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Birdsong (on TV)

I haven't read the book but was looking forward to this as I love the time period. However, I just couldn't get into it as both main characters seemed to have nothing to them. So he fancied her. Why? Good looks presumably (as there seemed to be be no other info given about why she was appealing as a person) and perhaps because she has a cruel husband. I found myself wondering why in romantic fiction it is never about stealing other people's husbands (even from cruel wives). Perhaps there is something in the male brain appealing about rescuing the damsel in distress. Anyway, I just didn't buy it as a romance.

The war story was a bit more interesting but it seemed to be taking a long time for me to get into the characters I really wasn't sure until nearly the end whether I would bother to watch the second part. I think I will as it is only a two-parter. If it was six episodes or something, I wouldn't bother.

What did others think who saw it, and how does it compare to the book?

Tags: bbc, birdsong, drama, tv, war, ww1

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Permalink Reply by Isabelle Goddard on January 31, 2012 at 14:56

I agree with you about the romance aspect, Kate. It didn't ring true to me. The 'hero' was a 20 year old boy in 1910 and from a privileged background. I'm doubtful whether he would have ever acted so - the sex scenes felt a bit like a male fantasy. The war scenes were much better - and particularly in the second episode - but it took me a while to work out who was who, despite having read the book.

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Permalink Reply by Lynne Connolly on February 7, 2012 at 1:19

I loved it. Simply loved it. The book is wonderful, and I think the TV version took some chances that worked out. The cinematography was stunning, and there was so much depth in this story. "I loved a woman once," made me cry, but I finally lost it right at the end.
The hero was a foster child, who had seen some rough times before being adopted, but in any case, the Edwardian era was deeply lascivious. Even the King had his own erotic chair at his favourite French brothel, And there are a lot of oral sex scenes in the book. Only one in the TV version. It was a favourite way of having sex without risking pregnancy.