The Crimson Field is a British mini-series which premiered on British television (BBC) in 2014.
It is available on DVD.
The series follows the lives of the staff and patients at a fictional field hospital established by the British army in France during World War One.
Hospital 25A is located near the front, near the sea, and not far from a town.
What happens in The Crimson Field is fiction, but the story is placed in a historical context – World War One, 1914-1918 – and the people behind the series have done a lot of work to make us believe that we are watching something that took place one hundred years ago (1915).
Historical accuracy is an important part of the project, and the producers have been quite successful in this respect.
Created and written by Sarah Phelps, The Crimson Field is a historical drama in six episodes with an interesting perspective: the focus is on the female characters, the role that women played during the war.
In most accounts about this war (and any war, for that matter) the focus is on the politicians, the generals, and the soldiers, who are all men.
In this drama, the focus is on the women who nursed the soldiers who were wounded in the war. This perspective is reflected in the cast of characters and in the way the story is told.
It takes a while to find out who is who and how they relate to each other. This is why I will offer some information about the cast and a brief summary of the six episodes (no spoilers).
The characters
Eleven characters appear in all six episodes. Six women and five men. Three women are known as VADs. They are members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment:
** Katherine “Kitty” Trevelyan, played by Oona Chaplin
** Rosalie Berwich [pronounced “Berik”], played by Marianne Oldham
** Flora Marshall, played by Alice St. Clair
Kitty is independent and opinionated. Rosalie wants to follow the rules without asking any questions, while Flora seems to be a bit naïve.
Three women are professional nurses:
** Sister Margaret Quayle, played by Kerry Fox
** Sister Joan Livesey, played by Suranne Jones
** Matron Grace Carter, played by Hermione Norris
Margaret is upset, because she was not promoted to be the matron of the hospital. Joan is a civilian nurse from Liverpool, while Grace has just been promoted to be the matron of the hospital, even though she is younger and less experienced than Margaret.
The five male characters:
** Lieutenant-Colonel Roland Brett, commander of the hospital, played by Kevin Doyle
** Captain Thomas Gillan, a military surgeon, played by Richard Rankin
** Captain Miles Hesketh-Thorne, a military surgeon, played by Alex Wyndham
** Corporal Peter Foley, orderly, played by Jack Gordon
** