Birdsong Episode 1 Review (4.5/5)

I'm a little torn as to just how much I enjoyed the opening episode of Birdsong, the BBC's two-part adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' near-perfect Great War epic. On the one hand, we have a long list of stellar performances from each of the leads, with Eddie Reymande in particular giving a masterclass turn as Stephen Wraysford, and each empathetic, emotional moment spent with the beautifully crafted array of characters feels as if it's been pitched just right, not to border on cheesy as War Horse was occasionally accused of doing, but to ultimately provide another harrowing account of life at war just as that spectacular movie did earlier this same month. The narrative certainly doesn't seem have suffered at all in its transition onto the small screen either, carrying the same dark weight as its novelised inspiration of the countless deaths the conflict caused and the often unbearable toll the battles would take on people as young as my age, forced into the situation by conscription and unable to disobey the order to move up for fear of being court martialled and used as target practise for the Corps. However, where the team on this mostly sublime adaptation has falted a little in its direction- perhaps it's a matter of being unable to express something so beautifully described by Faulks on paper in on-screen dialogue, but nonetheless I would have thought there would have been ways around this with the handling of the budding romance between Stephen and Isabelle, here presented through a series of overly drawn-out shots of the couple gazing lustfully at each other in different locations, which ever-so-realistically leads to them engaging in all-out sex and eloping at the episode's climax. There were many occassions where I felt as if director Phillip Martin was trying to mimick period dramas like Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey with his shots and stylistic choices in terms of representing the blossoming romance that came to fruition in France just years before the dark days of war began, and that's a real shame, because he needn't have tried. Looking past the infrequent moments of awkward stares, Birdsong has the potential to become one of the best dramas of the year, once again proving just how much the British Broadcasting Corporation will dominate our television viewing in months to come. However, Martin and his team need to focus less on looking like the iconic greats of our time, and making Birdsong a great of its own right next week by honing in the direction of the piece, certainly if they wish to do Faulks' wonderful novel justice overall.