MovieChat Forums > The Village (2013) Discussion > Brown eyes turned blue

Brown eyes turned blue

posted 11 years ago by Jen-83
16 replies | jump to latest

I find this series a little odd and rather depressing, but strangely compelling and will have to watch it to the last episode. I love history and costume dramas, so on certain levels it certainly appeals, however, their attention to detail is a little off at times. One of the most glaringly obvious gaffs (non-historic) is that Bert senior has blue eyes and yet his younger self has brown. Hmmmmm. Doesn't really inspire confidence in the historical accuracies, but hey ho.

[–] alfa-16 11 years ago

One of the most accurate WW1 dramas I have ever seen. Thing is, I know roughly, what my two grandfathers did. Accurately portraying the effect on their families is something new.

[–] Squeeth2 11 years ago

They've not gone all Testament of Youth then?

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

[–] alfa-16 11 years ago

No but one of the characters was dragged before a firing squad in the UK for not returning from leave in November 1916, which could not have happened. There we're no executions in the UK (only 306 altogether in The British Army) for desertion, especially where this meant not returning from leave. And that was after a very unlikely impromptu punishment incident. Joe would have been given the chance to return or faced prison or dishonourable discharged or one of the many shell-shock treatments attempted by Army Doctors. That's the only major letdown so far.

[–] Squeeth2 11 years ago

No doubt COMbbc ensured that someone mentioned that 90% of the death sentences were not carried out.

Executions in the British Army: 1914-1918
Offence
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
Desertion
3
46
71
90
35
Cowardice
1
4
10
2
-
Quitting Post
-
2
2
2
1
Disobedience
-
1
3
1
-
Murder
-
2
4
3
10
Striking a superior officer
-
-
3
1
-
Casting away arms
-
-
1
1
-
Mutiny
-
-
1
2
-
Sleeping on post
-
-
-
2
-
Totals
4
55
95
104
46

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

[–] alfa-16 11 years ago

Though it didn't result in the death penalty, the rank and file regarded not returning from leave as a worse desertion than running away from battle. This caused huge discontent - one of the reasons why there are so few executions for cowardice and so many sentences were commuted. Even the French, who were much keener on shooting their own initially, ending up with a similar rate of commutation, executing 600 or so in total. Like hanging people for stealing sheep, it was very difficult to get men to carry out the sentences and all firing squads were issues with sets of rifles that contained one blank cartridge son no one could definitely accuse themselves of having fired the fatal shot.

They should definitely have manufactured a different fate for Joe, especially if there are to be ramifications in future episodes.

cf

The Monocled Mutineer
Paths of Glory
A Very Long Engagement

Great work all three, though none are strictly truthful on this same subject. It does beg the question 'why is this so often exaggerated?' though the answer isn't that hard to find.

[–] catpetal-1 11 years ago

Forgive me - there just seem to be a couple of assumptions here which I just wanted to check.

1. There is a group writing this show ("they"). I thought it was a single person, but I may be wrong.

2. This person, or group, have no idea of the ramifications of putting Joe in front of a firing squad - they've thought no further than this moment. The next episode is a blank. You, however, foresee the problems his fate will cause and suggest the writer/s should think again.

Personally, I am prepared to trust that, despite the figures produced, the writer/s know what they are doing. I base this assumption on the fact that he/they have managed to move the story along in a highly satisfactory manner so far, and I am prepared to trust that he/they have a grasp on the ramifications for the future of the story.

Perhaps your doubts will prevent you from enjoying the drama. I hope not.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (41638798) 11 years ago

I have not seen the episode yet but wow what a depressing outcome if I'm reading these correctly. Sad.

Reading these posts reminds me of the Pat Barker book (and film) "Regeneration." About how the officers suffering the same fate as Joe psychologically were sent to hospital to be "cured" and then returned to the front.

But the ranks faced the firing squad.

There is also good info on this in the Sassoon biography, since he spent his time in that wartime psychiatric hospital too.

"Return of the Soldier" is another great novel on this topic, by Rebecca West. It seems that writers of the time were addressing this whole shell shock-punishment issue.

And the ramifications of these executions or imprisonments for being a CO were really highlighted for me in a book about life called "The Home Front" about the women left behind. It was by Sylvia Pankhurst.

A guy gets executed. But he may leave a wife and children behind--no pension. No king's shilling for them. That execution had wide ramifications--even if the wife could financially survive she and the kids were ostracized and shunned.

And without that one or two shillings per week from his pay or the widow's pension, she often ended up in the workhouse, her kids taken away and of course the death rate in the workhouse for kids was 3 of 4 or something like that.

So the general knobs weren't just destroying a man, they were often destroying an entire family, literally through death oftentimes.

That was a fascinating book.

[–] bilko-1 11 years ago

paradesend - thank you for your post.

[–] redhead_31210-645-627533 11 years ago

I also find the series to be a bit depressing but it also made me feel nostalgic. As I watched the series I kept thinking about how great it was to have such a sense of community around you. I also realized that technology has disrupted our ways of socializing and has isolated us from our communities more than it has brought us together. I long for the days when groups of kids ran freely outside with each other as opposed to having to schedule playdates for kids who are locked in their apartments all day long.

[–] McSwarek 11 years ago

To be honest, I haven't seen much sense of community in this series. There's cruelty and ostracism all around.

[–] ah_cynicism 11 years ago

Agreed about the eyes. I'm sure something could have been done to remedy this, short of using a different actor, like making one of them wear contact lenses or perhaps using CGI.

I was also annoyed by the little boy's accent. I think he acted well but he sounded far too southern compared with everybody else.

[–] Mutant_Enemy_Girl 10 years ago

I was distracted a bit by the eyes too, but actually, brown eyes are blue beneath the colour.

And some adults who have brown eyes, as they age, the colour drains and they become blue. It can be like hair going grey with age. I don't know the science behind it, but it is possible that his eyes lost their dark pigments after a century.

Last movie I watched:No Such Thing
"I don't question your existence."~God
J.U.A.

[–] tara_egon 10 years ago

Yep, that type of thing bugs me too!

[–] TravisTheSky 10 years ago

Yes. Two other glaring flaws:

1. David Ryall was only 79. His character was meant to be 111 years old. I didn't buy it.
2. Why can't one period drama ever bother to paint old-fashioned natural looking clouds onto the sky instead of leaving in the narrow stripes we see sprayed overhead nowadays?

EDIT: Oh, David Ryall is currently 79. So he was about 77 when this was filmed.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tb-sch 10 years ago

I wonder why they cast the new actor for season 2. He is sort of uncharismatic and does neither resemble the young or the old Bert and he constantly grins like he is mentally challenged.