Interesting to see how Riga looked in 1995 compared to when I was there a couple of years ago.
I liked Hundarna i Riga/The Dogs In Riga and it was filmed only a few years after the end of the Soviet occupation hence the strong Russian influence seen then coupled with the run down appearance due to decades of Soviet neglect. I daresay that all the Russian Cyrillic script/lettering etc. has gone by now. As regards technical quality, it was OK overall although the sound was a bit naff in places.
This was the first time this story was shown in British TV and now all we need is for BBC Four to show Den Vita Lejoninnan/The White Lioness.
Yes that's the one, sorry to keep having a go but even the title (Faceless Killers) seemed wrong. For me it implied that there was going to be something special about their faces, but instead it just meant they had not been identified, maybe the translation to English did not work well. Not giving anything away but for most of the final episode the police actually had photos of the faces of the "Faceless" individuals.
Oh, and if you listen carefully we did find out who feed the horses, it was mind blowing (not).
Looking forward to new series of Broadchurch this week, the first series was a masterpiece.
I interpreted 'faceless' as meaning hard to see/in the shadows type thing. I'm half way through now and still haven't worked out who it was.
I couldn't get into Broadchurch but I dipped in and out of it and watched the end which I found was enough to get the story.
I would personally have translated Mördare utan ansikte as Murderers without faces and with the understanding that the murderers are unknown/hidden/unidentified, that kind of thing. I hope that helps.
I liked Hundarna i Riga/The Dogs In Riga and it was filmed only a few years after the end of the Soviet occupation hence the strong Russian influence seen then coupled with the run down appearance due to decades of Soviet neglect. I daresay that all the Russian Cyrillic script/lettering etc. has gone by now. As regards technical quality, it was OK overall although the sound was a bit naff in places.
This was the first time this story was shown in British TV and now all we need is for BBC Four to show Den Vita Lejoninnan/The White Lioness.
I recognised some of the Riga landmarks. The modern hotel where the two policemen stayed is still there, and you can take a lift to the top floor for a panoramic view of the city. The large market seems not to have changed, the two semi-circular buildings are old airship hangers forming part of the market.
Just finished watching the 4 hour meander and it was very poor on many levels, thin plot, jumped about, padded out with erelevant personal stuff, picture quality, clumsy references to racism.
Having watched Killing/Bridge/Borgen in this same program slot made it even worse in comparison.
Yes, it did look very dated, which I suppose it was. But I still found it fascinating, and didn't find the personal relationships distracted from the plot. In fact, I thought the growing relationship between Wallander and the chain smoking Latvian cop was very promising. They missed a trick killing him off so early in my opinion, but I guess that was the author's intention and there was nothing they could do.
His wife did love her red coat though, didn't she ? But it was bit conspicuous when you're dodging around trying to avoid the bad guys, I felt sure she would meet a sticky end.
Just finished watching the 4 hour meander and it was very poor on many levels, thin plot, jumped about, padded out with erelevant personal stuff, picture quality, clumsy references to racism.
You should read the book. The story was pretty close to what Henning Mankell wrote. The "personal stuff" is not irrelevant - it's developed over several novels and is part of the whole thing of how the Wallander character develops over time.
Faceless Killers was the first novel to be written, followed by The Dogs of Riga. (The Pyramid was first chronologically but not written until several years later). Here is the timeline.
Do you speak Swedish? If so, is Danish and Swedish really as mutually intelligible as was suggested last night?
I know you're asking another poster. However, I don't (apart from the bits I picked up from watching loads of Scandi drama ) but if you saw The Bridge which was a collaboration between Danish and Swedish police, each spoke their own language which was understood perfectly well by their opposite number. The languages are very similar.
Well worth watching this clip from a Norwegian comedy
I enjoyed this one, even though I'd read the book years ago I'd forgotten most of the story. I liked the stark atmosphere and the poor picture quality added to the dark feel! It was so bleak and cold, not just the weather but the constant hiding in the shadows, not being free to trust anybody, civilian or law. The Hill of Crosses was quite a sight too, bizarrely beautiful in the whiteness of the snow. I haven't seen Faceless Killers yet, it's on the Sky box so I'll watch that when I get the chance.
