PBS Masterpiece Mystery ~ Wallander

[Babi]

The new Masterpiece Mystery series, "Wallander" ~  is based on the bestselling Swedish crime novels by Henning Mankell. Detective  Kurt Wallander, brilliantly played by Kenneth Branagh, martials his wits to solve a series of bizarre crimes while his personal life and health spiral out of control. "He's distant from his daughter, estranged from his father and looks like he's in perpetual need of a good night's sleep. The depressive detective sometimes seems paralyzed by indecision in his personal life." Branagh, the renowned Shakespearean actor, sees the weary detective as everyman in his daily stuggles. PBS Summer Mystery Schedule & Coming Attractions Watch the episodes online: "Sidetracked" and "Firewall" and "One Step Behind" Charlie Rose interview with Kenneth Branagh Would you like to form a Wallander Book/Film club?   Let's discuss the PBS adaptation of Henrick Mankell's novels  and/or discuss  Mankell's  novels  if you are interested.  We can send you a set of three of the Wallender novels for the price of postage - if supplies last. (4 sets left!)  Are you interested?

 

Contact:  JoanP

 You're probably right, JOAN.  When you are meeting a person for the first time, you don't really get to know them.  First impressions may be somewhat off-putting. (I think that's an English phrase. Awkward, isn't it?)

[ALF43]

Babi- I have learned that my "first impression is not only a lasting one but one that is usually 90% right on the target. "

[marcie]

There is a video of a very interesting interview by Charlie Rose with Kenneth Branagh at http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10297. It only has a few minutes directly about Wallender in the middle of the 32 minute interview but, if you want to know more about Branagh and his approach to the work he does, this interview is very thoughtful and fascinating.

[Babi]

Good point, ALF.  My 'impressions' have frequently been sadly correct. 

[JoanP]

Unlike Andy, I admit, my first impressions are often way off.  (What does this tell you about me?)  I'm interested to hear your first impressions of the filmed adaptation of the novel. I have viewed the program three times now, and finally am finding answers to the questions I had after the first viewing.
I still have questions about what I saw - or think I saw - do you?


The film begins in broad daylight - bright sun, the bright yellow blooms of the fields almost blinding.  And then the young girl pouring petrol over her head and setting herself on fire right before the eyes of Wallander, who's been called in by the farmer who has spotted the crying girl.

From there on, the scenes are dark as the killer murders one after the other.

Did you have a difficult time keeping track of who they were, and their relationships?

I believe the plot will be easier to follow once I have book in hand.  At least I can flip back and reread what I had forgotten.  PBS Masterpiece has provided some interesting questions  for discussion.  I want to post one of them here today - because I was amazed to read it!

To some degree, all three novels on which these films were based give the reader some access or insights into the mind of the murderer, yet we never see that perspective in the films. Why do you think the filmmakers made that choice? What is gained or lost?

I'm really interested to hear what you thought of this?  We have no idea who the murderer was until the end of the film, do we?  Or did I miss some clues? 

[Maryemm]

Have just found this discussion. Have not read any of the books but saw all the Wallander episodes on UK TV. The series has won a deserved award.

The "background" is so bleak and austere, I recall, but ties in somehow with Wallander himself and the gritty dramas in which he is involved.

Absorbing stuff!

[marcie]

I have viewed the program three times now, and finally am finding answers to the questions I had after the first viewing.
I still have questions about what I saw - or think I saw - do you?


... the scenes are dark as the killer murders one after the other.

Did you have a difficult time keeping track of who they were, and their relationships?

I believe the plot will be easier to follow once I have book in hand.  At least I can flip back and reread what I had forgotten. 

To some degree, all three novels on which these films were based give the reader some access or insights into the mind of the murderer, yet we never see that perspective in the films. Why do you think the filmmakers made that choice? What is gained or lost?

I'm really interested to hear what you thought of this?  We have no idea who the murderer was until the end of the film, do we?  Or did I miss some clues? 

Joan, I too have not read any of the Wallander books so I don't know how the film differs from the book. Sometimes, especially with mysteries I think, the film version differs in significant ways from the book. In mysteries the writer deliberately hides the perpetrator and many of the reasons for the crime... up until the end. In my opinion,  the author can hide more in books than he can in a film. The film has to "show" rather than leave as much to the imagination in an ambiguous written clue. If the film shows too much, you more quickly figure out who must of "done it." Also, the tv show has to compress a whole story/ book into 90 minutes.

Louise's brother seems very open with Wallander. I didn't suspect him but his response to Wallander's question about whether their father ever touched Louise sexually was evasive. He said something like "these questions are weird. How am I supposed to know something like that?"  Maybe the brother felt he should have known more, earlier or should have acted on suspicions he might have had.

