Customer Reviews

Island at War

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This BBC series is well written and well acted, and the Isle of Man location works perfectly as a substitute for the Channel Islands, but I would caution buyers that the series ends a bit abruptly, still in mid-war, with many plotlines dangling and unresolved. This is not a little frustrating, and causes me to subtract a star from what I would otherwise be inclined to award. The problem is one of conception -- this program was originally designed to continue for a second series, so the first batch of episodes ties up one plotline while leaving the rest in stasis as cliffhangers to draw viewers back for more. Bad idea! This is what I was told by my local PBS station: The series was evidently not as well received in the UK as hoped for and a second series was never produced. To make things worse, the screenwriter died. This leaves us with, unfortunately, a fascinating story with a very fine beginning and middle but no true ending. I suspect other viewers will be equally disappointed. Just like the animated Ralph Bakshi version of The Lord of the Rings story, half a movie is almost worse than no movie at all.

What there is is great, but be prepared to never know what finally happens to most of the chief characters. It's like sitting down to what looks like a wonderful, lavish meal and then having to leave the table after the first course.

Island At War sits among the top of the many films that have recently appeared on the subject of the Second World War. Its setting, a fictional channel island called St. Gregory, lies much closer to France than to the British mainland, yet it and the other channel islands are totally British in sympathy, language, and political affiliation. In 1940, St. Gregory is portrayed as being captured by a German expeditionary force, as are the other channel islands, and the proudly British citizens there face an occupation by foreign hostiles. While their countrymen wage brave resistance to the German onslaught, those living on the islands must, willingly or not, submit to their foes. Presenting an interesting example of how a German occupation of the United Kingdom might have been carried out had Operation Sea Lion successfully achieved an undertaking that has otherwise proven impossible since 1066, that of defeating the British at war on their home soil, Island At War makes for the sort of motion picture that quickly and deeply draws in an intelligent viewer.

What makes this 6 ½ hour film so engrossing is not only the realism of its hypothetical answer to the question of how a German occupation of Britain would very probably have gone (stifling but much more respectful than German occupations elsewhere) but it is the depth of the characters presented. Where in other hands this could easily have disintegrated into caricatures of evil, jackbooted Nazis inhumanly repressing a purely good English population, instead we are challenged to see the humanity of both sides. Though often harshly restrictive and almost always haughtily loyal to the cause for which they fight, members of the German occupying force at times act with genuine decency toward the people of St. Gregory. Conversely, some of the locals on the island conduct themselves in ways that are less than honorable. There is also the matter of fraternization. We look on as interaction with an enemy for profit, personal gain, and in some instances out of a true sense of affection becomes increasingly the norm. A local girl reluctantly falls in love with a soft-spoken Luftwaffe navigator. A German officer offers a talented local girl a chance to sing in a soldier's cabaret, and later defends her against an attack by drunken townsmen. A bitter storekeeper, whose husband's death in an air raid marked the island's sole casualty during the invasion, begins a highly profitable black market goods partnership with a well-connected German. The island's commandant, Baron von Rheingarten, while a proud German officer, is by no means a thuggish Nazi yes-man, and his multi-layered interaction with the Dorr family, St. Gregory's politically-connected gentry, evolves from initial rivalry to his later showing the deepest act of magnanimity of the entire film. It is all much more of an affront to the convenient black and white wartime morality that is the standard when portraying a story set in this time and place.

Island At War is a truly fine production start to finish that will prove as appealing to a lover of good television as it will to any open-minded individual with an interest in the events of the Second World War.

Most WWII movies focus on the action in the main theatres of combat. Recently, I purchased an atlas which described what went on around the world during WWII even in countries which the history books didn't cover. 'Island at War' is such a study of the Channel Islands (located between France & England) and delivers a very interesting perspective on WWII while telling the story of several characters. It's highly recommendable, but I do warn you that it will leave you wishing for more episodes to explain actually what happened to the characters later.

I thoroughly enjoyed Island At War: the plot was riveting and addictive, the acting more than decent, and the emotion excellently portrayed so the viewer can both relate to the characters and better understand how being in such a situation would have felt.

Island At War is about the invasion of the Channel Islands (more specifically, the fictional island of St. Gregory) by the Germans during World War II. The invasion begins in 1940, but most unfortunately, the series was discontinued and we're never quite sure when the invasion ends.

The series follows the lives of several families trapped on St. Gregory after the initial evacuations, which was mostly made up of the island's children and those who were persecuted by the Nazis. (Jews, etc.) An excellent job is done throughout of having the character's lives entertwine, which gives one the impression that the story is not so much about seperate people but the island as a whole.

Many twists are thrown in to make the plot so engaging: a Jewish girl attempts to hide her identity, a girl whose father was killed in the initial bombing of the island falls in love with a Heinkel navigator, and two spies arrive on the island to gather information for a British counterattack are among them. Because of the fast-paced storyline, I suggest renting as many of the three DVDs as possible or getting them all at once so you can go straight to the next episode. It's almost impossible not to--each ending is a cliffhanger.

