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In the small town of Cregean, the future of the lives and
loves of the inhabitants seem intertwined one with another.
During one hot summer, events happen which will make these
people examine and question their idyllic lives...
Summer
Solstice (2005) is a screenplay by John Goldsmith from
the original novel by Rosamunde Pilcher. A British author
who is particularly successful in Germany, so much so that
the German national television ZDF has produces over sixty
shows based on her work. This show is a joint English/German
production.
One of the biggest problems with the production becomes clear
very quickly, with a large international cast, many of whom
do not have English as a first language; the delivery of the
script is for the most part flat and stilted. This has the
unfortunate effect of draining any of the scenes of tension
or drama. The overall effect is to make Emmerdale look
like Shakespeare in comparison.
Although
the show is around an hour and a half in length, the story
is so languid, with a dearth of dramatic scenes that it's
very easy to loose track of the almost non-existent story.
Characters spend most of their time aimlessly wandering around
worrying about their love lives.
The
shows level of emotional engagement with its audience was
such that I was tempted to get a pot of Dulux, just so I could
keep awake by watching paint dry. Without a sense of drama
it is very hard to care what happens to the various characters,
or even to tell them apart as real people rather than mass
produced cardboard cut-outs.
Honor
Blackman, as the Countess Lucinda Reeves, is badly under used
in the piece and to be honest it's not her best work. Which
is a shame because this was not an amateur production; many
of the actors have done good work in other films and shows.
Blame can only be laid at the feet of the director Giles Foster,
who seems content to let the ambling mess find its own way
to a flat conclusion.
On
the plus side the cinematography, by Rex Maidment, is sumptuous
in its obvious love of this part of Scotland. He pulls all
the stops out to bring out the obvious beauty of the location.
So,
with over sixty shows having been produced, I'm willing to
admit that I might be missing something here, but I don't
think so. One for Pilcher fans only, I'm afraid.
Charles
Packer
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