Les carnets de Max Liebermann

Yes this is a Holmes type mystery and cannot be totally historically accurate, but as entertainment it is hard to beat.

I really enjoyed the first episode of this new BBC1 one detective series. Bringing a young doctor who has studied Freud to help the detective solve a bizarre string of murders makes for an exciting beginning! I didn't know any of the actors but the wonderful cast and settings around Vienna circa 1900 made for an excellent production. Can't wait to see the rest of this compelling series.

This was as good, or even better, than anything I have seen in the genre for a long time. Never mind all the Sherlock comparisons, this was above all that. You don't have to like a character for them to be good. And, believe me, the acting was way better than many of the comparisons cited by some critics. Strong characters. Convincing set-ups. Credible plots and all this set against a background of the rising pan-European anti-semitism which culminated in the Nazis. Very pertinent to our own experience of a new rise of the Right across the globe. Timely, powerful and entertaining. So why only three????

First to say, it's not Sherlock & Watson. It's more of a team player effort. Of course, Both main characters, Lieberman and the inspector, have to come together from very diametrical positions of how a case should be solved. The term of 'profiler' is used, and I'm quite sure that's for the audience only, and wasn't known then. But they may have had a similiar name for a killer's extrapolated personality. Acting is really very good, and Mathew Beard is just optimal for Liebermann, exploring new methods of deduction and investigation. Very high production values, meticulously catching the flair of the young 20th century during the short time when Vienna was the capital of a huge empire, where the Jews tried to find their place by assimilating themselves. There is always some dry humor present, which makes the show a very pleasant watch. Directing by Robert Dornhelm in the first episode is great. Tension is built very well until the case is solved in a nice finale. Of course Vienna is the third main Character, as it is shown in most of it's remaining Glory from the old days. There are some small references to the famous 'Third Man', or I thought to recognise them. In this first episode most of the secondary characters did not get much attention, but I hope this will change in later episodes. I hope the coming episodes are equally high in quality to the first one.

Not for the unsophisticated block-buster fans or the action movie addicts. This superb, refreshingly different, historical who-done-it series takes a little bit of work to fully enjoy. It's not popcorn and candy cuisine, and it requires a degree of digesting.

It is quietly funny in places and very disturbing in others, the crumbling Empire and undertones of Nazism and not so much the gore are what I found to be the bits that left an aftertaste .

The main characters are very accessible. believable and quietly colourful. The casting, acting, directing, styling, cinematography, and for the most part the story lines were of a very high quality.

I am hooked, please sir can I have some more?

ADDENDUM: On reading some of the critical reviews, I felt I should add a further note to my very brief review in order to help place the series in a little sharper relief. One of the complaints I read was that the story lines were rather too simple, another complained that the series was slow moving.

The prime value for me in this excellent series is in enjoying the texture of the work. It is best not to view and to try to apprehend a grand master painting in the same way as one might set about enjoying a Mickey Mouse cartoon.

I loved the care taken with settings, camera angles, lighting, the colour balance etc. I loved the way both the visuals and story details were gradually unfolded and the characters allowed to evolve. My wish was rather to have some more time to explore the places, the times, and to get to know a little more of the intriguing characters.

Caveat emptor - If you want candy floss - look elsewhere.