Badehotellet

I was introduced into this series by an acquaintance who had me watch it and I loved it instantly.

It is a "light" TV show set in the aftermath of Danish Belle-Epoque, during the 20s, in a charming, little seaside hotel in the middle of nowhere run by a hateful, miser landlord and his struggling, hardworking wife, with a small entourage of country-side chamber maids and parlour maids.

They host the same bunch of guests every year and their stories get intertwined with those of the local villagers, in a very particular period of European history, just before the stock market crash of the 29 and when Hitler was a rising promise in Germany.

There is a half-comedy, half-drama tempo in the show, and perhaps this middle ground is the issue here: either you like this melange or it won't be convincing for you.

If you like the period and enjoy Danish shows, you will probably like it a lot. The screenwriters are very well known and skilled authors, and although it doesn't climb to the top of Nordic programmes and it lacks a little depth, it is well produced and acted, and the stories have interest for all audiences.

It is an 8 for me.

This is the best Danish shower ever made. Good acting, good dialogues and a lot of good humor.

Seaside Hotel is a gift from Denmark to the eyes of the world. The cinematography is outstating, the direction always crisp and yet not hurried and the acting superb. The Series captures a time a place and representative characters over a dozen or so years from about 1928 to 40 and does so with an eye for style and detail that is rarely seen on the small screen. Heck, it's rarely seen in multi-million dollar Hollywood films either.

The cast is uniformly excellent. From the slightly ditzy maid Edith played to perfection by. Ulla. Vegby to Bertha Neumann's austere bridge playing obsessed Mrs. Fjeldso. They're all good. And they're shown at their best thanks to the wonderful writing and well paced story telling that will reel you in and keep you wanting more.

I need to make mention of Cecile Stenspil. She looks like and even more beautiful young Joan Fontain (if that's even possible) and grows with her character over the seven years she graces the screen. But they're all good. Jens Jacob Tychsen .gives his egomaniacal matinee idol role everything he's got and he's one of many. Bodil Jogerson's Mrs. Anderson is filled with grace and wisdom born of pain. She's superb.

Pay particular attention to the skewing of film directors, actors and show business in general for the fun all of it offers. The bigger more thought provoking topics the series addresses are there for reflection and these too fit right in.

Are there perhaps too many subplots? Maybe. But they all tie in. Are there too many comings and goings behind doors that close just in the nick of time? Could be. But everything is handled so well that it all just seems to work. It works like like a well trained staff of maids and kitchen help who keep everything on schedule and everything in its place.

Be sure to check in to the Seaside Hotel. The staff has made sure that your room is ready.

If you loved Downton Abbey, you will absolutely love this show. I cannot belief that it's been running since 2013 and I just found it. All of the actors are perfectly cast and brilliant. Visually it takes your breath away. Music is ideal and the costumes are to perfection. Love how the director threw in the food preparations. A total work of art!! Only downside is reading the subtitles as you don't want to miss any scene. You will find yourself bingeing on this one.

Although in some ways it's a series in search of a category, as it's part French Farce, part drama, part romance, and part sit-com, this is a smorgasbord of entertainment with something for everyone. Loose ends abound as characters appear then disappear without explanation, and plot lines dead-end into illogical brick walls, but that doesn't seem to matter as the relationships unfold and complications arise. It's completely enjoyable and entertaining, light and silly at times, deep and thought-provoking at others, unafraid to take on significant issues such as unwanted pregnancy and sexual identity, but balancing them against comic antics and slamming doors of questionable virtue. Nudity disappears as the series develops, but there's never any foul language, really, and while the characters smoke and behave normally for the late 1920s, it remains otherwise circumspect. The one thing missing is a link to a food recipe source; the dishes prepared in the hotel's kitchen are intriguing and look delicious. I'd like to try some of them.