[STARMAN 352ND]

Oh Boy,,,, Now were talking about Custer Again....I saw this one too...it was ok....."Son of the Morning "star was a little better i think.
I was always thinking what in the world was Custer thinking he only had a handfull of soidiers and a swarm of Indians all over the little Big Horn....We're so doomed right now...
JP

[MoMo]

STARMAN 352ND

Re: Movies and models and bouncing bombs!

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Oh Boy,,,, Now were talking about Custer Again....I saw this one too...it was ok....."Son of the Morning "star was a little better i think.
I was always thinking what in the world was Custer thinking he only had a handfull of soidiers and a swarm of Indians all over the little Big Horn....We're so doomed right now...

I think that he was thinking about the glory......not the odds ! Remember, he was the guy who, in the Victory Parade of the Grand Army rode at the head of his cavalry, turned and galloped to the rear of them, then passed the President's grandstand again...................twice the glory !

[MoMo]

If you can, watch " Secret Army " ( on UK TV History at the moment ). I remember it well from the far-off days when the BBC produced quality TV series. It followed the hit TV show " Colditz ", and was made by the same team.

Once you were hooked, you couldn't miss an episode.

The series prided itself on being accurate so it used all available WW2 aircraft still flying in the 70s.

Check out the link below, and read the blurbs :

( I'm sure that Jim remembers it well ! ) ( I don't know if it ever reached the States, but it aired round the world. The DVD may be available in the US )


YouTube - Secret Army Episode 1 Part 4 of 6

Secret Army was designed by producer Gerard Glaister as a follow-up to his hit drama series Colditz (BBC, 1972-74), using a similar premise (Allies escaping Nazi-occupied Europe) and many of the same actors and production personnel.
Based on real events and people (Christopher Neame's character was based on Group Captain William Randle, the series' technical consultant), the brooding and essentially anti-triumphalist mood was immediately set each week with Alan Jeapes' striking title sequence, which displayed various escape routes and pathways before concluding with a zoom towards a dark building with a lit window, recalling the 'Empire of Light' paintings by the Belgian surrealist Magritte.
Bernard Hepton plays Albert Foiret, the proprietor of the 'Candide' café that serves as the base for the evasion group, 'Lifeline', led by its idealistic founder Lisa Colbert, the main focus of the first series. The calculating, ruthless but not uncaring Albert, torn between his invalid wife and lover Monique, increasingly came to the fore as the series progressed, especially after Lisa's death at the beginning of series two, ironically in an Allied bombing raid.
A strong anti-Communist slant became more pronounced with the introduction of Candide pianist Max, who wants the Party to take over Lifeline. This attitude does date the series somewhat, and may have been behind the decision not to broadcast the similarly inclined concluding episode, 'What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?' (prod. 1979). Instead it was re-moulded into Kessler (BBC, 1981), a spin-off capitalising on Clifford Rose's marvellously malevolent portrayal of Lifeline's Nazi nemesis, whose intense exchanges with Major Brandt (the equally good Michael Culver) were highlights of many episodes.
Secret Army made great efforts towards verisimilitude, with some location shooting in Belgium, although the scripts also tried to cram in as much drama as possible. 'Day of Wrath' (tx. 28/12/1978), for example, set against the D-Day landings, combines early close-circuit television surveillance equipment, Brandt committing suicide, Lifeline signalman Alain agonising over whether to kill his best friend and a climax featuring an air attack on Nazi headquarters!
Secret Army was admittedly deadly earnest, so perhaps it was inevitable that it would be spoofed. 'Allo, 'Allo (BBC, 1984-92) proved to be hugely successful, which unfortunately has tended to obscure the fact that, at its best, the original drama was frequently riveting and packed with incident and excitement.

COMING IN 2008: 'THE COMPLETE SECRET ARMY' BOOK

A comprehensive guidebook, written by Andy Priestner (producer of the Secret Army DVD releases), to the classic BBC TV wartime series, containing
reviews of all 42 episodes, behind-the-scenes trivia and photographs, location guides, contributions from the series cast and crew and much more...

The single greatest popular drama series ever produced by
the BBC - and we'll fight anyone who dares disagree -
Secret Army is today one of its least-remembered gems.'

excerpt from 'TV HEAVEN' by Jim Sangster & Paul Condon, Collins, 2005. Devised and produced by the legendary Gerard Glaister (The Expert, Colditz, The Brothers), the award-winning BBC series SECRET ARMY, starring Bernard Hepton, Angela Richards, Clifford Rose, Juliet Hammond-Hill and Jan Francis, is a gripping and authentic portrayal of the lives of a group of Belgian resistance members and their German oppressors during the Second World War.

