New Series "The Hour"

[Drappa]

I am currently watching BBC's new series about media corruption in 1950's Britian, and have to say I am hugely disappointed so far. The acting is luke-warm, and the costumes are off - much of it looks more 80's than 50's to me, especially the women.
Anyone else watched it?

 

[angeljenny]

I watched it and was hoping for lovely 50's hair, make up and clothes! It was a bit of a let down for me.

 

[MissLaurieMarie]

Hmmm, as a reporter AND a vintage-lover I'll have to find it somewhere to watch too, even if I am disappointed. :/

 

[Edward]

I found it entertaining enough. It did look a bit more like a 1980s BBC take on the 1950s was being replicated. For all that, though, it did feel much more authentically Fifties in tone to me than so many things which present a 50s as if they only happened during the rock and roll years. The early Fifties was really still a continuation of the Forties, in truth. I've yet to read a decent review of this show: most of the critics seemed to blame it for not being Mad Men. Personally, I'm rather glad it wasn't: much as I do enjoy the latter, I'm much more interested in seeing something different than a second-rate UK rip-off of a trendy US show. It's not the best thing I've ever seen, but it held my attention, and I think it has some promise that it will be worth watching in future. In contrast to the reviews I've read, I'm rather glad they've slipped in the 'thriller' element with the murder and (presumably) following cover-up. I'm bored of "office love triangle" being the core plot of so many things.

 

[W-D Forties]

I found the women a little too relaxed looking, the main leads make up was quite naturalistic for the time. Also, no-one found it unusual that she got the producers job. I could be quite wrong here, but a woman in that role in that era would have warranted some comment, no?

 

[Drappa]

I agree, the hair and makeup on the women was too modern and just looked wrong for the era.
Apart from the style, I just found the "thriller" aspect really forced, and for the first time in a long while nothing made me want to watch it again.
One of the comments in a review in one of the big UK papers came from a lady who was a female journalist in the 50s. She said the show was a big letdown to her after having high hopes because she found everything from the typewriters to the language used wrong, as well as the styling, especially of the women. She also stated that they got the working conditions terribly wrong, and that none of them used to "go out to get a story".

 

[Edward]

Was she expecting realism on television? I would think it would be more instructive to compare it to the films of the time than the reality. I remember when Cracker first came out, police psychologists queueing up for their chance to appear in the media spotlight to complain it wasn't realistic. Sure, it cold have been better, but let's not expect too much.... I suppose maybe I'm just unreasonably pleased that they don't seem to have attempted to make "the British Mad Men".

 

[Drappa]

I don't know if she was expecting realism, but I dare say stylistic detail and things that are easily researched such as what type-writers were used would be fairly easy to incorporate.

Found it:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/jul/24/the-hour-travesty-tv-news

 

[Edward]

I'm no expert on women's styles, but I gather those were rather off. I did like that a lot of the men still looked a bit Forties, though: I see too many period things where suddenly "it's the Fifties!" and the men immediately all look like Teds. Heh.