Klondike

Have just watched the first episode and enjoyed it. When I watch a drama I'm not concerned if the historical accuracy is not perfect I'm more concerned that the actors can act (they can). Some reviewers seem to be upset that a Scotsman and an Australian play the leads complaining that the accents aren't believable, but who can say how someone talked over 100 years ago, language changes FACT. Yes the language they use is modern screen writers write for there target audience (as they always have). Enough of a rant if you want to be entertained and get an impression of the conditions in Dawson City watch, if you want 100% historical accuracy either invent a time machine and travel back to the 1890's or watch a documentary.

I watched this mini series for entertainment. If that is your purpose - enjoy!! The scenery is spectacular,the photography is beautiful, the acting is solid and the story is ENTERTAINING (somewhat melodramatic)!!! I thought the cast was excellent.

Much of the criticism that comes from the other reviewers seems to stem from the lack of realism. I have always felt that the hallmark of a good television show or movie is the ability to suspend disbelief. There are dramatic elements to this series that stretch the imagination BUT it is a story not a documentary. If you want it to be absolutely realistic don't watch it. I LOVED IT!!!!!

I was looking forward to this series as I have done the Chilkoot Trail and spent a fair amount of time in the Yukon. I saw an interview with the producer stating how they went out of their way to be accurate so I had high expectations. Yes the scenery was spectacular, but not at all like that of the real Chilkoot Pass. The first disturbing piece of footage was at the beginning when the miners were working their way up the pass and in the background there is a ski area! You would think in this digital age they would be able to "photoshop" it out. Did not one person in their crew notice this? At the pass they are greeted with a spectacular view of the Yukon River. Sorry, but that's not what you see. Also, each miner had to prove they had 1000 pounds of gear to get over the pass, an important fact left untold. Okay, all this technical geography stuff aside (most folks would never know anyways), I just thought they did a poor job making this look like the late 1890s. Modern phrases are used and everybody is way too clean. It was a good attempt on the Discovery Channel's part but it ended up being a disappointment for me. There are great books on this great historical time out there for folks who are interested. Think I'll go pull out some Robert Service poetry and get a better fix!

Man, six interminable hours! Tons of commercials. And, for what? Something that would've been much better in a two-hour documentary.

Discovery has done well with other projects, like "The Challenger Disaster" with William Hurt. But, they definitely chose the wrong people to helm this project! This whole thing is like a watered-down version of "Deadwood," or something like that. Just lots of ugliness with no real point. Tim Roth is, by far, the chief irritant here. He's doing his thousandth (or so!) portrayal of the sociopath who gets off on tormenting people before killing them.

Even though it takes pretty much forever to get there, the synopsis of this miniseries is: hard-working people mine for gold, and scumbags kill them off to get their gold. That's it! The script endlessly meanders and has no narrative thrust. The direction is uninspired. The cinematography is muddy. The score seems disassociated from the goings on.

In short, please skip it! (Unless this reaches you too late. Sorry 'bout that!)

** (2 Out of 10 Stars)

My wife and I were frustrated by all the factors other reviewers have pointed out...the "Hollywoodization" of the costuming and make up of the women, the inclusion of modern issues, race, anti Jewish, women's suffrage. The implausibility of the wolf attack, river near-drowning, etc.. Stupid mistakes historically I don't think cigarettes were invented until the early 1900's, as well as the events mentioned by others. It always surprises and annoys me when otherwise great production values are undercut with stupid and/or lazy mistakes.

All that being said, we did enjoy the production...great scenery and sets, the story line was interesting even though it was TV/movie formula with dark lighting and poor sound. Visually it was interesting...the series could easily have been shortened by a couple hours. I turned on the Captions which made the dialog easy to follow, and I enjoyed a number of quotes which, I'd love to be able to remember. They weren't authentic to the times I'm sure, but were little gems.

In conclusion, we put our critiques aside and watched the series and enjoyed it for what is was, not what it could have been.