Winter Palace

I live in a Swiss tourist resort, I love period drama, I have family connections to the history of tourism. In short, I was looking forward to this. However I hardly managed to watch the first couple of minutes. Whoever made this obviously has no idea what they're talking about. For starters, winter tourism was invented long before 1899. Five minutes on Wikipedia would have told them that. And then, in the first scene, this couple is driving through the snowy landscape on a sled, without scarves or woolly hats or anything ... wtf? Dear friends in the warmer parts of the world, let me tell you, their teeth should have been chattering, their noses and eyes should have been dripping, their ears should have fallen off. Even nowadays, with climate change, this would have been an awful experience, but go back to 1899 and it would have been minus 10 C or colder ... So, very sorry, but I couldn't go on. Try again, Netflix.

Thanks to a recent law (Lex Netflix), this series has been produced in collaboration with Swiss production companies and the new 4% tax revenue from Netflix. First of its kind, this production is opening the way for future Swiss series and films. Although half-way through the first episode, I find a few things puzzling...

Production is nice, images lovely, acting decent and I appreciate the mix of French and English (Swiss accents are very clean though), what would be expected from a Netflix prod. Nothing special about the scenario either, a classic against-all-odds success story, except here the hero is loaded, of course it's Switzerland...

So, the subject...

Sponsored by luxury watches and sparkling wine (as well as cheese fondue on national TV lol), a few minutes in and it's obvious that this isn't about promoting Swiss culture or history, but rather a not so subtle way to sell dreams of luxury and be a booby-tourist-trap. It's unfortunate to cover the subject of early mass-tourism through the prism of luxury, when there are so many other stories and aspects to explore about Swiss hospitality and the reality of early 1900s mountain life.

Tourism and luxury are important local industries indeed, but is that really what Switzerland as a nation needs to put forward right now to the world?

Anyway, I don't want to spoil anything, but I can't help but find disappointment for this series. Nothing bad to say about it really, but not much to write home about, I guess I was expecting something a little refreshing... Hopefully some of Lex Netflix revenues will find their ways to more down to earth projects!

Swiss productions were becoming better, but this is a setback.

Too many procedural, chronological and technical errors run through the production. And it's new that ordinary mountain villagers walk around in nice dresses and easily learn new professions in 1899. The general idea of the story is good, though. Especially the original English, French and German dialogues would have made a real difference to others productions. The special effects of skiing down a mountain remembered of 1960ies productions. If you don't care about a story which often does not add up and adds diversity to an 1899 time, watch it. At least the dialogue are clearly understandable.

Switzerland has produced much better in the past. I was really looking forward to this show. The production was actually very good, and the actors were impressive too. But the more episodes I saw, the more I didn't like it. I felt there were a lot of gaps and inconsistencies and missings for any logic. Some scenes were missing or ended, leaving questions and others were unnecessarily drawn out. I don't really know what the bottom line was supposed to be. The story wasn't heartwarming, it left me more and more cold. The longer it went on, the more it reminded me of a puppet show. All in all, a big disappointment.

Idea and cooperation awesome. Visionairy...nice, convincing acting. Having switzerland, finally, discovered as source of best story telling...why not earlier? And, politically showing USamerican as they are; very brave, as we know they don't like to be seen as crooks, thieves and scum (what real history of USA is). So, roles are pretty following authenticity, "well done" so far. But then, it get's worse and worse.

Soundtrack of this - what could have become masterpiece of Swiss movie making in coop with Netflix - movie is sooo bad wrong. Movies at this period MUST have proper soundtrack matching. If doing kind of steampunk, what is pretty up to date, then visual story must imperatively being much faster, harder and so on. Now, to me, it looks like soundtrack contributors came for free. 90 % is, just rated separately, really 2 stars only worth. Underlining this "brave throw" of Swiss-Netflix cooperation, it pulls down all efforts...so sad.

As story goes on, characters getting more an more akward and far from this century headed: 1900 and homosexuality as "free to go"Really? Africans all over present..at 1900 century...Are you kiddin? Yes, there were famous like Jules Vernes, awesome geniuses. But it's so wrong just to put africans, gays and ongoing radical feminism into this setting. Plotted with complete wrong soundtrack this "great throw" gets down wattered to mainstream hollywoodish. Initiated by "big brothers" directions what "shall be to head present target groups"?

There is so much good attempt coming with "Winter Palace"; but director, writers and producers need to make their mind up: Do they want to follow mainstream hollywood or being, what Switzerland stands for....innovation and adaption in any sense.

Am I interessted to watch next show of "Winter Palace"? Honestly, I don't know.