The only complaint I had besides the abrupt ending was the historical inaccuracies. For example, the commandant of the island, Baron von Rheingarten, is wearing the German Cross in Gold, but such a decoration was not introduced until 1941 while the story very definitely begins in 1940. The one that really had me upset, however, was the presence of several references to being sent to the Russian Front. I have news for the scriptwriters: the Russian Front did not exist in 1940 as Germany would not be at war with Russia until 1941 in Operation Barbarossa! However, since they're not physically on the Russian Front in 1940, these errors do not detract overall from the plot and are really minor details in the actual story.

I would definitely advise seeing Island At War for anyone who enjoys history, an interesting, fast plot, and is able to take a jarringly abrupt ending that needs resolving. It really takes you deep into the minds of both the invaders and the invaded and allows you a small glimpse at a terrifying prospect: what if our own world was invaded by what we feared the worst?

This was such an excellent series! !! I was so involved in each family's personal dramas that I gasped at the close to think that WE had to supply the endings to all the unfinished stories. I understood from WGBH that there were origionally to have been TWO more episodes, but the author's death last November from lukemia (he is the vicar) forced the producer's decision to stop there. Fine drama can provoke & disturb ...& haunt us. I will think about these charactars for a long time & hope for the best for them. Who knows, maybe after the war.....

If it were possible, I would give Island at War 10 stars. It is the most magnificent series the Brits have ever sent us, and I've seen a lot of them. I can't improve on the other reviews, except to say I too hope there is more of this, although I read that Stephen Mallatratt died tragically last November. Let's hope someone else can pick up where he left off, it is just way too good. The principals are absolutely marvelous, especially the Baron, Felicity, and James. I can't get enough of it. If it were a movie, I would give Philip Glenister an Oscar, his character development of the Baron is brilliant and an absolute delight. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone involved in this great production...
Julie Moore, Maine, USA

Having caught an episode of this series on PBS purely by accident I was hooked. Unfortunately our local PBS stations were not showing any more of the series. I immediately purchased this 3 Disc Series. Our family just finished watching it and it was just wonderful!

I had read the reviews here first and knew that it might end abruptly. Although I wouldn't call it abrupt..it certainly does leave you wanting more. I have written to PBS to make my plea to continue on with this saga. I don't know how they market their shows..but I hadn't a heard anything about this series until I just happened upon it.

PLEASE PBS....reconsider and continue on with this series. With a little more publicity and some more airing on the stations I think it would be a huge success on this side of the pond.

For those of you considering a purchase..I do highly recommend it despite it not drawing complete conclusions at the end.

Island at War is a positively gorgeous mini-series- character-driven, subtle, and honest. Lines of comparison between Island at War and PBS's Forsyte Saga can easily be drawn. After all, they both had the same brilliant writer. The character of Walker is essentially Soames Forsyte thrown into the body of a WWII German officer. Plots are aplenty, and yet so wonderfully woven that the viewer never notices the stitches. The script is top notch and so are the actors. Especially Philip Glenister as the brutal, but 'all too human' Baron von Rheingarten. The only criticism I can offer is that the German soldiers look suspiciously British.

In World War II, The Channel Islands were taken over by the Nazis and the people who'd lived on the island before then were pretty much left to their own devices. They didn't have military protection because it wasn't a priority to send forces to protect one island. The inhabitants basically had two choices: stay or go (evacuate).

As the series open, you see families faced with the reality of these tough decisions. Some (most) send their children away to be "put up" with other families. Some adults leave as well, including Jewish shopowners who simply hand over their keys to trusted friends who remain behind on the island. In some cases, husbands and wives are separated and there are other scenes of parents standing at the dock, watching their children hauled off in what seem to be very small boats (my heart was in my throat watching those scenes).

I found all of this fascinating, relating wholly to the dilemna of families who had to stay or go, deal with the indignity of being taken over by another country - or the pain of leaving it all behind, not knowing if and when you'd see your home again or what would be left when you returned.

All of this builds up to the actual occupation of the island, which starts out with a bloody massacre at the docks, planes flying overhead and strafing innocent people and then...a strange calm after that (for awhile anyway). There is a forced politeness as German officers met the political officials of the island but the animosity and mistrust on both sides is clear.

Things move fairly slowly after the Germans arrive, building tension bit by bit. Alliances are formed between some Germans and the families but, in other cases, divisions cause painful repercussions. The movie focuses primarily on a few families and this allows for a close-up view of what they may have encountered. One couple has a strained marriage and tensions rachet up during the occupation -but they also, at times, see each other with new eyes.

Mostly, though, this film reveals how "fuzzy" things can truly become during war, how morality can be twisted and values changed...or how some people can rise to the occasion and become better. There isn't a false note in this one.

My only quibble (and it is minor) is that some parts seemed overly long, with some dry spells between events. But overall this movie was fascinating and I learned something about a part of history which I really knew very little about. I'm grateful that I got the opportunity to do so.

Somewhat like "deja vu all over again", Island At War seems to be a rip-off of "Enemy At The Door", a splendid British series from the 80s. The acting in this series, however, was excellent, as are most British shows and movies, and I enjoyed having the closed captioning for some of those "Veddy British" accents which my elderly ears have trouble defining. Still, I favor the "Enemy At The Door", even sans CC, over this product and would recommend the former as a definitive product for the Guernsey occupation.