Enemy at the Door

From a time when British television period and costume drama was of a consistently high standard, Enemy at the Door, by London Weekend Television, is a real standout.

The casting is as perfect as could be. It's also very cleverly written, and acted, in that the German occupiers often seem more likeable than many of the islanders, particularly the Commandant, Richter, played superbly by Alfred Burke. The relationship between Richter and the local doctor, Martel (Bernard Horsfall) is exquisitely crafted, demonstrating the tensions arising from being enemies by circumstance, harbouring a mutual liking and respect without showing it too much, and having to oversee a functioning community in impossible circumstances.

Simon Cadell plays the obligatory SS fanatic, Reinicke with sinister understatement, and jolts us out of any complacent sympathy for the German perspective by demonstrating just what they were capable of.

It's such a brilliant and thought-provoking story, and such a shame that it did not extend beyond the two series.

Guernsey under occupation in WW2. One thing that struck me were casting similarities to Colditz (1972), played out on a larger stage. Alfred Burke plays Bernard Hepton's role as the firm but fair German in charge. Simon Cadell has Anthony Valentine's part as fanatical Nazi breathing down his boss's neck. Bernard Horsfall has a similar responsibility to Jack Hedley as hard pressed interlocutor between the Germans and the captives. There is even Colditz actor Richard Heffer, playing a similarly dashing daredevil. The big difference is the presence of women, and some of the most memorable episodes concern them.

After the Ball. At a dance instigated by Reinicke (Cadell), a young Austrian soldier picks up an attractive Guernsey girl. But subsequent event prove disastrous for both of them.

The Jerrybag. The sad story of Betty, not bad looking but somewhat dowdy and lacking self esteem. She has an affair with, and gets pregnant by a German soldier, is ostracised by her fellow islanders, and her lover later comes to grief on the Eastern front. Betty reappears three years later in The Right Blood, where her luck fails to improve.

My one grumble is that the conclusion of the final episode Escape is unnecessarily grim, and one felt short changed that Reinicke failed to get his deserved comeuppance.

I am always interested in WWII shows that tell about the experience that civilians had during this time. Especially British citizens because they were fighting much longer and pretty much alone for over 3 years. This show did not disappoint in telling a story that not many people knew or thought about probably. But this show has an added story/surprise that from my point of view has rarely been shown. The show not only tries to tell the story of the people on the island who had to live under the German occupation but it also tries to show what it was like for some of the members of the occupying force who tried to follow their conscience as they did their duty.

I have to say the writing and the acting from the actors were excellent in portraying this dilemma that some of them faced. I felt the struggle while watching the Germans soldiers tried to be fair in situations that maybe they didn't agree with but wanting to honor why the Germans were fighting. It was difficult for them to separate this from the Nazi beliefs and Hitler's fanaticism.

In many ways I saw the struggles that both side faced. And it was all due to how well the actors portrayed their characters. I will repeat excellent acting.

For anyone who hasn't watched this or maybe started and then quit - you are missing out. Watch it and let yourself be drawn in by each episode as it goes deeper into what people experienced as the war progresses and as both sides become more familiar with each other, as both good and bad emerges in the people involved I agree with what other reviewers has said - I wish it would have had more than 2 seasons. I want to know who survived and what happened to the Germans who tried to be fair and faithful?

I bought the dvd 10 years ago but watched it only a few weeks ago,and i am glad i did,anyone expecting an action packed ww2 series like 'x company' or even 'bomb girls' look elsewhere,this series is about the daily life of guernsey islanders under the german occupation dealing with food shortages,fuel shortages,medicine shortages,black market,relationships between guernsey girls and german soldiers and more. most of the actors and actresses manage to convey an air of quiet desperation throughout the entire series barring season 2 episode 7 which is completely different in tone and mood,i was highly impressed with 3 standout performers, alfred burke(colonel richter),bernard horsfall(dr. martel) and helen shingler as helen porteous,there's also the awful emily richard(clare martel),she's an absolute stinker here. on a scale from 1-10 i rate this series a very strong 8.highly recommended.

I came across this drama some months ago two-thirds of the way through its showing on the "Yesterday" channel here in the UK. Now it's being repeated again, and I've seen perhaps half the episodes. Hopefully I'll get around to seeing them all when/if it's repeated again! It's well worth watching and explores some interesting situations between the occupiers and residents. But it never ran to a third series, which would have had to deal with a worsening situation as the war progressed, supplies dried up and Jewish citizens deported.

I'm not one for characterising all, or indeed many, Germans in the war as Nazi thugs, but those most frequently featured in the series do come across as particularly humane, in fact benign - with the exception, of course, of Reinicke. I assume that all the characters are fictitious. With the series being first screened 35 years after the Occupation there would have been plenty of Guernsey people alive to have commented on the authenticity.

Perhaps now and then things get a bit stagey, that is, as it's a stage play, with some quite wordy dialogue. But I am looking forward to viewing the episodes I haven't seen yet.