ollie »

A series I don't re-watch often but think of it a lot - FOYLE'S WAR - about a police detective in WWII. He occasionally gets into Nazis and spies, but dealing with murderers who use the war to help cover their tracks. Heists, too.
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by movieman1957 »

I've been going through some of the early "Foyle's War" offerings and I like them. I think the WWII twist is a great idea.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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