Television Review: Parade's End

I was told before I started watching this that if I persevered past the first episode then I'd enjoy it. That advice was sound, though I can't help thinking that isn't the way to draw viewers to a five part series. While I understand the need to frame the story correctly, I think much of what was covered in the first fragmented episode could have been inserted elsewhere in the form of flashbacks (which we got anyway) so that the first episode didn't become a mess of confusing images. It set up back-story, yes, but at the expense of front-story.

To briefly surmise: Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch) married Sylvia (Rebecca Hall) when he discovered she was pregnant, despite not being certain that the baby was his. That act sums up his whole demeanour - he is a noble man, often misrepresented and a product of the past on a collision course with the future. Although he falls in love with Valentine Wallop (Adelaide Clemens) he clings on to the remnants of his marriage even while Sylvia indulges in affairs and stays with him only to make him suffer. She is a thoroughly despicable character with few - if any - redeeming features. It's a mark of how well Rebecca Hall portrays her that I detest the character and not the actress.

WWI is an integral aspect of this story. Tietjens shuns protection in order to go into the trenches, struggling with memory loss and shell shock after his first return from the trenches. We see more when he goes back, experiencing the destruction and pointlessness through Tietjens eyes. There are a few bitter comic moments as orders are given and rescinded and the establishment proves itself to be the incompetent force that history depicts. These are grim moments of humour but in an adaptation as heavy as this I'll take whatever I can get.

I don't mean to say that it wasn't a good adaptation of a good original story by Ford Madox Ford. It is very forceful in places, dramatic in others and emotional when the cap fits. It has an excellent supporting cast including Roger Allam as General Campion, Rupert Everett as Mark Tietjens and Miranda Richardson as Mrs Wannop. There is also a spectacular performance from Rufus Sewell as Reverend Duchemin, a mad vicar who perturbs both other characters and the audience.

There is a lot crammed into five hours: war, suffrage, marriage, infidelity, deceit and misunderstandings. As a consequence, it is very heavy and requires attention. That said, if you make it past the first episode then there are some exquisite scenes to enjoy. The period detail is wonderful and it is beautifully shot and presented. There are a few particular scenes which stick in my head. The first is when Christopher and Valentine get lost in the fog and spend the night looking for the way home. It's beautifully set-up and executed and sets the tone for their romance. Secondly, there is a quiet little scene when Christopher is showing his son, Michael, the well at the family estate. It's a touching little moment, although I can't really explain why.

All in all, I'd recommend persevering with this, though don't expect an easy ride.

Book Review: The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

The Good Soldier, published in 1915, is one of the most powerful Modernist texts I have come across. It's fairly short at under two hundred pages but I would urge anybody reading it to digest in as few sittings as possible. It's one of those novels where every word matters and you're expected to analyse every action dictated to you.

The novel tells the tale of an English gentlemen, Edward Ashburnham, and his wife (Leonara) as seen from the perspective of narrator John Dowell. The Ashburnhams seem like the perfect couple, the traditional concept of 'good people', but their marriage is a lot more complex than at first sight. Slowly, as you progress through the novel, you discover that Dowell himself in the most interesting of characters, the unreliable narrator who frequently contradicts himself. The narrative flow means the reader is trapped in Dowell's head, travelling back and forth in time with him as he sees fit. It may make the text difficult to follow at times but it is certainly reminiscent of a person searching their own memories - recollections rarely occur in a linear manner. Dowell explains his predicament at the beginning of Part Four (there are five sections to the novel):

I have, I am aware, told this story in a very rambling way so that it may be difficult for anyone to find their path through what may be a sort of maze. I cannot help it. I have stuck to my idea of being in a country cottage with a silent listener, hearing between the gusts of the wind and amidst the noises of the distant sea, the story as it comes. And, when one discusses an affair - a long, sad affair - one goes back, one goes forward. One remembers points that one has forgotten and one explains them all the more minutely since one recognises that one has forgotten to mention them in their proper places and that one may have given, by omitting them, a false impression. I console myself with thinking that this is a real story and that, after all, real stories are probably told in the best way a person telling a story would tell them. They will them seem most real. 


That last line sums up the danger of the novel: things seem real but, with Dowell as your only portal, they may very well not be. It's up to the reader to analyse Dowell's motives as best they can. It might make reading the novel a little challenging, but no one ever said Modernist texts were easy to read. I enjoyed the book. It reminded me of my love for Modernism, prompted by an unit on my undergraduate degree. Although The Good Soldier is considered to be Ford Madox Ford's greatest work, I certainly plan to read more of his books in the future.