The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Well, not sure what happened there. Episode two just started and the subtitles were working. Trouble is haven’t got a clue what happened in episode one…

So I’m not the only one struggling to hear…
There are at least three threads at different periods, just skipping back and forth. All terribly confusing.

Watched up until the beheading and haven’t resumed, though I probably will.

I struggle with subtitles on iPlayer, Maybee. I use them a lot on ITVX and C4+ but they never seem to work on BBC so I’ve given up trying. I was wondering about this series (although it looked a bit bleak).

I was intending to watch it but I won’t bother if there are 3 threads going on. I just can’t follow this sort of thing. I like stories with a beginning, a middle and and an end. I sometimes wonder if producers make things deliberately difficult. Ok if you’ve got that sort of mind but I haven’t. Shame. Can anyone recommend something good on iPlayer or ITVx? I watched The Missing which was excellent.

I'm glad the sub titles have been brought up, we watched the first episode and my husband said "we need the sub titles I can't follow the dialogue" Me too, I thought it was us, anyway we switched those on.

The book, which I haven't read, was a Booker prize winner I believe, and although there are no doubt going to be some scenes that I know will be distressing, I'll have to duck out when they occur, I do want to continue with it, no doubt bleak but could be worthwhile once it unfolds.

Watched sort of the first episode.. Didn't capture my attention, no idea what was going on, not going to bother again.

It is very distressing. These days when we get warnings about everything from someone lighting a cigarette to having thoughts of self-harm, really sickening violence isn't properly flagged. There is one (extended) scene that will haunt me for a long time. I wish I hadn't watched it.

I’ve found that the sound is better if I watch it on my iPad so I’m rewatching episode one on that ( still can’t get subtitles to work on that episode). I don’t really like it though and certainly wouldn’t recommend it. I’m only going to stick with it to see if it improves and it had a good review on Must Watch. I did know that something awful was going to happen at the beginning as Must Watch warned about it but it just seems, thus far, to be full of graphic sex scenes and horrific war scenes. And the main character seems to be a nasty piece of work.

From how you describe it MayBee70 I think I’ll give it a wide berth. It sounds awful. There’s so much violence in the real world, I have no desire to watch “entertainment” focussing on it too.

I tried watching this after seeing the discussion about it. My opinion? The less said about it the better! What a load of rubbish!

Thanks all. Maybee - let us know if it's worth it in the end!

TerriBull

I'm glad the sub titles have been brought up, we watched the first episode and my husband said "we need the sub titles I can't follow the dialogue" Me too, I thought it was us, anyway we switched those on.

The book, which I haven't read, was a Booker prize winner I believe, and although there are no doubt going to be some scenes that I know will be distressing, I'll have to duck out when they occur, I do want to continue with it, no doubt bleak but could be worthwhile once it unfolds.

This is just me, but I have found that any book that wins the Booker prize is never worth the paper it’s written on! I avoid accredited books like the plague. They are always just hyped up rubbish! This film was awful, (the little I could stand of it) and I soon found something better to watch. Paint drying did the trick!

Ziplok

From how you describe it MayBee70 I think I’ll give it a wide berth. It sounds awful. There’s so much violence in the real world, I have no desire to watch “entertainment” focussing on it too.

There aren’t many films or programmes that I’d advise people not to watch. Having said that I’m committed now so I’ll continue with it and let you know if it improves! I don’t mind watching films or series about prisoner of war camps, there were a couple of films a few years ago that both came out at the same time ( one with Colin Firth and one with Jack O’ Connell that were good. I don’t think I’m a prude but there’s a limit to how many sex scenes I can watch!

It doesn’t sound conducive to lightening the mood!😬

Oreo

It doesn’t sound conducive to lightening the mood!😬

It's really not. I found it very upsetting, and I wasn't expecting something about POWs under the Japanese to be an easy watch.

I thought the book was very good but couldn’t get on with the tv adaptation

Watched episode three last night. again couldn't get subtitles to work so struggled with hearing what was said. The operations in it [both with or without anaesthetic] are gruesome; I'm not usually squeamish but have to turn away. I'm glad there are only five episodes because I have to stick with it to see if I can make more sense of it. Never thought I'd see Ciaran Hinds [a favourite actor of mine] doing sex scenes at his age and feel a bit uncomfortable about that, too! I did know someone who was a Japanese prisoner of war and am trying to remember who it was. I didn't understand at the time why there was so much controversy about Hirohito's state visit all those years ago.

Mrswoodcutter

I thought the book was very good but couldn’t get on with the tv adaptation

I read a synopsis of the book which sounded far deeper and more complicated than the adaptation as it looked into why the Japanese behaved the way they did. I may have to watch some of it again as I got the soldiers all mixed up. I don’t particularly want to but I need some sort of closure on it. I often have to rewatch things as I struggle with plots and storylines and not being able to make out what people were saying didn’t help.The actors must have lost so much weight to portray such starving people. As iplayer tends to do when it finished it went on to show two more rather depressing films which I only half watched as I was pottering about the house at the time. I need to watch something a bit more cheerful.

I’m glad I’m not the only one, this is one of my all time favourite novels, so I was quite excited to see it had been televised, but I couldn’t understand a word, gave it about ten minutes, very disappointing.

Why does this mumbling happen? I read a review somewhere that suggested that TV programmes are recorded using techniques more suitable for the cinema, but given the sophistication of modern recording, and the level of qualifications of the engineers, surely problems with audio could be sorted out before the programmes are screened.

There does't seem to me to be any excuse for inaudible audio.

I have an even greater problem if people speak in an American or Australian accent. I wonder too if, because some of these series are filmed quite dark we actually lip read more than we're aware of and can't do so? I still don't understand why I can't get subtitles to work for some episodes. On Must Watch they said there had been lots of complaints about the sound, too, although the presenters all said it was a Must Watch. I think they mentioned the reason for things being inaudible, too.

I've just watched the third episode, couldn't get the subtitles to work but actually didn't struggle to hear what was being said for this one. I haven't read the book but I think I might. OH gave up on it but tbh I enjoy these dark, atmospheric dramas although I looked away for the beheading. It certainly evokes the horror of building the railway and the lasting effect on the men involved.

I read the book and found it v grim. However, it was a horrible period in history so its not exactly fantasy. I don't think I’ll watch it- too upsetting as it will remind me of a family member who was a Japanese pow and didn't talk about it much but what he did say was horrible. The experiences made him a difficult character. Its funny as I don't have a problem with most violent dramas as I know they aren’t real.