I've only watched the episode once, online. I'll have to watch it again...especially the scenes with the brother....to see if there were some clues (or if there weren't in order to keep the ending a complete surprise).

[marcie]

Overall, I think that the first episode in the Wallander series was interesting and I want to see more...mostly because of the character of Wallander and the quality of the production. The photography was up to the great BBC standards. I thought the acting was superb.

[JoanK]

I liked the first episode, too, and immediately moved a Wallender book I had on my reading pile to the top. I liked that as well (The first in the series --Faceless Killers. Not sure why they filmed nos. 4-6 first, but they are now filming the first three.

[JoanP]

Don't forget to tune in to Second Episode tonight.  I'm out of town, but will be back home tomorrow pm and look forward to comparing notes then.

Enjoy!

[Tomereader1]

Yes, room size should dictate what size screen you get.  Our liv. room is only big enough to accomodate a 32".  I purchased 32 because it had to fit in an existing entertainment center, and does so nicely.  The installation man said, "no, you don't want anything bigger for this size room".  I bought JVC as I have had such good experiences with previous JVC tvs, sound systems, VCR's and DVD players. 

[EvelynMC]

JoanP,

Yes, I would like a set of the books, if there are any left.

I checked with our library and they do not have any books by Henning Mankell.

When I tried to watch Episode 1 last Sunday, the lips and voice were out of sync, very distracting.  Then the signal kept going haywire and finally nothing.  So, I tried to watch again at 2:00AM lips and sound still out of sync.  Sooo, I'd love to read the book.

Evelyn

[ALF43]

I just finished watching Episode #I on the INet.  I love this guy with his trouble, tired, sleep deprived demeanor.  I an anxious to watch tonight's story.

[juliak]

I just finished watching #2.  I like the character and the story but - the sound track is awful!  Background music and noises are too loud and detracted from the performance.  Could hardly hear the actors at times.   I don't think I'll watch the third episode.

juliak

[Frybabe]

I thought I was going to have to pass on the Wallander series. I missed last week (fell asleep when they reran it at 1AM). Tonight they are not running the 2nd until 2AM. However, I discovered I can watch the episodes on the net. I just downloaded the necessary Quicktime, but will have to use the Internet Explorer because Firefox doesn't recognize it. First and Second episodes will be available for viewing via internet until June 7. FYI, PBS also has a contest going to give away Wallander Series books.

[Babi]

Can't you record TV shows to be played at your convenience, FRYBABE? Val and I do that all the time. There are so many shows we like that are on at the same time, we wind up recording the 'extras' for later viewing. Val 'taped' that 1a.m. show for me, and I watched it the next day.

[nlhome]

I watched the second episode last night. I couldn't understand some of the dialogue, it moved to quickly and I had a napping spouse so it wasn't as loud and I maybe needed it to be. But I was interested, and if I can I will watch it again. I have read at least one of the books, but there are none in our library so someone must have loaned me a copy. I don't know that I would get any of them through the library system in time to read.

[Mippy]

Oh, golly, so glad to read that I was not the only one ...
   Sound track was awful ...  fell asleep halfway through the 2nd episode ...  oh, dear !

[ALF43]

My biggest complaint was how darned stupid he was!!

What detective or trained policeman walks into a house with gun drawn, proceeeds and then puts his stupid gun BACK into the holster before checking further?
DUMB!!!

I kind of liked the order he gave to the apprentice kid about the Falk murder: He said " Dig around his life, you know, the thing that he just LOST!"

[marcie]

My biggest complaint was how darned stupid he was!!

What detective or trained policeman walks into a house with gun drawn, proceeeds and then puts his stupid gun BACK into the holster before checking further?

 LOL, ALF/Andy...yes there were a few things Wallander did that didn't seem to follow police procedure/common sense.... such as walking into that foggy forest after the bad guy when he couldn't see more than a few inches in front of him.  But I liked this episode even better than the last. I think that the "mystery" was more complex. It seems like Wallander might be able to move on with his life now, after his wife apparently has left him, even though he has had that terrible experience with the first woman he "dates."

I agree that the Wallander character seems to mumble a little bit sometimes and I'm not used to the accents so it is difficult to understand all of the dialogue but I think I got most of it.

The woman detective on his team is always looking at him with an odd expression. So far, her role doesn't seem very developed. I guess that's true of everyone else in the office too, except for Wallander. I like the character of his daughter.

[ALF43]

Marcie- funny that you mention the female officer as I , too, was thinking, "what's wrong with that picture" when daughter, Linda was trying to fix up her dad with Ella.  Amazing how they just happened to check out the internet dating site right after Wallander began questioning the teens about the murder of the cabbie.  Why was Ella involved to begin with in this crazy scheme? 

AND_  Marice- wasn't that ludicrous, the fog?  It was like soup?  this dude with NO assistant back up.  NOT!

