|
|
|
Moving On: Series 5 (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Simply Media Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (3rd August 2016). |
|
The Show
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the show from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** The fifth series of Jimmy McGovern’s critically acclaimed series of standalone contemporary dramas exploring bold and moving topics, from selective mutism to family secrets. The all-star cast includes Natalie Gumede (Coronation Street), Anthony Flanagan (Shameless), Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe), Anita Dobson and Jo Joyner (EastEnders). In Fledgling, Gumede is a policeman’s wife who decides to spice up her life with a bit of shoplifting. The House sees a postman’s parents sign over their house to him and his young family only for it to lead to a surprise revelation from his resentful sister.Value sees an inexperienced teacher feign cancer after stress causes her hair to fall out. In Hush Little Baby, directed by Robert Glenister, a family is thrown into disarray when their daughter suddenly stops talking and find themselves filling the silence with their own fears and confessions. In Back By Six, Craig Kelly’s recently divorced cab driver makes a desperate decision after struggling with being apart from his two young children.
Video
Simply Media in the UK Have released the fifth and sixth series of this anthology series broadcast on BBC One during the daytimes from 2009 on with an eighth series in production as of last month for future broadcast. Moving On was created by Jimmy McGovern a producer-writer most well known for Cracker (1993-95) and The Lakes (1997-99). It consists of a series of fairly toothless - it is daytime programming so can't rock the boat - contemporary dramas dealing with the human condition from a variety of contemporary dramatists. It's had good casts with some known faces that I recognised like Lee Ingleby, Jo Joyner, Keith Barron, Anita Dobson, Hayley Mills, Peter Egan, Kenneth Cranham, Mina Anwar and Duncan Preston. The image on these HD-lenses productions is generally good if a little soft with a reasonable amount of detail in both exterior and interior scenes; all shot in the filmic single camera style with a trace of that modern edginess where the camera is moving slightly to increase the drama. The colour palette is muted in a way that suggests it's a stylistic choice seemingly commenting on the grim storylines. I never noticed any black crush but then many of the productions are set in daylight with both interiors and exteriors brightly lit. I noticed no artefacts or other distractions but obviously these programmes should be seen in 1080/50i to replicate the original UK broadcasts. Sadly, a Blu-ray doesn't seem to be on the cards. 1.78:1 anamorphic / PAL
Audio
English Dolby Digital 5.1 No subtitles The soundtracks on these minor daytime TV productions have Been given a major upgrade to 5.1 considering they're 2.0 Stereo origins. This is bizarre considering that much more salubrious and prestigious prime time programmes don't get 5.1. Dialogue is very clear and easy to follow and is never overshadowed by ambient sounds of score, the latter being a very low-key affair beyond the opening and closing theme. The surround channels are only really used for ambient sound and score and are barely engaged for narrative purposes; don't expect Doctor Who or James Bond level usage, these tracks are very much focused front and centre. This is not surprising given the nature of these productions. However, they are certainly very lush and robust and when I first put them on made me jump in my seat.
Extras
Nothing; no contextual material, no behind the scenes, nothing. Extremely disappointing if not surprising; I''m sure that there would have been TV spots, deleted scenes and promotional materials from around the time of the broadcast that could have been made available. Could nothing on Jimmy McGovern have been found in the BBC archive? I'd have thought a series of commentary tracks would have been very illuminating from the creatives involved.
Overall
These are recent BBC productions they look and sound generally very good, especially considering their daytime TV origins. This is a basic, barebones release and hopefully the price will be set accordingly. Plenty of worthy drama to be had for those who like this kind of thing; sit back with a cuppa and get a fix of the human condition in urban settings.
|
|||||
|