Watching The "Parade's End"

Here's another amazing British television series which is a 'must see'. Everyone knows how wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch is in the British television show, Sherlock, but how many people have seen him in other works. Yesterday, I watched a five-part BBC/HBO television series, Parade's End, which stars Cumberbatch and is an adaptation of the tetralogy of novels by British novelist, Ford Madox Ford. It premiered on BBC Two on August 24, 2012, and on HBO on February 26, 2013.

Synopsis: "A love triangle develops between the old-fashioned Christopher Tietjens (Cumberbatch), his vindictive wife Sylvia (Rebecca Hall) and young suffragette Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens), in the midst of World War I and a Europe on the brink of profound change. As the war drags on, Christopher goes to fight in France, and leaves behind Sylvia, a son who may or may not be his, and Valentine. He must ultimately decide whom he is to remain with for the duration of his life: the beautiful yet manipulative Sylvia or the adoring Valentine" (Wikipedia).

Review: Adapted by the gifted British playwright, Sir Tom Stoppard, Parade's End is set in roughly the same time period as Downtown Abbey. I can sum up this series with one word: Exquisite. The dialogue, the period costumes, the breathtaking scenery, the superb acting are all fabulous!

I would recommend watching Parade's End just to see how a truly great actor embodies the character he/she is playing so completely that the actor/actress no longer exists. Sherlock fans? I, for one, think Cumberbatch gives the most brilliant portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the long line of Holmes' portrayers. But if you want to see the brilliance of the ACTOR, see Parade's End -- and anything else Cumberbatch is in. The rest of the cast in Parade's End was equally riveting. I can't recommend Parade's End highly enough. (A caveat -- although I've seen worse WWI trench scenes, still, there are a few here that serve as reminders of just how devastating WWI was to the men fighting it, and the cultures/societies engaged in it.)

In the novel, Tietjens is described as a rather large, cumbersome man. I read an interview that in order to make Cumberbatch look a little larger than he is, the make up department stuffed padding into his cheeks and he tucked his chin back to create jowls. They also padded his clothes -- which probably made it easier for him to act clumsy and wooden which are characteristics of Tietjens. Cumberbatch felt they should have gone further, but just through the power of his acting, I can see him as larger and clumsier than he actually is. And I love when beautiful actors are willing to look less so for a part, but let's face it, he's still Benedict Cumberbatch.

The movie itself is great if you like thoughtful BBC period pieces, as do I. But if you don't like thoughtful BBC period pieces, stay away from this series. 

Parade's End can be streamed for free on Amazon Prime or, if you have HBO, it can be watched on HBO On Demand. Otherwise, it's worth the price to rent the DVDs.

Rating: 5 out of 5

(FYI: I just watched a Cumberbatch film from 2010, Third Star, and was mesmerized by his performance.)