Island at War
{{Short description|2004 British TV drama series}}
{{distinguish|NetStorm: Islands At War}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox television
| image = IslandatWarDVD.jpg
| caption =
| camera =
| runtime = approx. 398 min
| writer = Stephen Mallatratt
| developer =
| executive_producer = Sita Williams
Andy Harries
| starring = James Wilby
Clare Holman
Owen Teale
Julia Ford
Philip Glenister
Saskia Reeves
| narrated =
| open_theme =
| end_theme =
| language = English
| country = United Kingdom
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 6
| network = ITV
| first_aired = {{start date|2004|7|11|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{end date|2004|8|15|df=yes}}
}}
Island at War is a British television series that tells the story of the German occupation of the Channel Islands. It primarily focuses on three local families: the upper class Dorrs, the middle class Mahys, and the working class Jonases, and four German officers. The fictional island of St Gregory serves as a stand-in for the real-life islands of Guernsey and Jersey, and the story is compiled from the events on both islands.
Produced by Granada Television in Manchester,{{Cite news |title=Company credits for "Island at War" |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401019/companycredits |work=IMDB}} Island at War had an estimated budget of £9 million and was filmed on location in the Isle of Man from August 2003 to October 2003. When the series was shown in the UK the following year, it appeared in six 70-minute episodes.
Cast
- James Wilby as James Dorr
- Clare Holman as Felicity Dorr
- Sam Heughan as Phillip Dorr (aka Mr Brotherson)
- Owen Teale as Wilf Jonas
- Julia Ford as Kathleen Jonas
- Sean Gallagher as Sheldon Leveque
- Saskia Reeves as Cassie Mahy
- Julian Wadham as Urban Mahy
- Joanne Froggatt as Angelique Mahy
- Samantha Robinson as June Mahy
- Louisa Clein as Zelda Kay
- Philip Glenister as Baron Von Rheingarten
- Daniel Flynn as Captain Muller
- Colin Tierney as Oberwachtmeister Wimmel
- Conor Mullen as Oberleutnant Walker
- Andrew Havill as Oberleutnant Flach
- Laurence Fox as Bernhardt Tellemann
- Richard Dempsey as Eugene La Salle
- Ann Rye as Ada Jonas
- Sean Ward as Colin Jonas
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#08088A |overall= |series= |title= |airdate= |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| EpisodeNumber2 = 1
| Title = Eve of War
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2004|07|11|df=y}}
| ShortSummary = The invasion by the Germans of the Channel Island St Gregory appears imminent and evacuations are begun.
| LineColor = 08088A
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| EpisodeNumber2 = 2
| Title = Living With the Enemy
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2004|07|18|df=y}}
| ShortSummary = The occupation by the Germans begins, resulting in clashes with the local population.
| LineColor = 08088A
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| EpisodeNumber2 = 3
| Title = To Catch a Spy
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2004|07|25|df=y}}
| ShortSummary = The hunt for the second spy on the Island continues.
| LineColor = 08088A
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| EpisodeNumber2 = 4
| Title = Strange Mercies
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2004|08|01|df=y}}
| ShortSummary = As French prostitutes arrive for the Germans, the romance between Bernhardt and Angelique grows. Zelda goes into hiding with Cassie.
| LineColor = 08088A
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| EpisodeNumber2 = 5
| Title = Unexpected Mercies
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2004|08|08|df=y}}
| ShortSummary = The threatened arrest of Eugene's parents by the Baron leads to increased defiance of the islanders. Bernhardt goes on a bombing mission. Cassie begins an affair.
| LineColor = 08088A
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| EpisodeNumber2 = 6
| Title = Unusual Successes
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2004|08|15|df=y}}
| ShortSummary = June discovers that Angelique is in love with Bernhardt. Walker locates the man who has injured June and beats him to death. James gives Philip information he has on the Germans on the island. Sheldon agrees to take Zelda and Philip to England, but plans go awry.
| LineColor = 08088A
}}
}}
Reception
Overall, the miniseries earned more favourable reviews in the United States than in the United Kingdom. In a review by Anita Gates for The New York Times, Gates wrote, "You can call Island at War a soap opera, as some British television critics have, but if that's true this soap opera is a gripping, poetic one—about moral courage in many guises. You might also call it a drama of manners."{{cite news|last=Gates |first= Anita|title=When Hitler Arrived at England's Door |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/21/arts/television/when-hitler-arrived-at-englands-door.html |access-date=30 April 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|date=21 January 2005}} New York magazine called the series "reasonably absorbing but no great classic."{{cite news|last=Leonard |first=John |title=Island at War |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/tv/reviews/10881/ |access-date=30 April 2018|journal =New York}} In the Channel Islands themselves the series faced widespread criticism in the local press owing to inaccuracy, mispronunciation of names (for example, 'Mahy' was pronounced 'Mah-hee' rather than 'Ma'yee') and the fact that the series was filmed not on the islands themselves but on the Isle of Man. The Guernsey Press noted that "the programme caused outrage among many people who accused the producers of distorting Guernsey history."{{cite news|title=Island at War axed|url=https://guernseypress.com/news/2004/10/26/island-at-war-is-axed/ |access-date=30 April 2018|newspaper= Guernsey Press|date= 26 October 2004}}
DVD release
The complete DVD collection was released in 2008, by Acorn Media UK. The DVD received a second release in 2017 by Network.
Cancelled second series
Although highly successful during its initial transmission the series ended rather abruptly. The writer Stephen Mallatratt died from cancer shortly after the series was broadcast. This, coupled with the high production cost and controversy over historical accuracy, meant the series came to an end. Each episode cost around £1 million to produce.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0401019|title=Island at War}}
- [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/islandatwar/index.html Island at War] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009034810/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/islandatwar/index.html |date=9 October 2016 }} at PBS
Category:2000s British drama television series
Category:2004 British television series debuts
Category:2004 British television series endings
Category:Films shot in the Isle of Man
Category:Films set in the Channel Islands
Category:2000s British television miniseries
Category:ITV television dramas
Category:Television series by ITV Studios
Category:Television shows produced by Granada Television
Category:Military history of the Channel Islands during World War II
Category:Works about the Channel Islands