Women at War

It's a good French series about the involvement of women in WW1 on the French side, through the prism of four prototypal characters: a prostitute with a son in the army; a runaway competent nurse; an upper-class lady with a shady past; and a nun.

The story of the four characters intersect and find a common destiny in a French town near the front, confronted by the horrors of war.

Some of that conflict was well depicted, other elements, maybe not so much. Historical accuracy is not the main element here (e.g there were no gas attack until 1915, whereas all the action takes place at the beginning of the war in 1914).

The depiction of war wounds, the moral of troops, the insufficient equipment (no helmet) and the treatment of the wounded seemed pretty spot on though.

The action and acting is all good if a little over-dramatic and forced at times.

There will be no second season. This is a mini-series and this is all there is to it.

If you like historical series with beautiful cinematography you're going to like this.

Acting is great, the characters are likable and it has a good storyline. Maybe that there are too few episodes to really develop a connection with all of the characters.

I also noticed that all of the main characters are very beautiful which may not be realistic but on the other hand all of them are great actors so I don't mind,

I especially enjoyed the first 5 episodes, the last episodes were a bit unrealistic and "American" with some cheesy lines and dramatic music. Especially since I prefer European series over American, who tend to be too much of everything for my taste. But overall it was an entertaining well made series and I finished it in two days!

I watched this in French w/ English subtitles, to best hear the actor's cadences for their role. From the beginning we had acting of the highest order, with (once again) Audrey Fleurot giving a standout performance, as she did in "The French Village". In fact all the acting was good to excellent. This leaves one with the impression that talent and craft are at the highest level with French Thespians. The production values were OK, though the battlefield scenes seemed lacking. But weakest of all was the writing: It was predictable with an inclination towards the melodramatic, and in some cases extremely so. This was an excellent example of superb acting almost elevating the production from so/so to good. Almost, that is.

If you watched "Bonfire of Destiny" you'll be pleased to see the same three actresses ( plus a new one) and Director, at it again. This time it's 1914 and WW1 has started. A prostitute, a nun and a "criminal" abortionist are the main protagonists. And, yup the baddies are mostly men. But it's played out dead seriously which allows the plot weaknesses to be smoothed over.

Audrey Fleurot leads the way with her wonderful mane of red hair. And flaring nostrils! She's so good at playing strong characters who are always interesting even when flawed.

It's also one of the rare movies that show WW1 before it ground down to bunker warfare. It seems the French uniforms were "decorative" while the Germans, practical as usual, were colorless. Zut Alors!

I want to focus on the fact that this serie really catches the horrible moments of war in such a way I think noone can go away untouched. The screams are just horrific, If I didn't know it was on TV I could swear it was real.

I have to say it's really well made, great acting from everyone. And the fact I finished this before even thinking of looking at the last of us says it all.

This isn't an American production where everyone is cool and wounds are no match.

France has done it, it's horrific and tense, but you just need to watch to the end. Not sure you feel any better, but you definitely feel something.