The L.W.T. wartime drama 'Manhunt' was a favourite of mine in 1970 so when I heard it was coming out on D.V.D. last year I was naturally thrilled. It was created by Rex Firkin, also its executive producer. It begins when a French Resistance unit is wiped out by the Germans. The sole survivor is 'Anne-Marie Poitiers' ( Cyd Hayman ), whose codename is 'Nina'. She meets up with 'Vincent' ( Peter Barkworth ), another Resistance member operating under an alias, and stranded British airman 'Jimmy' ( Alfred Lynch ) and they go on the run. As she knows the names of key Resistance leaders in France, it is imperative that she get to London at all costs. Dogging them every step of the way is 'Sergeant Gratz' ( Robert Hardy ) of the Abwehr. He is fascinated by Nina and cannot bring himself to kill her, but instead ( when he finally captures her ) takes her as his mistress.
The opening chords of Ludwig Van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony got each episode off to a dramatic start. As you would expect in a series from this era, the acting is first-class, particularly Barkworth and Hardy. Philip Madoc is equally impressive as the sinister 'Lutzig'. What works against it is that the concept is not strong enough to sustain a 26-part run, hence many episodes are excellent while others are terrible ( particularly the one in which Nina has a mental breakdown and regresses to childhood. To restore her to normality, Vincent orders Jimmy to sleep with her. They would certainly not get away with such a blatantly sexist plot now, and I wish they had not done so then ). Midway through the run, a format change took place, with the regulars splitting up, and Maggie Fitzgibbon coming on board as Australian nightclub singer 'Adelaide'. A particularly notorious scene was when Nina was made to strip naked ( nudity was rare on television then, so when it happened it had real impact ) by Gratz. Guest stars included John Savident, Iain Cuthbertson, Jack Watson, George Sewell, Brian Cox, and even Stephen ( 'Blakey' from 'On The Buses' ) Lewis!
'Intent To Steal' by Jonathan Hales was done entirely without dialogue, as Jimmy and Vincent combined to steal a new alloy from a German factory. It was chosen to represent the series as part of Channel 4's 'T.V. Heaven' in 1992. The two-parter 'What Now, Little Man' by Vincent Tilsley has Gratz interrogated by first Lutzig and then by Vincent and climaxes with a truly shocking moment.
Lovers of the fast-pace of modern drama should give 'Manhunt' a wide berth. At times it is so painfully slow as to make 'Foyle's War' seem like 'The Matrix'. It has taken me well over a year to see the show in its entirety, but I am glad I made the effort.
The opening chords of Ludwig Van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony got each episode off to a dramatic start. As you would expect in a series from this era, the acting is first-class, particularly Barkworth and Hardy. Philip Madoc is equally impressive as the sinister 'Lutzig'. What works against it is that the concept is not strong enough to sustain a 26-part run, hence many episodes are excellent while others are terrible ( particularly the one in which Nina has a mental breakdown and regresses to childhood. To restore her to normality, Vincent orders Jimmy to sleep with her. They would certainly not get away with such a blatantly sexist plot now, and I wish they had not done so then ). Midway through the run, a format change took place, with the regulars splitting up, and Maggie Fitzgibbon coming on board as Australian nightclub singer 'Adelaide'. A particularly notorious scene was when Nina was made to strip naked ( nudity was rare on television then, so when it happened it had real impact ) by Gratz. Guest stars included John Savident, Iain Cuthbertson, Jack Watson, George Sewell, Brian Cox, and even Stephen ( 'Blakey' from 'On The Buses' ) Lewis!
'Intent To Steal' by Jonathan Hales was done entirely without dialogue, as Jimmy and Vincent combined to steal a new alloy from a German factory. It was chosen to represent the series as part of Channel 4's 'T.V. Heaven' in 1992. The two-parter 'What Now, Little Man' by Vincent Tilsley has Gratz interrogated by first Lutzig and then by Vincent and climaxes with a truly shocking moment.
Lovers of the fast-pace of modern drama should give 'Manhunt' a wide berth. At times it is so painfully slow as to make 'Foyle's War' seem like 'The Matrix'. It has taken me well over a year to see the show in its entirety, but I am glad I made the effort.