The BBC's "Birdsong"

[Story]

Sebastian Faulks’s novel, about one man’s intense experiences of the extremes of both love and war, has become a bona fide modern classic. A bestseller since its 1993 publication, it was also voted Britain’s 13th favourite book in the BBC’s Big Read poll.
This two-part adaptation by Abi Morgan, writer of 1950s-set drama The Hour and recent film The Iron Lady, therefore has a lot to live up to.
Sublimely shot and strongly performed, it’s directed by Philip Martin, whose CV includes the Mo Mowlam biopic, while the classy supporting cast includes Matthew Goode and Anthony Andrews.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9025386/Birdsong-BBC-One-preview.html

Tomorrow night millions of viewers will see this grim existence in the BBC adaptation of Birdsong, the Sebastian Faulks novel which tells the story of an officer who fights alongside a tunneller at Messines.

Although fiction, Birdsong draws heavily on the experiences of men like Sapper William Hackett. Like many tunnellers, Hackett was a pitman by trade, who responded to calls for skilled miners on the Western Front.

At the age of 41 he was too old for the infantry – yet on October 25, 1915, he was accepted by the Royal Engineers. After a fortnight’s training at Chatham, Kent, he was sent to France.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-st...-world-war-one-115875-23709739/#ixzz1kDWAPmYE

 

[Story]

As the star of Birdsong, the BBC’s new Sunday-night costume drama, Eddie Redmayne was expected to carry out some historical research. The actor has, however, come to some unexpected conclusions about the First World War trenches in which the characters fought.
“Some of the photos of the dugouts are surprising because they’re really nice,” says Redmayne, 30, who was one of Prince William’s friends at Eton College. “We looked at photos of the German ones and they’re beautifully neat and have almost got four-poster beds in them.”
The Burberry model, who lives with two chums in south London, adds of the trenches: “Some of them, genuinely, look nicer than my flat.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...ar-Eddie-Redmayne-the-trenches-were-nice.html
:eusa_doh:

To create a realistic portrayal of this deadly underground battle for the book's television adaptation, the producers built an accurate replica of part of the vast network of tunnels. They believe this is the first time this has been attempted.

The detailed reconstruction was aided by Peter Barton, a first world war archaeologist and historical writer, who has made the subject his life's work. Barton, employed as a consultant on the drama – judged too difficult to film for years – supplied Birdsong's director, Philip Martin, with scale drawings and plans from his excavations. Only then could a set of tunnels be built in a Budapest studio.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/jan/22/birdsong-tunnel-warfare-sebastian-faulks

 

[PADDY]

I'm about to watch it.

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

I was rather alarmed, when I read the title of this post but then. thankfully, I realised I had 'BBC's Birdsong' mixed up with 'BBC's Swansong' the demise of Aunty!...shudder

 

[Story]

[video=youtube;V3FnpaWQJO0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0[/video]

 

[PADDY]

Second part is next Sunday (in the UK). Still 'unsure' if I'm enjoying it to be honest. But...there's still another 'half' to see, so one will reserve judgement until 'the whole' piece is seen. It's one of those books I've been meaning to read (it's on my book shelf with countless others waiting to be picked up!), maybe this will give me the jolt to just go and read it.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Beaumont Hamel in the Somme, July 1, 1916
Detonation of a Hawthorn Mine

[video=youtube;YPGrrnpzB_Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPGrrnpzB_Y[/video]

 

[AmateisGal]

This is premiering on Masterpiece Theater here in the U.S. on Sunday night. Can't wait to see it!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/birdsong/

 

[dhermann1]

I've caught it in fragments over the last couple of days. Looks like it will be hard to watch. I've read enough about the Great War to have a great aversion to spending too much time looking at its horrors. Plus the back and forth structure is going to require a full on sit down with no distractions. That said, it looks really brilliant.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

It is quite good. Just saw it a couple of months ago. My recent fascination with world war 1, due to the fact that I had a great uncle that served, was gassed, then died shortly after he returned home. Also the fact that very soon the war will be 100 years old, and yet it seems so "modern", even recent, because the weapons and machinery used were not too far removed from current weaponry and equipment.

I've caught it in fragments over the last couple of days. Looks like it will be hard to watch. I've read enough about the Great War to have a great aversion to spending too much time looking at its horrors. Plus the back and forth structure is going to require a full on sit down with no distractions. That said, it looks really brilliant.