Birdsong drama - have I gone deaf?

[Ann]

Did anyone else have trouble catching what they were saying in tonight's final episode? They were either whispering quietly between them or talking in a France accent - so hard to hear. Rather spoilt it catching one sentence in four! But I thought it was excellent, cried buckets at the end, but bit difficult to follow the story at times.

[Maydup]

I didn't watch it but OH did and he had the sub titles on through out.

[Ann]

Gosh maidup I never thought of that! Glad someone else found it difficult too - I was about to book in for a hearing test tomorrow! At one point I had the volume control up to 42!!!

[missprim]

I had the subtitles on too as some of the words were French but it only translated once so I expect we are all supposed to understand the language.
Also the toing and froing did get complicated at times and for those who set their recorders up for this, they might just miss the last 4 mins as it actually over ran.
Having said all this I did enjoy it on the whole.

[Andyvon]

There's nothing wrong with your ears Ann.

I've often wondered about my hearing when I can't hear the TV. However, I've realised there's nothing wrong with my hearing - it's just poor sound quality from the TV. I'm not sure whether it's the quality of the recording or the limitations of the small speakers in the TV.

[Maydup]

I'm sure the programmes are made for surround sound TVs or something. Our TV is fairly new, but ordinary. We often have to use the subtitles when watching drama.

[Ann]

Thank goodness for that then! I thought it must have been extra quiet recording as when it finished I had to dive for the remote control to switch it down as the trailer for the next programme was unbearably loud!
I did enjoy it though, it was a strange choice of programme for me to watch as I hate anything to do with the war, if it was just as they depicted it, I can visualise my poor Grandad in the trenches, he was gassed, but managed to survive but was left with no sense of smell or taste and had breathing problems all his life.

[Andyvon]

They do seem to 'whack the volume up' when the adverts come on. I did once read that TV companies do that as they know peoples' attention wanders as soon as adverts come on and it's a way of catching their attention again. It's annoying though.

[Ann]

Yes Andy we have the answer to the adverts being much louder - its called the "mute" button!!!!

[Andyvon]

That's OK if you can find the remote control in time Ann! We usually have to scrabble around and find ours has slipped down the sofa or something!

[Ann]

When we watch our local news (central region) we always have the remote handy while waiting for the local weather forecast to come on - the dreadful BMI Baby adverts with their stupid little poems drive everyone to distraction, they have been on for years, I wish another company would sponsor the weather and get rid of the stupid little red cartoon character .........

[Farrnorth]

Hear it or not - what a disappointment. 10/10 for the book I read years ago - 0/10 for the TV Version. Actors staring at each other for long periods with an irritating sound track. Very confusing as to whether what you were watching was 'real time' or dreaming. Got thoroughly bored and switched off.

[carolegif]

Watching in HD seems to be quieter than the normal digital, so if you turn from one to the other, you get deafened.
It was very difficult to follow last night, I had to keep telling my other half where and what year it was in (I read the book). I think it was a bad idea to do it in flashback, especially last night's episode. I think the fact that they left out the granddaughter's story and the journals written in code was a mistake. it would have tied the whole thing together.

[anotheoldgit]

Yes I agree entirely, my wife and I both remarked on the inaudibility of the drama Birdsong, but by the looks of it we were not on our own, it has also been covered extensively by this Daily Mail columnist.

http://www.dailymail....ruining-TV-drama.html

[anotheoldgit]

What did amaze me, was the fact of how did the main character Eddie Redmayne manage, among the mud, dirt and dust of a WW1 battlefield to to find himself, a clean and neatly pressed new uniform in which to change into, on more than one occasion?

[anneasquith]

i watched this last week and was very disappointed, but last nights episode was very good. but i agree re the sound/mumbling of the actors, re the above replies. saves me a trip to the gp for a hearing test !

[dotty.]

I started watching this last week but gave up, the book is supposedly a modern classic, the tv adaptation was tedious and pretentious.

[carolegif]

In answer to your answer about cleanliness anotheoldgit. In the book, they are so covered in lice, fleas, bites, blood, body parts etc., that before they go on leave they all have to have a wash and wash their clothes. There was a bathing and shower scene last night, but it didn't make it clear. they also had to run a flame down the seams of their clothes to try and kill the lice eggs, but it didn't make a difference, by the time they were back in the thick of battle they were in the same state.

[supersaint]

We also had difficulty with the mumbling. the pace was that slow we thought our sky plus had frozen, you could of condended it in 1 hour max

[Ann]

Well that has answered my question - it wasn't just me! I was pleased to read that article in the Daily Mail too that AOG also posted
http://www.dailymail....ruining-TV-drama.html
I just shows how bad the sound quality is getting! I haven't read the book but wondered if it had the same ending as the tv drama - or did Stephen get together with Isabellas sister and live happily ever after with his little girl?

[carolegif]

In the book, the granddaughter has found some of his journals and sets about getting them deciphered. She remembers her grandparents. Then the book reverts to 1910 Amiens and carries on in chronological order until Stephen goes back to Jeanne and Francoise. At the end of the book, you discover that in fact the person the granddaughter calles Grandmere, is in fact Jeanne. Isabel dies from her injuries sustained in the bombing which weakened her heart. Stephen dies at the age of 48 (the same age as my grandad who fought at the Somme and Verdun - gas affected the heart), as is pointed out, lots of the men who came home died young.