Foyle’s War
They say a book improves in its second reading. I am now on my – at least third – viewing of “FOYLE’S WAR” and. if anything, am more impressed than ever by its script, acting and attention to detail.
It’s written and directed by the celebrated writer Anthony Horowitz and takes place during and after World War Two. Michael Kitchen plays the diffident but always observant Detective Superintendent Foyle, ably assisted by Sergeant Milner and his eager female driver Sam Stewart (played by Honeysuckle Weeks).
In the episode “THE WHITE FEATHER” that I watched last night, Charles Dance played a sinister Mosey-ite Sir Guy Spencer. Dance plays these types of roles so well – only James Mason does it better.
It’s set at the time of Dunkirk and Spencer and his crew believe the Nazis will invade imminently. Foyle stands up to him. The way he wears down an ego reminds me of another detective Lieutenant Colombo (played by Peter Falk).
There are always a lot of McGuffins (red herrings) in a multi-stranded plot. Uncomfortable issues are not skirted – antisemitism; Miller losing his leg in Norway and his wife’s lack of sympathetic to the problems caused by his prosthetic replacement; and admiration for Hitler; but Foyle’s moral compass remains fixed and of course he works it all out.
It’s little wonder that eight series were made.
