Episode 4

Great Story Whose Execution Misses Both Suspense And Heart: An Uncharacteristic Misfire From The Reliable BBC
I am a huge supporter of BBC entertainment, not to mention a fan of David Tennant from way back. For me, "Spies of Warsaw" was one of the can't miss propositions of the season. There is an absolutely tremendous story of World War II intrigue and heroism at the center of this production, it seems impossible that this television miniseries didn't work on almost any level. The narrative is choppy, the characters are underdeveloped, and Tennant seems devoid of emotion throughout. Moments of "Spies of Warsaw" should have been both heartbreaking and harrowing, but (no matter what happened) I remained strangely apathetic throughout. In every instance, just as it seemed like something was about to happen, the film cuts away to another location. While the first part isn't terrible, more uninvolving than anything, it looked like we were on track for the second part to ratchet up the human drama and suspense. Any hope I had, however, for an upswing came to a crashing halt as the cliffhanger is...

An Evocative Drama
I am a huge fan of Alan Furst, so I was really happy to see a screen adaptation of one my favorite authors. It turns out this is actually a mixture of "Spies of Warsaw" with bits of "The Polish Officer" thrown in, but they did blend the two in a way that fit very well. The cast is excellent, the settings are authentic, and the overall feel of the series is a fairly worthy rendition of the books.

I did have a few minor problems with the series, however. The screenplay adds in a lot of things that aren't in either book, and they tend to hinder the story rather than help it, in my opinion. This is especially noticeable in the relationship between Jean-Francois and Anna, but there are a lot of other scenes with added content that is jarring for someone who read the books first. still, this is pretty minor, and none of the extra scenes are really deal-breakers.

"Spies of Warsaw" is a top-notch drama. It's evocative and intriguing and you can enjoy it as a love story,...

Disappointed
I was surprised to be, disappointed.....as a rule ALL BBC productions are 5 star: excellent.
I might watch this again to see if I change my mind, I did read the book and that was terrific.

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