Monday, December 08, 2008

SOMBRE SWEDES


Been watching 'Wallander', the new BBC detective series starring Kenneth Branagh. Excellent, moody stuff. I just watched an episode of the original Swedish language version on BBC4 - very similar cinematography, style, direction. I first saw Branagh on stage at The Palace Theatre, Manchester around 1988, in 'Hamlet'. Superb. Then I saw him play The Dane again in the early 90s at Stratford, and he was even better. Unfortunately, on film, he's often too O.T.T., but in the hands of a decent director, and when he reigns in the emotions, he's fantastic. Kurt Wallander, a scruffy, overweight, unshaven, depressed, cynical, morose 'everyman', seems the perfect vehicle for his talents. Even A.A. Gill at The Sunday Times agrees.

Watch it!!!!

Oh, and the actor who plays the pathologist (Richard McCabe) actually sat on my knee when he played Touchstone in a production of 'As You Like It' in Wigan (around 1987). I was sitting in an aisle seat, and was bloody mortified!!

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