callalou1

I was so disappointed with this movie. At one point, early on, Vera Brittain gives an opinion on one of Roland Leighton's poems, saying she 'can't see him in it'. That's pretty much how I felt about this movie. It sort of told Vera's story but somehow I couldn't really see her in it either. Maybe it was aimed at a generation now so removed from the customs and self discipline of Vera's generation that it wasn't felt necessary to replicate it. Certainly the mud, the horror and the general bedlam of World War 1 were all present, but the characters and the story line seemed two dimensional rather than three dimensional. And whilst it would be impossible to convey the complete bitterness and anguish of a young woman who experienced the horror of losing a loved one, in the same way that the memoir did, I have seen more convincing television productions in the past. And the final insult came at the end when Vera returns to the location shown at the beginning of the movie, as Roland's poem Hédauville is recited, and even that is watered down and incomplete.

I missed the first episode of River, as, from a trailer, it appeared to be the bog standard detective mini-series. It was only on another well-loved, armchair TV critic show, Gogglebox, that its surprising secret and fascination were revealed as episode 1 was critiqued.

That revelation led me to quickly catch up and to become hooked on what must be one of the more unusual detective series to have ever graced our screens.

Quite apart from the plot's twist, the characters are believable and well rounded, and our hero, River, is the kind of gentle cop we thought we'd seen the last of in the 1970s. His sidekick provides the grounded, more robust cop we know today.

Sub-plots examine love and personal relationships, race relations and mental health and all are handled with equal dignity and are thought provoking.

River has become required viewing and I cannot wait to reach the climax of this intriguing story.