Killing in WWI

westsideschl

The most notable defect in the series is a lack of subtitles. The dialects of England are the most difficult for the rest of the English speaking populations of the world to clearly pickup pronunciations, vocabulary, and grammar. Irish and Scottish are actually easier, especially to North American and Aussie ears. It was compounded by uneven audio levels and poor enunciation, thus a lot of important dialogue was missed. Not to mention to those with hearing issues.

Most of the one and two star reviewers mention that the Downton Abbey resemblance is misleading and I would agree with that. One of the storyline's core themes is the effect of war, specifically WWI, on the minds of the young men when asked to kill and also face being killed. It is well known, especially for that war, that the personal act of killing created many psychological, moral and military obstructions. The film showed some of that turmoil, but didn't show its scope and depth. Also mentioned in those reviews was the series' excessive emphasis on the discordant, depressing and dark side of village life. True, but maybe not far from the truth. Who knows.

score 4/10

westsideschl 28 August 2015

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3306252/