| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Wish Me Luck - Series 1 |  | |
Wish Me Luck - Series 1
A wonderful British Drama about Liz Grainger, a young middle-class English woman, who undergoes brutal interrogations as part of her training for World War II intelligence work in occupied France. Liz wants to work directly against the German enemy because of her anger at the recent death in action of her brother. She meets another woman recruit, Matty, who is also in training as a resistance agent. The organization that recruits for the United Kingdom intelligence work is lead by the flamboyant and cosmopolitan Colonel James Cadogan, "Cad." The primary aim of his organization is sabotage and subversion, leading ultimately to France’s liberation from Germany. The first wave of agents sent into occupied France are volunteers from the Armed Forces; however, since their numbers have been reduced by German counter-intelligence, replacements now are being recruited from among civilians.
Manufacturer: Goldhil Home Media
Price Range: $1.99 - $39.98
 Wish Me Luck - Series 1
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| User Reviews |  | FANY's and WAAC's and WAAF's...oh my!
rating: 4
"Wish Me Luck" was one of those quality British WWII dramas that turned up every now and then and resulted in an entertainment that is rarely found from other country's. The type of drama that the British have forgotten how to make as they look more and more to the US for indication of how to film drama.
It's narrative focuses primarily on two women SOE agents, Liz Granger (Kate Buffery) and Matty Firman (Suzanna Hamilton), drawn from different backgrounds and thrown into the mix of wartime occupied France. They join up for various reasons, to "do their part", but both are unsatisfied with their lives up to that point and feel they can be doing more. Liz eventually 'graduates' as a general agent and Matty as a radio operator (or a pianist) and they're dropped onto the Continent to play out the first series.
Once in France the first series develops into an episodic venture, with the plot played out over 8 parts. "Wish Me Luck" series one features fairly realistic characters in fairly realistic wartime situations. There's little 'action' in the traditional sense, but this in itself is real as the very nature of SOE ops called for quiet easy movement and information passing, rather than blowing things up. Sabotage was usually left to the various indigenous resistance groups, whose inter-rivalry is hinted at successfully throughout the series and continues into the later seasons.
"Wish Me Luck" relies more on driving characters than showing fancy gunfights and whiz-bang pyrotechnics, but one of the ways it chooses to develop character is one of the shows problems. The main writer, Jill Hyem, has seen fit to include hackneyed "mills'n'Boon" love interests to fill in the non-wartime bits and their troubled relationships are further complicated by their commitments back home. It's all a bit obvious and a little tiresome.
Also somewhat tiresome is another of the show's angles. The character of Matty Firman. There's nothing really that bad with her character except that she carry's on with English colloquialisms all the way through France and the writing for her character seems hell bent on emphasising her working class contrast to Liz's more upper class 'jolly hockeysticks' upbringing. Another tedious and obvious 'twist' is to make her Jewish. I swear, it's becoming very hard to view a Second World War film or TV series without Jewish characters in it or the mention of Jews at some point. Not that it's inherently bad to have Jewish characters or a nod to Jews in wartime dramas at all, but when they are put obligingly into every piece that's produced about the period, it's hard to a)not be cynical about it or b)not to grow tired of it. If we are to believe film and TV's recent treatment of WWII, you think it impossible to move in Europe for the number of Jews there. There's little progression on Matty's racial/religious background and little reference to it as the series unfolds, it's just a clichéd, un-necessary and awkward insertion. But it seems to be obligatory nowadays. On the plus side, in general, she's one of the more plucky gals and Matty's story is one of the more interesting paths in the first series, even if the conclusion of her characters escapades is a little silly, if exciting enough.
A more major downfall of the first series is the music used. It's never fitting and always somewhat overbearing. It seems that the music was written without the music director actually scoring the music to the film. It quickly becomes very irritating and it's a reason that the final star is knocked off. The music in the second series has changed and is a little better though, so it's obvious that the producers knew that it was a weak point in the production.
Also somewhat out of place is Warren Clarke as Colonel Werner Krieger, the head of the Abwehr in the area. His affected German accent is a little cartoonish and caused a couple of unintentional chuckles. He's not bad in the role, he (and all of the Germans) just should have spoken in his natural English accent, like the 'French' characters in the series.
The first series of "Wish Me Luck" is a worthy attempt to show a side of the war that doesn't get much of an airing, but it's leisurely pace may be off-putting to those with little or no interest in the period.