And I agree that the relationships Kurt has are integral to the stories, they're part of his character and development. Everyone has personal stuff going on, the stories would be very one dimensional if it was just all about work.
Last October I visited Lithuania, and while there went round the terror museum in Vilnius housed in the old KGB head office . The Riga police headquarters shown in the episode reminded me very much of that place, including the very bleak cells.
I recognised some of the Riga landmarks. The modern hotel where the two policemen stayed is still there, and you can take a lift to the top floor for a panoramic view of the city. The large market seems not to have changed, the two semi-circular buildings are old airship hangers forming part of the market.
Thanks very much for supplying that informative update - appreciated.
I know you're asking another poster. However, I don't (apart from the bits I picked up from watching loads of Scandi drama ) but if you saw The Bridge which was a collaboration between Danish and Swedish police, each spoke their own language which was understood perfectly well by their opposite number. The languages are very similar.
Well worth watching this clip from a Norwegian comedy
Do you speak Swedish? If so, is Danish and Swedish really as mutually intelligible as was suggested last night?
Lol, no striing, but l do speak Norwegian and l don't have a problem with Swedish since the two languages are very similar and are very closely related (e.g. Mordere uten ansikter should look very familiar!). The Danish spoken on screen on Saturday night was spoken clearly and formally and at a reasonably slow pace hence it was easy to follow.
However, l personally do have an issue with the usual rapid fire colloquial Danish where the words are merged together and 'swallowed' as in dramas like Borgen and The Killing. Like the Youtube clip above, this cartoon here http://satwcomic.com/language-lesson is just so true! (no offence to our dear Danish friends is intended and rødgrød med fløde is this stuff http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%B8dgr%C3%B8d_med_fl%C3%B8de)
The KB ones apart from maybe a 'better' picture are nowhere, near a good as the originals.
Again, this is only my own personal preference but l feel that both the Krister Henriksson and Rolf Lassgård Wallanders are way superior to the Kenneth Branagh interpretation.
This was the first time this story was shown in British TV and now all we need is for BBC Four to show Den Vita Lejoninnan/The White Lioness.
The first time Dogs of Riga was shown here? I thought it had been on before so I didn't bother watching. Maybe I've misremembered then but has there ever been a version of this shown with Henriksson or Branagh?
*Edit* - Just seen that there has been a Branagh version shown on British TV so that's why I remembered the title/vague parts of the plot.
Apologies if I have missed mention of this elsewhere, but I cannot find any record of the Krister series covering this story and was wondering if anyone knew the reasons why not, especially since those series included so much material that wasn't based on Mankell's published works.
The first time Dogs of Riga was shown here? I thought it had been on before so I didn't bother watching. Maybe I've misremembered then but has there ever been a version of this shown with Henriksson or Branagh?
*Edit* - Just seen that there has been a Branagh version shown on British TV so that's why I remembered the title/vague parts of the plot.
I stand duly corrected, the_lostprophet, because the UK Branagh Wallander did cover this story so this story has technically been shown on UK TV before. That said, l can't stand the British version and l only regard the Henriksson and Lassgård Wallanders as being authentic because l feel that there's a really different atmosphere about them.
Apologies if I have missed mention of this elsewhere, but I cannot find any record of the Krister series covering this story and was wondering if anyone knew the reasons why not, especially since those series included so much material that wasn't based on Mankell's published works.
That's correct, eddiebaby, and this particular story was not filmed as a Krister Henriksson TV episode (source = http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Wallander_%28filmer%29). It was only the Lassgård and Branagh Wallanders that covered this particular story.
Rolf is in Wallander : The White Lioness Sunday midnight on BBC Four. Being slipped in on a graveyard slot - is the picture quality bad or something that it is relegated to such a slot.. I think that'll be all the Rolf episodes shown.
Rolf is in Wallander : The White Lioness Sunday midnight on BBC Four. Being slipped in on a graveyard slot - is the picture quality bad or something that it is relegated to such a slot.. I think that'll be all the Rolf episodes shown.
Comments
I liked Hundarna i Riga/The Dogs In Riga and it was filmed only a few years after the end of the Soviet occupation hence the strong Russian influence seen then coupled with the run down appearance due to decades of Soviet neglect. I daresay that all the Russian Cyrillic script/lettering etc. has gone by now. As regards technical quality, it was OK overall although the sound was a bit naff in places.
