TV Gold

The Kessler DVD set is excellent, with the extras (Interviews, Commentary and Booklet) very informative. It's a pity that the 'Lifeline' characters were not used more. A final scene of Albery reading of Kessler's death would have been nice. Although neither the Albert or Monique characters could have been included in the main storyline, the Natalie character could have been as she seemed bitter still about Kessler and she was still young enough to join the hunt. The human side of Kessler came out with his love for his daughter, just as it had in the later episodes of Secret Army with his growing attachment and then love for Madeleine. The one character I didn't find convincing was Mical Rak. She has more lives than a Cat. With the Police picking her out of the River before she drowned very unlikely. However overall it was a very entertaining watch.

I feel a bit slow about this but I've been so taken with watching 'The Omega Factor' recently.

Anyway, going to catch up with what all you guys have been talking about. Have just ordered my copy today and should get round to watching it early in November, probably with, knowing me, comments shortly after.

with best wishes to one and all

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Well i have just got done watching Kessler and i have to admit im really dissapointed with it.
I really do feel that they could have done so much more with this.
I know Clifford himself said he didnt enjoy it anything like as much as Secret Army.
I think the big mistake they made was choosing the era they did.
Kessler in my opinion would have worked so much better picking up where Secret Army left off.
Imagine how great it would have been showing him with Madeleine Duclos on the run.
I wonder why HAZEL McBRIDE didnt do Kessler ?
Anyone know.
Also as someone else said having the old cast of Secret Army back would have been superb.
They could have made it work.
Showing Albert at the Candide with a proper reunion.
The small bit they showed of the old cast for that show was badly written and lacking spark.
Showing Kessler as some old pathetic man was really a mistake.
I for one didnt want to see him like that.
Too many of the cast of Kessler lacked the spark and charisma of the Secret Army bunch.
Miccal Rak played by Nitza Shaul really didnt belong in the show.
Sure she is stunning to look at but why did this show need her.?
She looked the most unlikley Hitwoman i have ever seen!!!
I suspect she was chosen to attract the male audience.
As for Kessler's Daughter she didnt impress me at all.
Most of the cast didnt have the German accent down or even attempt it like Clifford did' and that made it less authentic somehow.
I heard they were trying to get MR HARDIMEN Back to play Reinhard's brother.
That would have added some spark.Shame it didnt happen.
Dont get me wrong im a huge fan of Both Secret Army and Colditz.
But Kessler was just poor writing' and poor casting and a parting shot that shouldnt have been fired..
Just my opinion for what its worth.
What does everyone else think ?

How strange.
After i wrote this mini review i decided to watch the extras on the dvd set and watched as CLIFFORD ROSE pretty much repeated everything i said with regards to what he would have liked.
BIZZARE is not the word.
Also it just confirmed what i knew..Mr Rose does not rate KESSLER.
THE MEAN OLD BBC WOULDNT pay for KESSLER TO BE MADE in POST WORLD WAR II GERMANY.
Shame..

See the accompanying Kessler booklet for answers to your question about Hazel, the issue of accents, Reinhardt's evil twin and other things - its why I wrote it!

Andy

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Andy
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Hi Andy
I always read the booklets i love the Secret Army ones but i always leave reading them until after i have completed watching because i dont want any spoilers.
I will find some time this week and have a good read.
Thanks for the info

I finished watching this on Friday and can only echo the comments above... it missed an opportunity, really. Nicely made, competently acted on the whole, but about issues rather than Kessler himself so not wildly interesting. I remember absolutely hating it in 1981 (missed part four in a sulk at its awfulness), and could easily have skipped bits this time around!

The first half of episode one was great (old friends were in town), Clifford Rose's old man routine was lovely, in fact the old men were electrifying compared with the wooden younger cast, and the closing scenes were what the whole thing should have been. The location filming and Nitza Saul's dunking were nice (like the old Doctor Who episodes when they went abroad), but it felt as though they salvaged a story from too much pretty footage. And the fantastic Alan Dobie looked vacant and lost.

The documentary got it right: I wanted to see the 1950s/1960s and the evil old men of Germany eat their way into the corporate world.

Just received my copy today, it looks very nice, great box and booklet.
Will be watching it soon and sharing my ideas.

I am watching the series now, 1 episode per night.
Although I do like it, its not as good as Secret Army.
The first episode with the reunion was fantastic, the terrible pain and love being acted out by Rene was great.
But I seriously dislike the israeli girl, she isnt as cool and real as the women we saw in the SA series.
Last night she fancied a terribly dodgy bloke with golden teeth...

I also feel the sets arent as realistic, but perhaps thats because they are such exotic locations.
I also fear that much of the story isnt believable.
I agree that a early postwar story would have been more interesting.
I would have loved a Secret Army series upside down, where the kameradenshaft works in the same way lifeline did, but now its the nazis on the run.

I agree that 'Kessler' is nowhere as good as Secret Army. However, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Despite its obvious shortcomings (occasionally wobbly sets, some dubious acting from the supporting players, an implausible plot and a feeble heroine) I still found myself gripped by it. I thought Clifford Rose's performance was excellent and I liked the Bauer character too; plus I found the subject matter fascinating and quite chilling in many ways.

I loved the reunion scenes with Albert, Monique and Natalie - although I was disappointed not to see an elderly Alain - and I also thought the Paraguay-set episodes were pretty good.

Despite his slightly OTT acting I loved the Paraguayan hotelier who was in league with the British secret service and I was both surprised and saddened when he was killed - very Secret Armyish to unexpectedly kill off a likeable character, though.

I thought it was fascinating to see Kessler as an old man, and to get an idea of how his character had developed over the years; however I do think it would have been great to see him in the immediate post-war years with Madeleine and when his daughter was a baby. Shame the BBC were too tight to cough up for the costumes and sets...

Talking of Kessler's daughter, I found her incredibly creepy and scary. She had all her father's bad traits and none of his (admittedly few) good ones. And she didn't seem to have much of Madeleine in her.

as we approach the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first UK transmission (November/December 1981) I dug my box set out for another viewing.

Parts One, Two and Three on Tuesday evening and I'm hoping to return on Sunday moring with Parts Four, Five and Six.

Haven't got anything more really to say about it, I think I've said enough for the time being elsewhere at TVGold, other than to say it's still a really quite taunt, exciting 'Secret Army' sequel that holds up pretty well after all these years!

I watched it last year for the first time and plan to watch it again soon. I did quite enjoy it but certainly wasn't anything like as good as Secret Army (and curiously felt MUCH more dated). The main attraction of course was to see more of Kessler - had it been a drama unconnected to Secret Army about a Nazi officer in 1980 I might not have stuck with it.

Will see if my views alter any on a second viewing.