"Island at War" (2004) TV mini-series

Directors:

Peter Lydon
Thaddeus O'Sullivan

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

23 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Period: Second World War. A quiet channel island community is thrown into turmoil by the invasion forces of Nazi Germany.

Plot Keywords:

TV Mini-Series | Nazi Occupation | WWII

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Saskia Reeves	...	Cassie Mahy (6 episodes, 2004)
Owen Teale	...	PC Wilf Jonas (2 episodes, 2004)
Julia Ford	...	Kathleen Jonas (2 episodes, 2004)
Sean Ward	...	Colin Jonas (2 episodes, 2004)
Clare Holman	...	Felicity Dorr (2 episodes, 2004)
James Wilby	...	Sen. James Dorr (2 episodes, 2004)
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Bailiff Francis La Palotte (2 episodes, 2004)
Sean Gallagher	...	Sheldon Leveque (2 episodes, 2004)
Joanne Frogatt	...	Angelique Mahy (2 episodes, 2004)
Samantha Robinson	...	June Mahy (2 episodes, 2004)
Caroline Strong	...	Margaret (2 episodes, 2004)
Stephen Mallatratt	...	Vicar (2 episodes, 2004)

Runtime:

UK:540 min (including commercials) (6 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Castletown, Isle of Man

Company:

Granada Television

Goofs:

Anachronisms: One of the daughters sings in the nightclub at the beginning "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." It wasn't written then, and not until 1942. Further, its entire message is from an American girl to her American GI during the war. That apple tree is somewhere in rural America. Not in the Channel Islands. This scene takes places a year or two prior to America even entering the war.

Quotes:

Oberleutnant Flach: [ironically] Inconvenient, isn't it, war?

Movie Connections:

Features Jud Süß (1940)

Appalling Misrepresentation

Much is missing or misrepresented in this series. 1. How did the Germans land troops on the Islands? 2. Why do we never see the Mosleyites (British Fascists) who were there to greet the Germans arrival? 2b. Were there really no anti-Semites among the Islanders? 2c. Why do we never meet any of the French-speaking Islanders? 3. How come no one ever is seen listening to the radio (which every ear was glued to throughout the war)? 3b. Why did neither of the two boys who allegedly came to spy bring a radio with them? 4. How come we never see anyone fishing off the rocks or fishing from a dingy (neither of which was prevented by the occupying forces). Instead we are told the Islanders are desperate for tinned salmon.