Birdsong stars Eddie Redmayne as Steven, the posh Englishman who falls in love with Isabelle (Clemence Poesy - a French woman) before the First World War, but is heartbroken when she suddenly leaves him.
He then has to deal with the troops under his command, (including the tunnellers, known as 'sewer rats'). Meanwhile, he also overcomes his fear of the tunnels, becomes empathetic with his men, and gazes into the distance a lot, looking solemn, whether thinking about his love, or considering the cruel damage that war inflicts.
I was recommended this by somebody at work who loves the book, but the constant sly glances, unspoken words, and lovey dovey shots with piano in the background infuriated me. After a while, I started wishing he would cop off with Jack, the main tunneller (Joseph Mawle), just to liven it up a bit.
I would have preferred it to be one episode instead of two, cutting to the chase and missing out a load of the crap, which the makers will probably say are the parts that make it romantic, and give it depth and resonance. Pah!
Some excellent shots of the tunnels and battlefields, but l just felt like slapping some life into the two lovebirds, as l couldn't relate to either of them, and they just got on my ample man boobs.
toodle pip
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