lcantoni

I agree with the reviewers who found this documentary lacking in depth. I did find the recently released police interview recordings fascinating, but the rest of the documentary seemed like an overview that in spots was a little hard to follow without more context. For example, I would have liked to know more about the Wests' backgrounds (including Fred's first wife and child); the backgrounds of the victims whose relatives weren't interviewed; what became of the Wests' children immediately after the arrests and in the years afterward; and what became of the house. And why didn't they ask the "appropriate person" why she lied on the stand? Overall, given the available material, this could have been much, much better.

Being a history buff, I was pretty skeptical. All I can say is, don't come to this for the history, as many, many liberties were taken. Come instead for the gorgeous production and wonderful acting. I was hooked after the first episode in spite of my eye-rolling during parts of it. You can't beat Austria for gorgeous exteriors and interiors, and the costumes are breathtaking. And the performances are stellar all around. I loved hearing it in German. Once in a while there's a slangy clunker in the English subtitles (like "okay"), but for the most part the translation seems to flow very well. Can't wait to see more.

What a refreshing change from the nasty, vulgar competition shows that seem to breed like, well, rats in a kitchen. This one is about the food and Julia Child's amazing legacy of making great cooking accessible to all. The contestants and the judges are respectful to each other and clearly find joy in what they do, as Julia did. The interspersed videos of Julia are so inspiring.