Dear Anglophiles: Did you catch the British TV drama The Crimson Field on PBS or BBC1? It was recently released on DVD, and I watched it. The series is a drama set in a field hospital near Boulogne, France, during WW I, with doctors, nurses, and volunteers tending the wounded soldiers carried in from the trenches. The professional medical staff, front-line medics accustomed to the atrocities of war, copes stoically with the patients, but the three young, female volunteers who arrive at the hospital are wholly unprepared for the horrors that confront them. As the volunteers grapple with their new lives, the doctors and nurses, thrown together in the confines of the field hospital, face their own intrigues. Infidelity, power struggles, pain, secrets, passions, and forbidden love all play out in the tented city, near the battlefield.
The show snagged some wonderful actors. I especially loved the volunteer Kitty, played by Oona Chaplin (yes, Games of Thrones and granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin) and Sister Joan Livesey, played by Suranne Jones (Doctor Who). You’ll also recognize Jeremy Swift and Kevin Doyle from Downton Abbey.
The show’s writing was solid—not stellar, but solid. I thought it was a bit like a grittier, darker Call the Midwife. Being a history buff, I do wish more historical tidbits about the war had been mentioned. The story's action moved along at a nice pace, making the show perfect for a pleasant evening of British TV—just add a nice pot of tea and biscuits! If the show had been picked up for a second season, I would have watched it.
* U.S. viewers can watch The Crimson Field free on PBS’s website HERE
* Those wanting to purchase the series in DVD format may do so HERE
(The 2-disc DVD has a total run time of 360 minutes for $34.99. Blu-ray version costs $39.99.)
The show snagged some wonderful actors. I especially loved the volunteer Kitty, played by Oona Chaplin (yes, Games of Thrones and granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin) and Sister Joan Livesey, played by Suranne Jones (Doctor Who). You’ll also recognize Jeremy Swift and Kevin Doyle from Downton Abbey.
The show’s writing was solid—not stellar, but solid. I thought it was a bit like a grittier, darker Call the Midwife. Being a history buff, I do wish more historical tidbits about the war had been mentioned. The story's action moved along at a nice pace, making the show perfect for a pleasant evening of British TV—just add a nice pot of tea and biscuits! If the show had been picked up for a second season, I would have watched it.
* U.S. viewers can watch The Crimson Field free on PBS’s website HERE
* Those wanting to purchase the series in DVD format may do so HERE
(The 2-disc DVD has a total run time of 360 minutes for $34.99. Blu-ray version costs $39.99.)
