Enemy at the Door

[altariel]

Because we are W.O.T. (With Out Television), we're catching up on the pile of unwatched DVDs. Right now we're mainlining Enemy at the Door, an LWT series which ran for two seasons between 1978-1980 about the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands, and about which I had heard nothing until mraltariel rolled up with the DVDs of the first season last week.

We watched the first four episodes last night, and they were outstanding: exactly the kind of small cast, limited setting, tightly written episodic drama that telly used to do so well and doesn't often seem to have the confidence (or capability?) to do much of any more. [Insert standard grump.] It has some of the usual representational problems of the time; for example, when two young men try to make a night-time escape in a rowing boat, you know it's the posh one that's going to become the regular and the working-class one with the MASSIVE BULLSEYE painted on him. But this is a minor gripe; as mraltariel said, it's so good, you'd think the BBC had made it. (Incidentally, the scenes between those two young men as they made their plans for their escape were so slashy that not even I could miss it.)

Look at the cast list: it's outstanding. For your particular delight, however, I shall draw your attention to a devastatingly young Anthony Stewart Head (top left photo; he must be about twenty-four), playing a Royal Navy lieutenant who is the son of the local doctor. His character has just secretly arrived back on Guernsey and, given we're getting both story-of-the-week and story arc, there's surely lots of high peril and associated anxiety to come. (John Nettles is in it too: surely crossing Enemy at the Door with Bergerac would create the world's smallest and most geographically specific fandom ever?)

Unpretentious, gripping, consummately written: big thumbs-up.

Comments

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

That reminds me of the heroic, short-lived Welsh invasion of Patagonia in Aberyswyth, Mon Amour - have you ever read that? Have you, altariel? It's a really clever, funny series of noir-esque detective novels set in Aberyswyth, where the druids run the town, and people hang around and do deals at seedy ice cream stands.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

[adds to reading list]

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

Last Tango in Aberyswyth, the sequel, is also very funny - it's about the stovepipe hat porn industry - but I haven't read the others.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That sounds great!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I have never read any of these, although I have always been pleased by the title (and several people I know swear by them).