Often merely remembered as the inspiration for the sitcom ’Allo ’Allo!, through the series recent release on DVD, this excellent drama is now being re-appraised on its own merits. The series' great strengths are its authentic recreation of the period, hugely suspenseful plotting and direction, but most importantly an excellent ensemble cast. All these elements come together to make SECRET ARMY truly compelling viewing.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Is that a very good DVD set MoMo ?Not too much soap opera type show is it ?
JP

[flyXwire]

Will these set come with Region 1 codec for the USA viewers? Thanks.

COMING IN 2008: 'THE COMPLETE SECRET ARMY' BOOK

A comprehensive guidebook, written by Andy Priestner (producer of the Secret Army DVD releases), to the classic BBC TV wartime series, containing
reviews of all 42 episodes, behind-the-scenes trivia and photographs, location guides, contributions from the series cast and crew and much more...

The single greatest popular drama series ever produced by
the BBC - and we'll fight anyone who dares disagree -
Secret Army is today one of its least-remembered gems.'

[brunowbe]

Originally Posted by Spinnaker

Yes, the remake of the Dambusters is to be made by Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings and King Kong fame.

Jackson is a well-known warbird fanatic, and owns several WWI biplane replicas, including a Sopwith Camel and a very rare Pfalz D.III.

That means he's gonna screw it up, just as he did the Lord of the Rings (if you haven't read the books, I will not accept your opinion on the movies, if you did, you know he screwed it up) and King Kong was awful. Let's hope he's learned something.

[MoMo]

Is that a very good DVD set MoMo ?Not too much soap opera type show is it ?

Starman

Hi Starman,

You've got to appreciate that this is BBC Brit TV in the 70s. The narrative is slow in unfolding. The characters are now a bit cliched. The plots are sometimes too contrived. However, if you adjust your critical, 21st century, acumen you will get hooked.

This is THE series which speaks in language and and characterisation much nearer to the reality and mores of the period depicted than anything which could be produced today. The Belgian Underground operatives are controlled and financed from London. Their 'front' is a Cafe/Nightclub, bought by British Intelligence. They are heroes who help downed Allied airmen to escape to fight again. Many of the characters are captured, tortured and killed by the Gestapo and Luftwaffe Police.

Some episodes have a liberal sprinkling of soap, but most are gripping.

It's a plane spotter's delight.

Uniforms are accurate.

Everyone is tense.

The mood is dark.

There are plenty of sites devoted to this series.

These are the most comprehensive. I recommend a read:

BBC - h2g2 - Secret Army - the TV Show

Le Candide - dedicated to the classic BBC TV series Secret Army and its sequel Kessler

Secret Army - TV.com

[MoMo]

That means he's gonna screw it up, just as he did the Lord of the Rings (if you haven't read the books, I will not accept your opinion on the movies, if you did, you know he screwed it up) and King Kong was awful. Let's hope he's learned something.

Let's hope not.....after all he's producing, not directing!

[MoMo]

Hi Fly,

This is what wikepedia says :

DVD

The complete series of Secret Army is available on DVD (Region 2, UK) from DD Home Entertainment. All releases are accompanied by a booklet detailing the production of each successive series, while the series 3 release also features on-camera interviews with cast members Angela Richards (Monique), Clifford Rose (Kessler), Juliet Hammond-Hill (Natalie), Terrence Hardiman (Reinhardt) and Hazel McBride (Madeleine). It does not, however, include the final unscreened episode (see above).

[MoMo]

This is what a fellow American said :

One of the best series ever made!, 20 Dec 2003

I was far from home, working in Indianapolis, IN, when I discovered a tiny public station run by a small local college. They aired an episode of SECRET ARMY every Saturday at 7:00 PM. I was hooked halfway through the first episode. This series had everything: nerve wracking suspense, unexpected turns and twists in the plots, reaistic dialogue, and a memorable lineup of characters played very ably by outstanding actors. I envy you Brits for having the DVD series available! The other big plus to this series is that it showed how life really was under Nazi rule. While several German soldiers are played sympathetically, the series does show that the Nazi machine was ruthless and efficient, and it was run by men who were ruthless and efficient. If you have secondary level children, this is a great educational tool to show them the way it was under nazi occupation.I found this series rivetting, thought-provoking, and at times troubling. But it really brought home to me how much was at stake when Hitler was making war, and how so much was given by ordinary people who rose to do extraordinary things in order to save the world from naziism. I wish the series were not so under-appreciated by the BBC itself. It deserves praise for being so well done and remaining such a memorable television experience.