Talking Heads is one of the minor glories of television, so I was surprised that only three IMDb readers have reviewed the series. Actually, these three reviews are all that is needed, because anyone reading them without having seen the series will be in no doubt about the quality of what awaits them. However, it did occur to me that they might not have fully captured how much fun these twelve mini-plays really are.
Each one is a thirty-minute, face-to-camera narration by a single character; usually told in six or seven separate scenes. The overall tone is one of subtle, understated humour. It is so dead-pan that you don't laugh out loud, but the 'slow-burn' humour creeps up on you and it is only when they are over that you realise how funny some of these stories were. However, most of them have an underlying sadness and some of them are absolutely heart-breaking.
Each episode is a master-class in the 'deceptive narrative'. The characters who are relating these stories are trying to conceal what is really happening in their lives and the audience has to piece together the real story from little hints that they inadvertently drop. It is worth the effort, because most of these seemingly mundane little vignettes have unexpectedly strong plots that can often veer off in surprising directions. Trust me: much more happens in these stories than you will initially expect. Buried in these apparently drab character studies you will find madness, perversion, incest, paedophilia and serial murder.
Alan Bennett's special skill is that he gives each of these characters an uncannily accurate voice. Often they are voices from his own childhood, full of the middle-class and lower middle-class idioms of the Nineteen Fifties. This may be a slight problem for some people. You probably have to be English and at least fifty-years-old to fully appreciate the creepy accuracy of the dialect, slang and speech patterns that bring some of these characters to life.
Nonetheless, I am sure that viewers of all ages and from all countries will enjoy the clever structure, surprising twists and unexpected poignancy of these sly tales (not to mention the great performances). Even if you cannot personally verify the precision of the language you will instinctively feel that it is right on the button.
Alan Bennet is undoubtedly a serious playwright and he has some challenging things to say, but he never forgets that his first duty is to entertain.
Give him a chance and I think he will entertain you.
Each one is a thirty-minute, face-to-camera narration by a single character; usually told in six or seven separate scenes. The overall tone is one of subtle, understated humour. It is so dead-pan that you don't laugh out loud, but the 'slow-burn' humour creeps up on you and it is only when they are over that you realise how funny some of these stories were. However, most of them have an underlying sadness and some of them are absolutely heart-breaking.
Each episode is a master-class in the 'deceptive narrative'. The characters who are relating these stories are trying to conceal what is really happening in their lives and the audience has to piece together the real story from little hints that they inadvertently drop. It is worth the effort, because most of these seemingly mundane little vignettes have unexpectedly strong plots that can often veer off in surprising directions. Trust me: much more happens in these stories than you will initially expect. Buried in these apparently drab character studies you will find madness, perversion, incest, paedophilia and serial murder.
Alan Bennett's special skill is that he gives each of these characters an uncannily accurate voice. Often they are voices from his own childhood, full of the middle-class and lower middle-class idioms of the Nineteen Fifties. This may be a slight problem for some people. You probably have to be English and at least fifty-years-old to fully appreciate the creepy accuracy of the dialect, slang and speech patterns that bring some of these characters to life.
Nonetheless, I am sure that viewers of all ages and from all countries will enjoy the clever structure, surprising twists and unexpected poignancy of these sly tales (not to mention the great performances). Even if you cannot personally verify the precision of the language you will instinctively feel that it is right on the button.
Alan Bennet is undoubtedly a serious playwright and he has some challenging things to say, but he never forgets that his first duty is to entertain.
Give him a chance and I think he will entertain you.