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The North Water


Christophe

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Anyone catch this, i missed it's initial run over the summer and must admit didn't know anything about it, but just stumbled upon it on the iplayer....

A BBC/AMC collab 5-part drama starring Colin Farrell as a harpooner on an ill-fated whaling expedition to the Arctic in the 1850's based on Ian Maguire's book. Great supporting cast of Jack O'Connell (bit harsh saying support with him, he's the co-lead really), Stephen Graham, Tom Courtenay, Peter Mullan. Amazing settings, they filmed a lot of it proper close to the North Pole, i'm amazed they didn't just CGI lots of it, but it looks excellent for it so i'm glad they didn't! 

Suitably as grim and bleak as it's source. If you like gothic creepiness in harsh environments check it out. Farrell looks huge in it, not sure if it's a fat suit or he's actually gotten massive.

 

Edited by Christophe
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30 minutes ago, Dundee Hibernian said:

Henry Drax is a bad b*****d in this, well played by Farrell. If you enjoyed The North Water, look out for The Terror, first series (2018), which has a similar bleak Arctic setting, although filmed away from the northern extremes in more temperate climes. 

Started that last night after someone suggested the same thing to me. 

Managed 30 mins of ep1 before I had to go out, and just when i thought it was just going to be a historical reenactment of true life events things are already getting quite strange. I'm gonna love it!

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5 hours ago, Christophe said:

Started that last night after someone suggested the same thing to me. 

Managed 30 mins of ep1 before I had to go out, and just when i thought it was just going to be a historical reenactment of true life events things are already getting quite strange. I'm gonna love it!

Have to admit the supernatural elements that come to the fore later in The Terror ruin it for me a bit. Spoilers for the actual  historical outcome below:

Spoiler

I mean, they can't really have a historical record of what happened because there is none. There is only the 2 messages found in the cairn later that indicated that they'd been trapped in the ice for two years, that they were abandoning ship, they had had casualties and trying to go overland to the Back River, which they obviously never made. There was inuit testimony of weak, dying men, and enough human remains found to indicate the grizzly end they met - they only eventually found the wrecks of both Erebus and Terror in 2014 and 2016 - nearly 100 miles from where they were reported abandoned.

I think they could have told a fairly good pyschological horror, more like - say - The Lighthouse than going the route they did, whichin fairness is more to do with the book's author.

I think the actual story of Franklin's expedition had far greater potential as both a thriller and horror story, but for me The North water handled a similar setup (based on pure fiction) that was far better done.

Edited by renton
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