Birdsong: Love and loss

When such an unswervingly popular novel as Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong is adapted for the small screen, you can be sure it will create debate between viewers. Was it absolutely true to the book? Did it capture the heart-wrenching essence of Faulks’ portrayal of love and loss? Well, no it wasn’t and yes it did.

The first instalment of this ambitious two-part offering begins by leading us to our protagonist, Stephen Wraysford (Eddie Redmayne), through a crowd of weary soldiers on the battlefields of Northern France, 1916. In this moment, Redmayne (cast either for his bone-structure or his acting prowess, I haven’t decided yet) gives us a preview of what his portrayal of Stephen is all about: moody facial expressions. But that isn’t a criticism, far from it! It is a mark of Redmayne’s skill as an actor that, in a part with remarkably little dialogue, he is nevertheless able to convey the astounding depth of emotion and growth that Stephen’s character requires.

We are then transported back to Amiens, 1910. Here we see a fresh-faced Stephen in an altogether greener world. The contrast is sharp and truly affecting between this sunlit, lush landscape and the grey barren desert of the war.

And then there’s Isabelle. Played by Clémence Poésy, Isabelle is the married woman Stephen falls in love with and subsequently pines for throughout his time in the war. Abi Morgan, the brave lady tasked with adapting the book into a screenplay, created a script which continually cuts from following Stephen’s struggle in the trenches to watching his love story with Isabelle blossom and (sorry to ruin it) eventually fall apart. Although they can sometimes ruin the tension of the war scenes, these flashbacks are a clever way of exploring Stephen’s character and the inevitable, terrible change that war inflicts upon everyone.

The acting throughout Philip Martin’s production is fantastic, especially in the war-time scenes. A special mention goes to Joseph Mawles, who portrays “sewer rat” Jack Firebrace. When Firebrace receives some devastating news from home, I defy even the hardest nut not to reach for the tissues. As for a scene involving Firebrace holding his supervisor’s hand as he drowns in an underground tunnel… let’s just leave that one.

This is England star Thomas Turgoose also shows his versatility by putting in a very short, yet incredibly moving, performance as a young soldier. It is only a shame that few of the characters seem to be properly developed. I found myself filling in the blanks with information I already had from having read the book, which seems unfair.

In fact, there were huge aspects of the story that appear to have been lost in translation between novel and script. For example, an entire third of the book revolving around Stephen’s granddaughter in the 70s… gone. Personally though I think the most important element that was overlooked was the role of the sewer rats (tunnellers). Faulks’ focus on their underground battle encapsulates the sad pointlessness of war, and the death that it brings. By sidelining the portrayal of the tunnellers’ war, the BBC missed a crucial stitch in the fabric of Faulks’ story.

Despite this, Birdsong still hit the spot for emotional moments. Even if some were a little cliché, or sounded like they’d been adapted from the script of Moulin Rouge (“There is nothing more, Sir, than to love and to be loved”), so what? They still did the trick, and you are left wishing you could reach out and give poor Stephen a hug. Although, that could just be Eddie Redmayne. I leave you with a word of advice… do not get up to make a cup of tea whilst you are watching Birdsong. You will miss something. Do not think that you can get around this by turning the volume up so you can still hear it in the kitchen. All you will hear is five minutes of prolonged piano tinkling, and when you return at least three people will have died. You have been warned.
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IN THE BOAR NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED ON WEDNESDAY 8TH FEBRUARY CORA WAS MISTAKENLY NAMED CHLOE, WE ARE VERY SORRY FOR THIS MISTAKE_