MovieChat Forums > The Hour (2011) Discussion > This would be better if...

This would be better if...

posted 14 years ago by stebsmeister
16 replies | jump to latest

1) It stopped the heavy-handed preaching. Yes, women were unfairly treated in the professional world of the 1950s (and are still under represented today), but a contemporary tv series can't retrospectively change social attitudes. And why set something in the past only to point out how awful it was?

2)It managed to have some mock-historical footage, like "Zelig", or "Forrest Gump". I'm not sure how much this would cost, or how difficult it is to make it look convincing, but it would certainly add to the verisimilitude of the series if, for example, we "saw" Dominic West interviewing Eden or MacMillan.

3) More "real" historical figures - may be jumping the gun a bit, but it'd be a nice touch if, in investigating the conspiracy, the journalists spoke to Kim Philby, or, given his journalistic connections, Guy Burgess.

4) The characters were a bit more likeable. Wishaw's Freddie Lyon comes across as a disingenuous creep, West's Madden a bit of a sleeze-ball, and Garai's Rowley a bit holier-than-thou.

[–] oakcourt 14 years ago

Had high hopes for this but it seems they are all pussyfooting around each other and seem too scared to do anything. Bit tame at the moment I hope it speeds up.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] fred-889 14 years ago

Actually, budget cuts can't come into this. The BBC's drama budget was boosted by about £30 million while other stuff was cut, which makes this a little more disappointing than if it were clearly shoestring. I'm annoyed, because I think this series has plenty of great moments, a good core cast, but too much bloody silliness. We have too many thrillers on telly now, why do we have to have another one when it could have really followed its focus on journalism?

[–] rebkad 14 years ago

This would be better if...
it had the courage to be a genuine story of putting together a news prog in the mid-to-late 50s. Things do not have to be melodramatic murder mysteries to be exciting and interesting... and I say this as a member of the generation TV peeps are always supposed to be chasing.

Yes, as people have pointed out, the attention to detail with props etc doesn't seem to be there either, but that wouldn't be so terrible if it wasn't part of a decision not to really try to think in terms of a past era. It would be better with increased concern with historical research, and on authenticity - RIP RP, methinks.

I bet it started as a very good idea, but that actually too much money has been spent on the very prestiguous cast list and not enough on all the other stuff that a drama of this ambition would require. Ambition is great, but like the recent upstairs downstairs revival, if you don't have the courage to stick up for artistic integrity and authenticity somewhere along the line, you will end up with wilted drama - ie dramas that are pitched with real verve and promise, but fail to execute because they are too frightened of losing the audience. This was made by one of Murdoch's subsidiary companies, wasn't it?

On a more practical level, Anna Chancellor's character should be doing Bel's job, for the above reasons, for starters.

Anyhoo, I am still watching - but it must get better.

[–] stebsmeister 14 years ago

rebkad wrote:

This would be better if...
it had the courage to be a genuine story of putting together a news prog in the mid-to-late 50s. Things do not have to be melodramatic murder mysteries to be exciting and interesting... and I say this as a member of the generation TV peeps are always supposed to be chasing.

Agreed - journalism is (or can be) exciting enough in itself, without it being about uncovering a massive conspiracy. And 1950s Britain is long overdue for a revaluation; thanks to the fact that the BBC is staffed by producers who want to think they're John Lennon (thank you, Alan Partridge!), the 50s are seen as a dull age of conformity that only existed to let teenagers rebel against as a prelude to the glorious revolution of the 60s. There's some truth to it, of course, as a war-weary nation tried to return to normalcy and maintain the illusion of supremacy, but it's not the whole truth.

This was made by one of Murdoch's subsidiary companies, wasn't it?

Didn't know that, but it explains things a little! I wonder if in that case we'll see product placement, like Ben Wishaw fanning himself with a copy of the News of the World?!

[–] fred-889 14 years ago

Why would there be Murdoch involvement? He hates the BBC and this drama just creates the myth that it was the BBC which revolutionised television journalism, whereas it was ITN all along.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rebkad 14 years ago

"Why would there be Murdoch involvement? He hates the BBC and this drama just creates the myth that it was the BBC which revolutionised television journalism, whereas it was ITN all along. "

This felt to me as if it had started off as a history of ITN - which was being genuinely ground-breaking in this era, with the Beeb scrambling to keep up - but ended up getting bought by the Beeb with instructions to pretend ITV didn't exist. This makes it all a little farcical, as BBC and ITN were always in competition with each other from the 50s on. Just a theory though - no actual evidence to back it up.

Back to the problems with authenticity, y'see - not really mentioning ITV is illogical from a drama point of view as well, as all major corporations have some awareness of their competition.

[–] stebsmeister 14 years ago

ffa01 wrote:

Romola Garai got her norks out!

You nearly got your wish last week son!

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BrokenBells 14 years ago

OK, not to be preachy, but it is a little ironic that this show has sexism as an underlying theme and one of the first comments on how it could be improved is that the female lead should show her breasts..

However, I do agree with the OP that they could be less heavy-handed with that aspect. Mad Men, for example, does it in a more subtle and natural way where you notice it in lots of little things instead of a few specific lines.

[–] rebkad 14 years ago

I wonder if in that case we'll see product placement, like Ben Wishaw fanning himself with a copy of the News of the World?!

Does he need to, he bribed a policeman and tampered with murder evidence in episode 1! Then he harasses a grieving family for months. His opening line is that BBC News is boring.

Journalists, eh.

[–] stebsmeister 12 years ago

Shameless self-promotion of an old thread, but I still think some of the points raised here are pertinent. I particularly hope that there's some "Zelig" style use of archive footage; and I still think it'd be interesting to have some interaction, at least tangentially, with one of the "Cambridge Four".

www.jumpedtheshark.co.uk

[–] Squeeth2 12 years ago

The main point about the programme to me is that it is unambitious. A quality cast knocks out a turgid melodrama while the nation yawns. If it weren't for the fragrant Anna Chancellor I wouldn't bother. Mark my words, she's going to liven those stiffs up a bit, probably by biting a few necks.

Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.