 I loved the "hacker kid" and wish that I personally knew someone like that.     That kid counld do his own PBS presentation with his skills.

Also as far as character development, Wallander IS the only character developing.  It was fragmented (IMO) and seemed as if the plot of revenge and creating panic and chaos were just too contrived.  This is why I don't do mysteries.  I always criticize the plot developments.

I love PBS but I personally do not believe that Wallander is up to their prized showings.

[Tomereader1]

Since I missed episode #1, I made sure I watched #2, last night.  I liked the show, but was totally with Alf on the Police procedure things. I told my husband, during the fog scene, why don't you just wait in the house until the villian comes after you instead of floundering around in that fog!  Also, the entering of the house and putting the gun away, dumb.  I hope PBS shows #1 again so I can view it.   I had my DVR set to "The Tudors" on Showtime, as that was the next-to-last episode for this season. 

[marcie]

Tomereader, there is a link to online videos of the first two episodes in the heading at the top of this discussion page.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/wallander/watch.html

[ALF43]

 Tome- I watched episode #1 thru the link that was provided here.  I enjoyed siting at my 'puter being able to rewind and listen more closely when Branoff mumbled something inaudible.

 

[JoanR]

I can hardly wait to read the Wallander books:
reason #1 is that no matter how hard they try, there is no way that everything in the book can be squished into an hour and a half program - so of course one misses out on things that would round out the plot and the characters.

reason #2 ( and a very important one to older folks) is that no matter how you boost up the volume, you are going to miss some dialog.  And in the case of a dialect, even a British one, the problem is hugely magnified.  I asked my audiologist why I couldn't understand BBC programs and she explained that the brain has to process the sounds it receives from the ear and that with the toll time takes, the whole thing works more slowly so no matter how great one's hearing aides are, there will still be issues with dialects, accents, and rapid-talkers.
Too bad that the BBC shows don't have sub-titles!!!!! 

When I get the books, the characters will have ready-made faces for me - and in this case, that will be a good thing since the casting seems superb!

[Frybabe]

Posted by: Babi

Can't you record TV shows to be played at your convenience, FRYBABE?

I don't have a DVR. The very old VHS machine I do have was never hooked back up to the TV. I never used it enough to remember how to set it without getting the out manual, and that is probably still boxed up somewhere.

[pedln]

Finally got to see Sidetracked this past weekend.  I enjoyed it, but had trouble at first keeping track of who was who.  It was almost like, "Did I come into the middle of this?  Is there something missing?"

Firewall was taped last night.  At least, something was taped and I hope it was set on PBS.  It's an old machine, but it still works.  But I'm in the market for DVD player/recorder.  Current DVD player is abomnitable.  What kind of luck have you all had with recorders?  I don't want a DVR because I"m not going to pay a monthly fee just for the purpose of recording.

[mrssherlock]

Having read most of Mankell's Wallander books I was expecting to find myself comfortable in the retelling of this story.  BUT I was as lost as all of you.  Part of it is the visual, my Wallander does not look like Kenneth Branaugh.  Another part is that the time spent in the book where we are sharing Kurt's thoughts is extremely important to putting us into the frame of mind needed to keep track of the many threads to the story.  His relationship with his father takes up more of the narrative than in this treatment; his daughter is also more than a brief interlude.  Lacking also is Kurt's perceptions of his collegues which adds depth and color.  Seems like they just skimmed the surface.  Read the book; it will worth your while.

[gingerw]

I watched  Sidetracked from the link in the header and enjoyed it all.
Then I watched Firewall Wed. night and liked that also.
Like all the actors.

[EvelynMC]

I watched Episode 2 last night and enjoyed it immensely.  I sat on the couch close to the TV and was able to see and hear it, and I was able to understand the dialog.  In the past I have had trouble with some of the PBS British mysteries because of the heavy accents, but Kenneth Brannaugh talked clearly enough.

I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't expect to.

However, I am looking forward to reading the books, so I can get the background mrssherlock mentioned.

And thanks, Marcie, for the link to the online video to the past episode, and thanks, Frybabe, for the info that we have until June 7, to view it.

Evelyn

 

[juliak]

Thanks for the link to the online broadcast.  I watched some of last night's #2, the sound was okay on my computer.  I am wondering if the local PBS station where I live is at fault.  There is often a lot of bad transmission on the station - no explanation as to the cause.
Juliak

[Frybabe]

I just got around to watching Firewall. I was thinking I wasn't going to take to it because of the bleak and gray comments. I am not up to bleak and gray right now. However, I really enjoyed it. The really dumb moves bits were noted. It is funny to me how some otherwise smart characters have a habit of doing really dumb things. I suppose that if they did everything right, there wouldn't be as much excitement. What struck me at the end was when his daughter came into his office saying it was 4am but when they left, presumably shortly afterwards, it was nice and sunny out. Does it get that bright in Sweden at 4am?

