Enemy at the Door

I bought the dvd 10 years ago but watched it only a few weeks ago,and i am glad i did,anyone expecting an action packed ww2 series like 'x company' or even 'bomb girls' look elsewhere,this series is about the daily life of guernsey islanders under the german occupation dealing with food shortages,fuel shortages,medicine shortages,black market,relationships between guernsey girls and german soldiers and more. most of the actors and actresses manage to convey an air of quiet desperation throughout the entire series barring season 2 episode 7 which is completely different in tone and mood,i was highly impressed with 3 standout performers, alfred burke(colonel richter),bernard horsfall(dr. martel) and helen shingler as helen porteous,there's also the awful emily richard(clare martel),she's an absolute stinker here. on a scale from 1-10 i rate this series a very strong 8.highly recommended.

This is not a new production, with all the bells and whistles we expect of modern productions, but it is a very fine British drama, well written scripts and the best of performances (with episode actors who went on to be substantial TV and Stage personalities). The stories it tells are well researched chronicling a period of history not widely told, and therefore a valuable record of WW II war time struggles. For those who have enjoyed the 2018 movie THE GUERNSEY POTATO PEEL PIE LITERARY SOCIETY, this tells more of those stories (within the TV production capabilities of 1978). I give this series an 8 (very fine) out of 10. {Occupation Drama}

From a time when British television period and costume drama was of a consistently high standard, Enemy at the Door, by London Weekend Television, is a real standout.

The casting is as perfect as could be. It's also very cleverly written, and acted, in that the German occupiers often seem more likeable than many of the islanders, particularly the Commandant, Richter, played superbly by Alfred Burke. The relationship between Richter and the local doctor, Martel (Bernard Horsfall) is exquisitely crafted, demonstrating the tensions arising from being enemies by circumstance, harbouring a mutual liking and respect without showing it too much, and having to oversee a functioning community in impossible circumstances.

Simon Cadell plays the obligatory SS fanatic, Reinicke with sinister understatement, and jolts us out of any complacent sympathy for the German perspective by demonstrating just what they were capable of.

It's such a brilliant and thought-provoking story, and such a shame that it did not extend beyond the two series.

I remember this series from when it was first transmitted, and I have been to both Jersey and Guernsey numerous times. It is well written and acted. Probably the stand out actor is Simon Cabell who is suitably evil and malevolent as the SS officer. The second series ended at April 1943. It is a great shame that there wasn't a third series to take it up to the liberation.

That I find myself at a loss for words. I have never heard of this story of WWII and this series though probably not historically accurate, give us somewhat of an idea about what the people of the Isle of Guernsey, situated near France which was taken over by the Nazis during WWII and put their population though major misery.

The story is told with such deftness and cleverness that it is not just an interesting historical drama, but a great story of friends, neighbors, war, citizens, and family. I never thought I would enjoy this so much or get so much out of it.

I unreservedly recommend "Enemy At The Door" to anyone who imagines they might find it interesting ... and others.