This was the first time this story was shown in British TV and now all we need is for BBC Four to show Den Vita Lejoninnan/The White Lioness.
I would personally have translated Mördare utan ansikte as Murderers without faces and with the understanding that the murderers are unknown/hidden/unidentified, that kind of thing. I hope that helps.
I recognised some of the Riga landmarks. The modern hotel where the two policemen stayed is still there, and you can take a lift to the top floor for a panoramic view of the city. The large market seems not to have changed, the two semi-circular buildings are old airship hangers forming part of the market.
Yes, it did look very dated, which I suppose it was. But I still found it fascinating, and didn't find the personal relationships distracted from the plot. In fact, I thought the growing relationship between Wallander and the chain smoking Latvian cop was very promising. They missed a trick killing him off so early in my opinion, but I guess that was the author's intention and there was nothing they could do.
His wife did love her red coat though, didn't she ? But it was bit conspicuous when you're dodging around trying to avoid the bad guys, I felt sure she would meet a sticky end.
Faceless Killers was the first novel to be written, followed by The Dogs of Riga. (The Pyramid was first chronologically but not written until several years later). Here is the timeline.
I know you're asking another poster. However, I don't (apart from the bits I picked up from watching loads of Scandi drama
Well worth watching this clip from a Norwegian comedy
Not really, its never been shown here, so it is new, just because it was made some years ago does not mean its not new (to us) !
The KB ones apart from maybe a 'better' picture are nowhere, near a good as the orginals.
I enjoyed this one, even though I'd read the book years ago I'd forgotten most of the story. I liked the stark atmosphere and the poor picture quality added to the dark feel! It was so bleak and cold, not just the weather but the constant hiding in the shadows, not being free to trust anybody, civilian or law. The Hill of Crosses was quite a sight too, bizarrely beautiful in the whiteness of the snow. I haven't seen Faceless Killers yet, it's on the Sky box so I'll watch that when I get the chance.
And I agree that the relationships Kurt has are integral to the stories, they're part of his character and development. Everyone has personal stuff going on, the stories would be very one dimensional if it was just all about work.
Thanks very much for supplying that informative update - appreciated.
Lol, no striing, but l do speak Norwegian and l don't have a problem with Swedish since the two languages are very similar and are very closely related (e.g. Mordere uten ansikter should look very familiar!). The Danish spoken on screen on Saturday night was spoken clearly and formally and at a reasonably slow pace hence it was easy to follow.
However, l personally do have an issue with the usual rapid fire colloquial Danish where the words are merged together and 'swallowed' as in dramas like Borgen and The Killing. Like the Youtube clip above, this cartoon here http://satwcomic.com/language-lesson is just so true! (no offence to our dear Danish friends is intended and rødgrød med fløde is this stuff http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%B8dgr%C3%B8d_med_fl%C3%B8de)
Again, this is only my own personal preference but l feel that both the Krister Henriksson and Rolf Lassgård Wallanders are way superior to the Kenneth Branagh interpretation.
The first time Dogs of Riga was shown here? I thought it had been on before so I didn't bother watching. Maybe I've misremembered then but has there ever been a version of this shown with Henriksson or Branagh?
*Edit* - Just seen that there has been a Branagh version shown on British TV so that's why I remembered the title/vague parts of the plot.
I stand duly corrected, the_lostprophet, because the UK Branagh Wallander did cover this story so this story has technically been shown on UK TV before. That said, l can't stand the British version and l only regard the Henriksson and Lassgård Wallanders as being authentic because l feel that there's a really different atmosphere about them.
That's correct, eddiebaby, and this particular story was not filmed as a Krister Henriksson TV episode (source = http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Wallander_%28filmer%29). It was only the Lassgård and Branagh
Is this the first time this one has been shown?
This is indeed the last Lassgård Wallander.
The White Lioness will also be part of the last series of the Kenny B Wallander
Henning Mankell, Sweden's most famous crime writer and the creator of fictional detective 'Wallander' has died, his publishers have confirmed.
RIP
http://www.thelocal.se/20151005/swedish-crime-writer-henning-mankell-dead
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06kq54v
http://www.radiotimes.com/film/dtjgwc/false-trail
I'm very sorry to hear that. RIP.