|
||||||||
Close To The Enemy - New Stephen Poliakoff Drama On BBC 2 Tonight at 9pm |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#26 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: 🇬🇧
Posts: 60,766
|
Quote:
Not sure what I'm looking at but I'll keep working away. It's not exactly The Missing, is it ....
|
|
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#27 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 644
|
Just watched it. I wasn't sure what nationality the main actor was as his acent was very strange - apparently it is Jim Sturgess - why on earth is he talking like this it is most annoying. In fact I found the whole programme annoying especially the child who was obviously putting on the crying at the dinner table. i am not going to be able to watch this again. I was hoping for a cold war movie which this obviously isn't. It seems to be full of stereotypes and not the least bit interesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#28 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 915
|
Quote:
It was filmed in Liverpool, an old empty bank was converted into a hotel set, so not a real hotel as such.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#29 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Richmond, Surrey.
Posts: 13,814
|
It certainly had style, and that kept me watching. In fact, I'd say the hotel was the real star of the piece. As others have said, the lead actor was incredibly annoying. He carried the same supercilious expression throughout and spoke in one of the weirdest and most contrived accents I've ever heard. It will be hard to empathise with him as our hero..if that's what he's meant to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#30 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Les Pays-Bas
Posts: 1,468
|
Quote:
Excellent, as with all Poliakoff, although I have often heard him criticised for being 'too intellectual' and insufficiently 'accessible'.
I see a similarity to the film (and book) of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Overly-convoluted plotting and people talking cryptically for no apparent reason other than to appear serious and important. Despite all this I found the opening episode good and worth sticking with. |
|
|
|
|
|
#31 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 10,778
|
Somewhat of a pastiche of the genre, many of the parts seemed rather uncomfortably lifted from other programs and all too familiar at that. Not an altogether succesful first episode but enjoyable enough to stick with it when there's so little else around at the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#32 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 319
|
Loved it. Looks great, it has that "parallel universe" feel you get from all his stuff. Conversations are often very slightly at cross-purposes, music wells up slightly out of kilter with the intensity of the action, which could be annoying but here just contributes to the atmosphere of slight weirdness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#33 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 37,019
|
Quote:
It's a sort of mash-up of Cary Grant and James Mason.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#34 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,692
|
I haven't watched it yet but I thought Shooting The Past was one of the most captivating dramas ever shown on television, so I'll certainly be giving it a go. I thought Close My Eyes was very erotic for TV and Capturing Mary was also looking good, but my recorder somehow missed an episode and I never got round to completing it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#35 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 37,019
|
It's no Shooting the Past and Close My Eyes was made for the cinema, which is where I first saw it back in the day.
My faves are Caught on a Train, Hidden City and Shooting the Past. |
|
|
|
|
|
#36 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: goo goo ka choo
Posts: 25,475
|
Quote:
I haven't watched it yet but I thought Shooting The Past was one of the most captivating dramas ever shown on television, so I'll certainly be giving it a go. I thought Close My Eyes was very erotic for TV and Capturing Mary was also looking good, but my recorder somehow missed an episode and I never got round to completing it.
The way stories and secrets were revealed by photographs was a common theme in both. |
|
|
|
|
|
#37 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 7,533
|
Quote:
If you liked Shooting the Past you might like Perfect Strangers. I loved both.
The way stories and secrets were revealed by photographs was a common theme in both. I think Poliakoff is an acquired taste but I personally love everything he does. |
|
|
|
|
|
#38 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,077
|
(Ahem - having started a rogue thread on this show, here's my two penn'orth)
I'm not a fan of Stephen Poliakoff, but love spy thrillers of this era so gave it a go. Unfortunately it lived up to expectations. Poliakoff productions always have a slightly odd tone, halfway between realism and theatricality, and a whole lot pleased with themselves. So it was with Close to the Enemy. The cast of red-lipped femmes fatales, smokey-voiced jazz singers, establishment bastards and clever-dick agents suggest he was going for wartime noir. What we got was a bunch of cliches being mysterious together in a utility version of Hotel Budapest. But it did make you think. Why would a German scientist consider throwing in his lot with the Russians? Why did the little girl have such an unconvincing scream? Why did Captain Ferguson sound hilariously like Swiss Tony? Alas I'll never know as I couldn't get to the end of the first ep. But best of British (as an SP character might say) to those who do. |
|
|
|
|
|
#39 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,281
|
Just caught up. Not on my must-watch list but it i shall give episode two a go to see if I like the look of where it's going. I think the main guy is miscast so far so that can go either of two ways. We shall see. All I can say so far is hmmmm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#40 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 644
|
Quote:
(Ahem - having started a rogue thread on this show, here's my two penn'orth)
I'm not a fan of Stephen Poliakoff, but love spy thrillers of this era so gave it a go. Unfortunately it lived up to expectations. Poliakoff productions always have a slightly odd tone, halfway between realism and theatricality, and a whole lot pleased with themselves. So it was with Close to the Enemy. The cast of red-lipped femmes fatales, smokey-voiced jazz singers, establishment bastards and clever-dick agents suggest he was going for wartime noir. What we got was a bunch of cliches being mysterious together in a utility version of Hotel Budapest. But it did make you think. Why would a German scientist consider throwing in his lot with the Russians? Why did the little girl have such an unconvincing scream? Why did Captain Ferguson sound hilariously like Swiss Tony? Alas I'll never know as I couldn't get to the end of the first ep. But best of British (as an SP character might say) to those who do. . I decided to remove this programme from my series link as I found it to be extremely irritating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#41 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,077
|
Quote:
Bib
. I decided to remove this programme from my series link as I found it to be extremely irritating. |
|
|
|
|
|
#42 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 55
|
I'm watching again in the hope of more cookery tips. I did the cabbage with onions, garlic & butter - it went down a storm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#43 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: 🇬🇧
Posts: 60,766
|
Quote:
I'm watching again in the hope of more cookery tips. I did the cabbage with onions, garlic & butter - it went down a storm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#44 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Les Pays-Bas
Posts: 1,468
|
HarkAtHer is right, whatsisname does sound like Swiss Toni. Now I have that link in my brain he sounds even more like him.
'Spying is very much like making love to a beautiful woman...' |
|
|
|
|
|
#45 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: 🇬🇧
Posts: 60,766
|
Freddie Highmore is rubbish in this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#46 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Surrey, UK
Posts: 2,507
|
Quote:
Freddie Highmore is rubbish in this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#47 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Up North
Posts: 719
|
Quote:
So far so very good!
![]() Anyone have an idea where the 'hotel' is filmed? Beautiful rooms. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/...koffs-12165390 |
|
|
|
|
|
#48 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 16
|
I thought Ferguson sounded like Alexander Armstrong's Morse parody, "Force on the Case".
"Mur-der? Come on Chuffy, let's go and get a drink." |
|
|
|
|
|
#49 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Outside, getting some air.
Posts: 2,000
|
Quote:
Bib
. I decided to remove this programme from my series link as I found it to be extremely irritating.I expect it will be 'critically acclaimed' , like Harold Pinter and the like. Expect to see a 'secret agent' lurking holding a smoking "bomb" , come back Monty Python! |
|
|
|
|
|
#50 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Les Pays-Bas
Posts: 1,468
|
Quote:
This is just a load of pretentious nonsense with more holes in it than a colander...
|
|
|
|
![]() |
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 04:53.




. I decided to remove this programme from my series link as I found it to be extremely irritating.
