Joe Maddison's War

I love the work of Alan Plater. His Beiderbecke series was absolute magic. But those stories weren't told in 110 minutes but slowly developed over many episodes which helped give it greater depth and great characters. I have to agree with the previous reviewer that this production of Joe Maddisons war fell well short of its full potential. It could have been a cracker of a story showing the frustration of a man who could not actively participate on the front line, being able to do his bit in the Home Guard. It could also have given us a more balanced view of the contribution of the Home Guard than the admittedly very funny but inaccurate "Dads Army" series. Unfortunately all we got was a meandering saga spread thinly from 1940 to 1945 with unnecessary interjections of archive footage that was supposed to set the time but arrived in the most curious places seeming to split a subplot in half. The actors did well with the material they had, Derek Jacobi as always superb, Robson Green adding the comic element, but they were let down by the story and continuity. It is a great pity that Alan Platers Swan Song is such a disappointment.