rmeyerglass

Let's be honest, I'm sure Sally Lindsay is a lovely person in real life, but as an actress she merely plays herself in everything she does. She's totally unconvincing as an art/antiques expert - a branch of Greggs or a hairdressing salon would be more fitting. The poor woman seems to sleepwalk her way through the show, showing minimal awareness in what is going on around her. And why do most of the English community of a small French town seem to come from the Stockport/South Manchester area? I know that her fellow actors are her friends but I find this chumminess is casting irritating. Also, how come an unqualfied non-French speaking foreigner is allowed to actively participate in investigations by the French police? The plots are embarrasingly transparent - it's so obvious who the killer is before the fist ad break. This show is so lightweight that you aren't aware of having watched anything much when the end credits roll.

Why was this dire series ever made? It distorts, if not completely ignores, history, and deliberately misrepresents the characters (who after all were real people). This complete fabrication of the late Hapsburg court and the contemporary world in which it functioned is pointless. What is the viewer expected to take from this? Sure, there are some stunning locations and breathtaking interiors (my two stars are for those alone) but the costume designs act as a visual metaphor for the whole self-indulgent mess. No attempt whatsoever has been made regarding accuracy in either costume or hairstyles despite the availability of examples in contemporary portraits, fashion plate etc. Indeed, some of the gowns are less mid-19th century and more Dior's New Look of the late 1940's. I watched two episodes and gave up. A complete waste of time.