[marcie]

Frybabe, I noticed the same thing about the end and Wallander and his daughter walking in bright sunlight at "4am." I noticed a few other people on the street too. I also was wondering if it would be so sunny at that time.

[Mippy]

I am really lucky to be at my daughter's house, where she kindly taped the series for me,
and ... having only a bit of time ... I watched the first part of Firewall.   Amazingly, I can
understand the dialog, although I could not at home.   PBS transmits poorly to some areas, I suppose, or perhaps the age of the TV itself has an effect.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading the books, so that I can figure out what makes this
such a popular series ...  unless someone here can help me understand.   

[JoanP]

Do you get the feeling that you are struggling to keep up - to follow the plot?  Or is it just me?  Sometimes I feel stupid, and sometimes the confusion adds to the excitement of the experience.  

After watching the second episode, I'm beginning to see a pattern - seemingly unrelated murders or incidents...fleeting references to other events - that finally come together at the end.   For instance, in the first episode - why was the five year old stabbing his eyes with a fork?  In the very beginning, one of the police officers made reference to a report of this - and then as the show went on the little brother was always crying...until it became clear that his eyes had been "forked" ...but I never did get that part.  Can anyone explain?

I enjoy the healthy doses of philosophy and  wisdom injected into the most uncomfortable situations as the murders go unsolved.
Andy, I do love Wallander - maybe because he does do things a trained officer wouldn't do...stupid things.  I think he follows his instincts, rather than correct procedure.  He does nearly get himself killed, but his instincts seem to prove right and save the day just in time.
And so far, there have been emotional moments in both - that show the detective to be human. Ella turned out to have a heart -she did care for the poet detective who didn't see the big picture, just does his best to get along in his own small corner of the world.  Can anyone explain how Ella got in touch with him so  soon after Wallander's daughter submitted his name to the online dating site? Did that strain credibility?

 I'm sorry we have only one more episode to go.   I feel we are just getting to know the man.  Is one more episode enough? 
 
 Jackie, I'm looking forward to reading the books too.  They arrived today. I intend to get them shipped tomorrow.  Will find out the media rate, which might take too long - and let you know.  Masterpiece sent sets of three!  We can stay open to talk about the books, even after the PBS series is over.  I'm looking forward to comparing the two.  Maybe you will appreciate the book form more, Mippy.  The books have been best sellers - and the film adaptation has been well received.  Perhaps different audiences?

ps I'll need the addresses of all of you who expressed interest - and your real names.  Can't send them on otherwise.

[EvelynMC]

JoanP,

I sent you an email with my name and address, if you have enough sets to send.

Thanks,

Evelyn

[Frybabe]

Can anyone explain how Ella got in touch with him so  soon after Wallander's daughter submitted his name to the on-line dating site? Did that strain credibility?

Joan, maybe the book version will have an explanation. For a hacker, I imagine a lot of systems are relatively easy to hack into. It could have been a case of hacking into his email at just the right time to see that he had been signed up - A coincidence that was to the bad guys' advantage. Then Ella could have legitimately signed up with the dating service, or she and her partner could have sent a "spoof" email mimicking the dating service and using a fake reply address.

[CubFan]

Greetings -

I have found it very beneficial to use captioning on TV whenever possible. Most PBS programs include captioning.  It helps with any program that involves an accent. It also keeps me more focused on the program.  I also like captioning with the news programs in general because sometimes I want to be sure that what I thought I heard and what I did hear are the same thing. It takes a bit to get used to the words constantly on the screen but most programs have gotten pretty good about keeping the script from interfering with the picture.

Although the initial purpose for captioning was to assist the hearing impaired it is also beneficial to those learning English or needing to improve reading skills.  When used with educational programing it helps all children learn as they see and hear the vocabulary at the same time. The captioning itself has improved greatly over the past few years.    Mary

[Rainbow]

I started reading Firewallafter seeing it this past weekend.  I'm about 90 pages into it and I'm already getting a much clearer picture of Wallander.  He certainly is a man in a midlife crisis.   I don't know how he manages to carry on with his job successfully.  I didn't notice this deep depression in the TV series although he certainly was a dark character.

I became aware of the change in the film from almost black and white to brighter color depending on the scene.  Very interesting visual effect.

Thanks CubFan for the tip on the closed captions, that's a great idea.  I sometimes have problems with the accents, especially the British productions.  We also find that the audio portion is hard to hear but think it is our PBS station. 

[Rainbow]

Just wanted to explain my picture.....It was taken about two years ago up in Victoria, BC.  I was vacationing with a life long friend who lives in Wa.  We were walking down on the water front and saw this mime.  He was dressed all in white and standing absolutly still.  As I approached him, he came to life and gave me a hug.  My friend captured the moment!  What fun !