Transatlantique

This series started very strong, sympathetic lead characters, beautiful cinematography, great set design and an interesting mixture of authentic historical events and fictional elements.

I really appreciated they created a series about the idealism and deep humanity of personalities like Varian Fry and Lisa Fittko, who risked their own lifes to save so many others. They were true heroes, lights in the darkness of their time and should serve as Role Models for our days, which are tumbling into darker times once again.

It made me think about the refugee crisis of our times.

With the difference that now refugees aren't trying to escape from Europe but try to get there desperately to find a better living.

I just couldn't give it a higher rating because script got thinner in the later episodes, being watered down by too many annoying and flat melodramatic cliches.

The true story is well known and awe inspiring. A true larger than life story in WWII occupied France when the South was still a "free" zone. All the refugees were in Nice, Cannes, Marseille awaiting to leave the territory. Unfortunately, the series is torn between retelling the true events and highly romanticising them with the addition of too many love interests as well as too many politically correct subplots raising concerns that were not relevant at the time especially in time of war. Those tend to slow and hinder the proper storytelling, depriving it of fluidity in addition to some completely false resistance storylines. It could have been great.

The Netflix series is based on real life events in Marseilles, France during the early days of WW II. Dark times, indeed, from an historical view. But, somehow, "Transatlantic" comes across more like a collection of ingénues and eccentrics on a madcap adventure, rather than as a literal life and death struggle against fascism. The tone of this series is set by a soundtrack that hit me every which way but right; the overall effect was like watching a strange, inappropriate homage to a Woody Allen period piece comedy. Kudos to the cast, though, which manages at times to rise above it all with some excellent performances; and the on-location cinematography adds authenticity to the historical weight of the storyline. "Transatlantic" may be the only series you should watch with the audio muted and the captions on, because what happened is worth knowing so that it is not forgotten, or repeated.

This series is 'based upon' a true story and draws from the interest that generates. It does involve and blend depictions of real people - including great artists and figures from the period who we now know and revere. There is a lot of name dropping in this drama to sprinkle a little extra magic in there.

This being said it's for light entertainment value only. We have lots of sexual intrigue and what I'm reluctant to describe as tension (it never really builds as tension to be honest). There's sex - let's put it that way - but again, nothing graphic, nothing explicit. Likewise, there's a war context - but there's no real fear or tension about the place (even when people are arrested you are never in fear of their lives). There is no depiction of mistreatment even if it is spoken of and some of the language is of the day (opinions shared by Nazis and sympathisers) to make you feel revolted.

This is a drama that takes you to a viewing platform from where you ought to be able to see all these things - but it is just short of showing you anything powerful or shocking. Instead it's foggy and misty, and you're distracted by an indulgence of clothing, houses, scenery, and an inexplicable mood that might explode into a party or a song and dance at any moment. There is the token anxious character here or there - but they the party poopers rather than someone making a genuine and valid point. We see little of PTSD, flashbacks, anxiety attacks, worries or concerns. The artists are resilient in their joy - they are not preoccupied with expressing the darkness of the surrounding circumstances.

Likewise, when the fleeing refugee Jews make it to the south coast of France in their hopes of escape - they don't find each other huddled in masses, cough and starving, exhausted from walking hundreds of miles - instead it looks like a beach holiday. One man runs delighted into the sea and splashes in the water (salt water that nobody could drink). Nobody is concerned about where to find food or how to make the next venture to escape the country (given their backs are to the sea).

Overall this is a problematic depiction and it's lightweight. It's for enjoyment - not to recreate anything sharply. How accurate it is, I find very questionable.

Nevertheless if you suspend that problematic aspect, you can enjoy a lot about the series. There is some decent acting and the lead female actress, Gillian Jacobs, is very charming and charismatic, giving an enjoyable performance overall. I'd like to see her in something that pushed her a bit harder to be honest.

This is a solid 6 - but overall there are better dramas out there and this will never be regarded as a classic because it's too forgettable and it's just not compelling.

I clicked Transatlantic open out of curiosity and binge watched the whole series. As the story is mainly based on real events and people, it gives a view to the bravery of ordinary people. As Varian Fry really was gay, he was in danger in several ways. Mary Jayne Gold managed to find a way to escape the boring existence of the women of her class and find a purpose. Famous artists and intellectuals really belong to the story instead of being planted into it to make it interesting. Makers also trust that the audience understand why these people are fleeing the nazis. Marseille is portrayd beautifully and the addition of the transporter bridge which was destroyed only few years later, adds to the integrity of the production. Funnily I couldn't decide if this was a really good series, but I just had to see all of it at once.