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Rich view of another side of the war
rating: 5
Finally, an exploration of WW II that demonstrates that women can be brave, loyal, daring and patriotic. For all the compelling war movies out there, its very rare that women are allowed those noble qualities as they are usually subjugated to the role of lover, femme fatal, wife, mother or child. "Wish Me Luck" features women, in all their various personal roles, but also engaged in the war to save their nation. Refreshing! For the insecure among you who need bang-bangs to reassure you there's a war going on, yes, look elsewhere for your pyrotechnics. "Wish Me Luck" tells the story of three "Baker Street Irregulars" -- or members of the British Special Operations Executive - spies sent to France to assist the resistance movement. Although the British series ran for 23 episodes, only the first 8 have made it to DVD (we can all hope for more) and follow two women and a man from training through their perilous missions in France. Subtle, thoughtful and filled with great period detail, this is great entertainment with a slightly different view of the war. If the topic interests you, do try the films "Carve Her Name With Pride" and "Odette," both based on the real experiences of well known women in the SOE.
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Brilliant!
rating: 5
To anyone who has taken an interest in the work of SOE during the War Years this series is absolutely brilliant.A lot of research has gone into the making of this series and the detail and background is second to none.If you are looking for a lot of action,you may be dissappointed,as the series does tend to concentrate on the people involved and the effect it has on their lives and the people involved in their lives.but this all makes for very real and believable drama.The characters portayed are very much based on real people involved,and the series does show how the different "social" barriers were overcome during these times.It doesn't tend to overglamourise the situation,and portrays the dangers the agents faced on a day to day basis.
As someone who has a keen interest in the work of SOE I would thoughly recommend this series.
My only concern is when are they going to release the 2nd and 3rd series ?
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Undercover in occupied France
rating: 5
I have this series on VHS and, after having watched it at least three times, still really enjoy it. I find it well-written, well-acted, well-paced, and an interesting take on the usual male spy story. As a woman, I admittedly enjoy stories about women who succeed at difficult tasks. The two women who star in this series face an extremely difficult task--to pass as Frenchwomen in occupied France, despite having spent the majority of their lives in England, while passing secrets under the noses of the ever-watchful Germans. Unlike another reviewer, I won't try to say whether members of the other sex will like it or not. I don't see it as a chick flick at all--simply as a story about spies in WWII which features the women who were spies, as well as the men. Jill Hyem is a fine writer and this is fine WWII drama. If you're looking for lots of battle scenes, however, this isn't it. This is about people, not weapons, and life among the enemy. I recommend it.
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A spy series for the gels
rating: 3
WISH ME LUCK, a British telly miniseries that aired in the late 1980s, revolves around the perils facing English agents working with the Resistance in WWII occupied France.
Female viewers are the target audience for this melodrama. Real Men need not tune in. The shtick to draw in the gels is the fact that the two main protagonists are women. Liz Grainger (Kate Buffery), a young English housewife and mother, whose husband is serving with the Royal Army in Egypt and whose brother has been killed flying for the RAF, volunteers for clandestine duty as a courier in Normandy while leaving her pre-pubescent daughter with Mum. Half-French, half-English Matty Firman (Suzanna Hamilton), who escaped the German invasion with her French mother to live with her English grandfather in Stepney, is teamed with Liz as a radio operator, even though she has a tendency to leave mission-sensitive material lying about. A third member of the team is Colin Beale, played by an adolescent Jeremy Northam. Women in the audience will think him cute.
While there are tense moments as our heroines find themselves in dodgy spots, the plot focuses mostly on emotional relationships: Matty with Liz, Matty with Colin, Liz with her husband, Liz with her daughter, and Liz with her control behind the lines.
Beyond the touchy-feeliness, which may leave male eyes glazed over, this is too obviously a low budget production - except for the rather striking period hairstyles on several of the female characters. The cheesiness is in the details. The Teutonic invaders are less Aryan and more out of UK central casting. And when they speak Deutsch among themselves, the awkward tone and overly careful pronunciation is reminiscent of memorized speech drills in first year German. Moreover, though Liz and Matty are exhorted in spy school to act like Frenchwomen when on assignment, the latter in particular, once in enemy territory, punctuates loud conversations with Bloody This, Bloody That, and Sod This - all potentially within the hearing of any leather-coated Gestapo ape skulking on the nearest street corner.
A decidedly more clever and much better spy series from the UK is THE SANDBAGGERS, broadcast in the late 70s and featuring an MI6 covert operations team. And if you want to see a truly excellent WWII period piece enjoyable by both sexes, I recommend FOYLE'S WAR, currently in it's third season, the first two of which are available on DVD.
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Wish Me Luck - Series 1
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