Stephen PoliakoffBesprekingen

Paul Reisner, a young doctor, becomes a researcher in a prestigious medical institute. He feels he has a chance to be part of a movement of unending progress in science and civilization. Then he begins to discover the dark side of the institute, which foreshadows the dark side of the 20th century. (fonte: Imdb)

The series is set over a three-day family reunion of considerably more than a hundred guests, that draws together the extended branches of the Symon family. Raymond Symon (Michael Gambon) reluctantly attends with his wife Esther (Jill Baker) and son Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen), who was not aware of the sprawl of his extended family because of his father Lionel's (Jay Simon) estrangement from his relatives. The stories Daniel learns about his family's past are episodic and non-linear, from his mysterious presence in a photograph taken at a children's party that he can't remember attending, to the wartime experiences of three distant elderly cousins. An important plot strand concentrates on a rift between two cousins (Claire Skinner and Toby Stephens) and their aunt (Lindsay Duncan) that has grown since the sudden death of the cousins' brother and Daniel's attempts to reunite the trio. An early incident of Raymond suffering a stroke while giving a withering speech to the reunion-goers and his subsequent bedridden state force him to appreciate the character of relatives that reflect his. Poliakoff's use of old photographs to unlock the intricacies of individuals' lives is prolific. (fonte: Wikipedia)

The series is set over a three-day family reunion of considerably more than a hundred guests, that draws together the extended branches of the Symon family. Raymond Symon (Michael Gambon) reluctantly attends with his wife Esther (Jill Baker) and son Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen), who was not aware of the sprawl of his extended family because of his father Lionel's (Jay Simon) estrangement from his relatives. The stories Daniel learns about his family's past are episodic and non-linear, from his mysterious presence in a photograph taken at a children's party that he can't remember attending, to the wartime experiences of three distant elderly cousins. An important plot strand concentrates on a rift between two cousins (Claire Skinner and Toby Stephens) and their aunt (Lindsay Duncan) that has grown since the sudden death of the cousins' brother and Daniel's attempts to reunite the trio. An early incident of Raymond suffering a stroke while giving a withering speech to the reunion-goers and his subsequent bedridden state force him to appreciate the character of relatives that reflect his. Poliakoff's use of old photographs to unlock the intricacies of individuals' lives is prolific. (fonte: Wikipedia)

The series is set over a three-day family reunion of considerably more than a hundred guests, that draws together the extended branches of the Symon family. Raymond Symon (Michael Gambon) reluctantly attends with his wife Esther (Jill Baker) and son Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen), who was not aware of the sprawl of his extended family because of his father Lionel's (Jay Simon) estrangement from his relatives. The stories Daniel learns about his family's past are episodic and non-linear, from his mysterious presence in a photograph taken at a children's party that he can't remember attending, to the wartime experiences of three distant elderly cousins. An important plot strand concentrates on a rift between two cousins (Claire Skinner and Toby Stephens) and their aunt (Lindsay Duncan) that has grown since the sudden death of the cousins' brother and Daniel's attempts to reunite the trio. An early incident of Raymond suffering a stroke while giving a withering speech to the reunion-goers and his subsequent bedridden state force him to appreciate the character of relatives that reflect his. Poliakoff's use of old photographs to unlock the intricacies of individuals' lives is prolific. (fonte: Wikipedia)

The adopted daughter of a privileged British politician uncovers a family secret in the weeks leading up to World War II. (fonte: Imdb)

1939, campagna londinese. La storia ruota intorno alla famiglia Keyes, convinta conservatrice delle proprie tradizioni. Anne è una giovane attrice innamorata dell’ufficiale Lawrence, ma la sua apparentemente perfetta vita, cambia drammaticamente quando scopre casualmente delle registrazioni segrete… (fonte: Coming Soon)

Sharon Newton è una ragazza che vive a Londra e lavora in un centro studi sui documentari. Un giorno, trova per caso inserito in un film un vecchio spezzone muto del rapimento di una donna. Sharon incuriosita cerca altro materiale, aiutata da James Richard, professore di statistica all'università. Ma si tratta di materiale protetto dal segreto di stato e così i due vengono minacciati. (fonte: Coming soon)

La serie segue le esperienze di un gruppo di black jazz a Londra negli anni '30. Costituito da musicisti di talento e gestito da Wesley Holt, compassionevole e di breve durata, il gruppo si esibisce all'Imperial Hotel, con l'astuzia del giornalista Stanley Mitchell. Dimostrano di essere un successo e diventano un successo in hotel. Innumerevoli aristocratici e la famiglia reale chiedono alla banda di suonare alle feste. I media si affrettano a intervistare e fotografare la band, tra cui l'ambizioso uomo d'affari americano Walter Masterson e il suo entusiasta impiegato britannico Julian. Le spirali del successo della band, vengono offerte offerte record. Ma la tragedia colpisce, scatenando una catena di eventi che potrebbe distruggere la carriera della band.

Clive Owen è un medico ebreo del XIX secolo che, mentre studia presso un istituto di ricerca, scopre che un medico autorevole (interpretato da Charles Dance) sta sterilizzando donne innocenti.

Una riunione della famiglia estesa e prospera di Symon risveglia le vecchie ostilità e svela segreti sepolti da lungo tempo.

Un uomo ed una donna, conosciutisi per caso, si ritrovano ad indagare in un torbido meccanismo di segreti attorno ad una terribile vicenda avvenuta anni prima, e tenuta nascosta dal governo Inglese fino ad oggi.

On discovering it was written as a play, in three Acts, I asked myself - should I bother? I'm so glad I did because it wasn't long before it started reading just like a novel. Excitement builds early and by Act Three I was in a reading frenzy, couldn't put it down, just had to know where all the trails ended. Stephen Poliakoff tells the story of a vast collection of photographs, millions of them, containing images of everything from the bizarre, curious, ordinary, exceptional, beautiful and shocking. This amazing Collection is about to be broken up and sold, possibly even destroyed as a result of the building's new, American owners who have arrived to redevelop the site into a New Age School. Set in London we meet the dedicated, eccentric group of librarians who administer over the collection without the aid of computers. They don't need computers! They manage to catalogue, file and retrieve photos almost instantly because of an astounding ability to remember what's filed where and where every file lives. I can't say much more without given away the storyline but what an incredible story of connections it is, uncanny would not be too strong a word.

Two plays that look at the world in a slightly different way. The first play, Blinded by the Sun, examines scientific fraud. In the first act, it is easy to determine who is the good guy and who is the bad, but by the middle of the second act, you're not so sure. The author does not take a pot shot at the soft underbelly of science; he presents a nuanced look at issues of ethics, and the result is somewhat ambiguous. The second play is about a child psychologist who is stalked by the mother of one of her patients. I found this one much less satisfying; it started off strong, and made some good progress, but then the author takes a turn into self-righteousness and modern child rearing theory. He also takes a nice conflict and brings it to too easy a resolution. The ending doesn't feel right.

Awesome story and images. Great film!!!! The moving picture camera appears to be caressing the still shots. What a visual feast!

The scripts of one of the best television series ever made.

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