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Life on Mars

Galahad

Galahad

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I scoured the board for a thread on this... but nobody seems to have talked about it. What did you guys make of it? I was born a year after it is set... but I'm not so young that I can't remember the way of life back then... it was much the same as a young boy into the late 70's in a rural town.

It was packed with drama and pathos but there was some excellent humour running throughout most episodes - Sam bumping into Marc Bolan and telling him to "drive carefully... especially in mini's" springs to mind.

I have to say that the programme makers perfectly captured my own irrational fear of the "test card girl" by making her into some kind of psychological/spiritual manifestation trying to lead Sam to his destruction.

I think it did so well, that there is going to be a US version... but I don't know if it would work as well.
 
I liked it a lot (planning to get the DVD set at some point too, just waiting for the prices to get a bit nicer... not feeling like paying £25 + postage for eight episodes, heh) and am quite looking forward to season 2.

I *really* loved Gene Hunt. As good as I felt the idea of the show was, and the acting (and characters) in general were great, Philip Glenister just stole the show for me.
 
Yeah, Gene for me was more of a force of nature than just another character. He has great screen presence and it is never to the detriment of the plot.

It's very clever how they play off 70's gut instinct policing against the cerebral approach of modern policing. It's clear the creator's are sending out a message that head and heart work better together than just relying on one extreme.

I believe Nelson is FAR more important than he appears. I'm thinking along the same lines as the bartender in Quantum Leap.... they certainly reference Quantum Leap several times on the DVD's.

It's almost as if Test Card Girl and Nelson are diametrically opposed influeces on Sam's conscousness.

I really hope they don't do a Wizard of Oz style ending and have everyone from the 70's turn out to be hospital carers at his bedside.
 
Indeed. Thanks, hyp. :D

One reason why I do want it on DVD to re-watch is that I think I'd like subtitles for that show. :eek: I generally don't have trouble with following dialogue, but the more... regional... UK shows get, the harder it gets for me. :D
 
Indeed. Thanks, hyp. :D

One reason why I do want it on DVD to re-watch is that I think I'd like subtitles for that show. :eek: I generally don't have trouble with following dialogue, but the more... regional... UK shows get, the harder it gets for me. :D
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It's another one of those things that we don't have a problem with in reverse. We can undcerstand most of the US accents... except for presidentese which is just gibberish!

As for my own regional accent - Alcestrian speak is somewehere between the Cotswolds and Brummie dialects... but probably nearer Cotswolds in sound.

contrary to popular myth we do not all sound like BBC news presenters or Dick van Dyke! :D :D :beer:
 
Indeed... I would at least hope Galahad would have a slight problem following the dialogue in my native language. It would only be fair! :D

For what it's worth, American English has almost never been a problem to me either. The accents (at least on TV) just don't seem to be quite as wildly varied from each other - sure there are differences in pronunciation, speed of talking and all that, but it's still somehow all similar enough not to be a noticeable problem.

I don't generally have a problem with various UK accents either, but with some, there are just certain phrases/sentences/people now and then whom it is a bit difficult to follow. I think in certain cases it has a lot to do with the choice of vocabulary as well.
 
Kribu said:
Indeed... I would at least hope Galahad would have a slight problem following the dialogue in my native language. It would only be fair! :D

For what it's worth, American English has almost never been a problem to me either. The accents (at least on TV) just don't seem to be quite as wildly varied from each other - sure there are differences in pronunciation, speed of talking and all that, but it's still somehow all similar enough not to be a noticeable problem.

I don't generally have a problem with various UK accents either, but with some, there are just certain phrases/sentences/people now and then whom it is a bit difficult to follow. I think in certain cases it has a lot to do with the choice of vocabulary as well.
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HEHE, there are a great many Americans, who speak only our language, who can't understand a Brit, who's speaking English
 
i have never watched this series , but i doubt it will be true to form of cop shows in the 70`s ... ever watch the sweeney ? there are more racial comments in there to insult every ethnic community in the uk . I aint gonna repeat it either .
 
Actually there is a few racial and sexual discriminatations but of course the series takes the view of showing how these attitudes are stupid rather than showing the reality of racsist Britain.

However the programme did make me consider the social differences over the last 30 years.

You never forget the poverty a lot of us lived in.
 
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