1864

I am 59 and I can be a hard critic but this was one of the greatest dramas I have ever seen.

The production, story, acting are all outstanding. Some people may not like the anti war sentiment. Yet this drama achieves the rare thing of managing to convey powerfully both the reasons why politicians can lead us to war and the horrors that then shatter the lives of those families who fall victims to it.

I have rarely been so moved by a drama. It has tragedy, pain, humour, humanity and above all it gives a us hope - Despite death, life must go on and we owe it to the those who have fallen to live it to the fullest.

If you decide watch this drama till the very end you may be lucky and feel as enriched as I did.

Series shows very well how some agitators can create too much national feeling and guide people to think "we deserve what others have". Some things reminded me much of 3rd Reich too which happened laters in Germany and what is also sadly happening in Russia today.

Pictures greatly how common people pay the highest price when things escalate to madness like war. Its common today and mostly by US made films to raise war to something "heroic" and "glorious" where individuals just keep going and going like nothing touches them really. which is total bullshit.

There is ongoing try to wipe the past we people have had with wars in this world.

And when reading others comments people are too used to see those war glorifying movies which is supported at least US war industries and government. Guess you need some life experience to see thru all current "propaganda" that is happening.

Overall, nice acting and feeling in movie which you see rarely today unfortunately.

Hope Danes make more series like this. :)

In 1864, Denmark launched what seems in retrospect an inexplicable war of national expansion. It ended in ignominious defeat at the hands of Bismark's Prussian army. '1864' attempts to tell the story of this war, and is both a personal tale centred on a number of its protagonists, and perhaps also, a story of the eventual birth of the Denmark we know today, the peaceful modern social democracy that eventually superseded the nationalist pretensions of the 19th century. There's been a lot of Danish drama released internationally in recent years, but it's a small country, and fans of other Danish series will recognise a huge proportion of the cast in this one. But sadly, '1864' does not live up to the standards of 'The Killing' or 'Borgen'. It's slow, ponderous, repetitive, obvious and the attempt to wrap up the 19th century story in a contemporary wrapping further reduces the immediacy of the drama. The budget for battle scenes, meanwhile, seems to have been spent entirely in episode 7, which is impressive in itself, but the rest of the episodes speak of war without actually showing it very much. And we never really understand just how the Danish politicians thought that the war could actually be won. Outside of Denmark, the war of 1864 is a little known quirk of European history; I'd be interested to know more, but in spite of its 8 hour duration, I finished this drama still frustratingly uninformed.

Let me start off by saying that I think 1864 is a beautifully filmed series with several solid performances and a lot of work put into creating the scenery, props and costuming. That being said, it's saddled with a pretty lukewarm script. There were lots of places Bornedal could have gone with this piece of history, and at times one is confused as to why he made some of the choices he did. One of the most common complaints is the present-day connection, which does feel unnecessary at times, but what's far worse are the absolutely out-of-the-blue supernatural elements which pop up toward the middle of the series and add nothing to the story but a thoroughly shattered suspense of disbelief. Beyond that bit, I found the series to be reasonably historical. Not a documentary, mind you, but as faithful as could be reasonably expected. The other problem with the series is that it occasionally lays on the melodrama too thick, sometimes almost comically so.

TL;DR- Despite the the writing problems, I found myself captivated by this shiny, sometimes stupid period drama. (also, ep. 7 contains one of the most epic battle sequences I've seen in a long time, so there's that.)

**If you're reading this in another country, you ought to know that many ratings and reviews of this series are highly politically charged. Some liberals hate it outright because it received so much public funding, and the Danish Peoples Party hates it for its (justifiably) negative depiction of extreme nationalism and its consequences.

This show is riveting. The production values, cinematography, acting, script and period setting are all excellent. The build up to the 2nd war between Denmark and Prussia from 1851 through to 1883 is done really well with excellent character development - from children to men joining the army. I'm not sure why other users have given this show such low ratings I don't think it deserves them at at all. The link to modern day Denmark does work and does make sense - at least to me. Some people have commented that all the leaders are portrayed as crazy and the ordinary people just lambs to the slaughter. At least one of the key members of parliament (and a Bishop) admits to being a bit mad and comes from a family that has insanity in it. He's used by those who wish to pursue the land claim against Prussia. I think the political machinations shown are probably pretty accurate for the time the show is set. Bismark is actually shocked at the actions of the Danes. Anyway, I would thoroughly recommend this show, give it some time and patience and you will be rewarded.