Rent World on Fire: Series 1 (2019)
3.7 of 5 from 73 ratings
6h 45min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Summer, 1939. Warsaw. Young translator Harry Chase (Jonah Hauer-King) and Polish waitress Kasia Tomaszeski (Zofia Wichfacz) are deeply in love, but when US reporter Nancy Campbell (Helen Hunt) discovers German tanks poised to invade, Harry grows desperate to save Kasia from Warsaw's fate. How will he explain this to sweetheart Lois Bennett (Julia Brown), and his supercilious mother Robina, (Lesley Manville) waiting for him in Manchester? And how will Lois's shellshocked father Douglas (Sean Bean) cope with news of another war? Meanwhile, Nancy's nephew Webster O'Connor (Brian J. Smith) finds sanctuary in liberal Paris, as her friends in Berlin, the Rosslers (Victoria Mayer and Johannes Zeiler), must keep a dangerous secret from the nazi regime... - Actors:
- Jonah Hauer-King, Julia Brown, Helen Hunt, Sean Bean, Zofia Wichlacz, Lesley Manville, Eryk Biedunkiewicz, Max Riemelt, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Brian J. Smith, Johannes Zeiler, Parker Sawyers, Ewan Mitchell, Victoria Mayer, Mateusz Wieclawek, Tomasz Zietek, Dora Zygouri, Ansu Kabia, Eugénie Derouand, Helene Grass
- Directors:
- Chanya Button, Adam Smith, Andy Wilson, Thomas Napper
- Producers:
- Chris Clough, Nickie Sault
- Writers:
- Peter Bowker
- Studio:
- ITV
- Genres:
- British TV, TV Dramas, TV Military & War Dramas
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Reviews (2) of World on Fire: Series 1
Where is the ending? - World on Fire: Series 1 review by MD
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this series, but I cannot believe the ending. There is no ending. It just stops. I must have missed something deep and meaningful.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Very Woke Version of WWII Which gets a bit silly at times - World on Fire: Series 1 review by PV
This s a decent drama, sure. But it is ruined by the endless quest to ensure main characters are 50% female and many characters are black or Asian - as the extra interviews on disc 3 admit.
All very well BUT it is just not realistic. FYI in the UK 1940 there were just 6000 black people out of 44 million people in the UK. 8000 in 1945 due to GI mixed race babies.
I very much doubt there were evr a black female piano player in northern clubs - most were male anyway. Female singers yes but no way would a heavily pregnant woman be allowed to perform.
As for the later scenes on D-Day beaches - well a cockney Sikh in a usual British regiment is unlikely. yes, France had redhatted troops from Senegal BUT unlikely they would be looking after injured Brits. I would even go so far as to say portraying anyone of colour as angelic is racist in itself.
The more interesting characters are in Poland and Paris - the gay couple, doctor and Jazz pianist which is believable, as is the Martha Gelhorn-type US journalist (read William L Shirer or watch the TV drama about that US journalist in Germany then France until late 1940).
The Mrs SImpson style mother is a caricature. The romantic story was boring for me. The Polish and French bits way better.
Lots of ticking diversity ishooos of a list here, which does get tiresome,. Racis,, tick. Sexism, tick. And as per usual, the cocky women behave in a way women of then would not have behaved.
It would have been SO much better without the preachy woke lecturing and tickbox quotas. Far better WWII dramas out there. GENERATION WAR is the best, German one. BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969 film). War films of 1970s and 60s. Downfall.
But it is watchable. 3.5 stars.
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