Small Island BBC1 9pm

Late on the scene (as usual!) but have just seen this.
I have to confess I was a little worried because I had loved the book, and usually when that happens I hate the TV adaptation.

But this turned out to be one of the few exceptions when I think they kept to the spirit of the book. It was really lovely.

I am old enough to remember race prejudice in most of its horrid manifestations, although the worst was not spoken aloud when I was young, unlike in earlier times as in this film. But I do remember a chap turning up to my college to talk about how black and white could never marry because it was "not natural" and I also remember being in hospital being tended by a white South African nurse. When I asked her about apartheid, she said that Africans were just animals and had to be treated like any other pet!

We are by no means a racially unaware society yet, but I for one am so grateful that we have moved on, in the main part, from those dreadful strerotypes. Not all whites were race prejudiced, but many took for granted white supremacy.
 
Arrrrghh!!! I missed this! :mad:

I know it's available on iPlayer, but I wanted to record both episodes to watch over the xmas/new year break.

I *think* I can download iPlayer content to watch on my PC, but I *hate* watching shows/movies on the PC - I've got a TV for that!

I've had a look at the BBC HD schedules and I can only see that ep two that will be shown next Sunday.

Anyone know if this first ep will be shown again so I can record in on my Virgin box and watch at my leisure?

Thanks!

RTP.
 
Well other people enjoyed the story, liked/disliked some of the characters, the usual stuff.
You're annoyed by the prejudice, more to do with you than the script I think, see some other posts in the thread about that particular part of it.

You seem to have the idea that everything was very prim and proper in the 40/50's and everybody conformed, well not everybody did, just like any other time.
You've ignored the character herself too.
During the war, there was a lot of casual sex, especially with HusbanRAB away, air raiRAB, the real thought that 'they could be dead tomorrow' etc, etc.

Try this link to Love, Sex and War, I'm assuming it's an American book by the tone.
Skim through a few chapters, links earlier in the thread, do a bit of google.
 
Just a thought - do you have a Wii? IF you do, you can now download iPlayer on it and watch on your TV!! (almost worth getting a Wii just for that!) :D:cool:
 
Oh I enjoyed that, very good, didn't see the thing with the Baby coming there.

A lot of Black and Asian people who were over here during the war, they got a shock when the welcome wasn't so warm years later.
A lot of middle class West Indians also got a shock when they instantly went down the pecking order.
 
Having read the book, I was looking forward to this for a long time. I wasn't disappointed. Brilliant casting - the four principals were just as I imagined, and David Oyelowo was absolutely brilliant as my favourite character Gilbert.
 
When Hortense took Queenie's baby home and opened the envelope Queenie had put with the baby I really thought that she'd find the photo of Michael Roberts in there and then she'd realise that the father of the baby was the man she'd loved all those years before. I thought that would have been an interesting twist.
 
A Picture of Micheal is what I was expecting too :)
Then again lots of unanswered questions did little Micheal ever meet his real mum, did Queenie and Bernard live happily ever after, did Hortense and Gilbert keep in contact with Queenie.
Fill in the blanks in whatever way makes you happy, I suppose.
 
The answer is most definately YES, which is why this program is great as it is an education in history. There are many people still alive today who are products of such WWII unions, whether it be the UK or even Germany. Although parts of the plot are far fetched, unprotected sex between a black soldier and a "respectable" married white Englishwoman is not one of those instances.
 
More than likely, one of my Nan's favorite sayings was "She had a good war". And this was in the 1970 when she was gossiping about other old ladies, I'd ask her what she meant and she'd say never you mind, but as I got older I understood what she was saying gleamed from movies and books another poster has said the same people knew they could die any day, others did it to get extra rashions, black market gooRAB.

Same as any Catherine Cookson book folk from different classes, folk from different races all at it, the BBC are not sending any special message, it just fitted in nicely with all the WW2 remembrances.
 
Thought it was a bit confusing, but good, kind of missed out Bernard's story, but did well to condense it down into his explaination to Queenie. I cried like a wuss at the end!
 
Back
Top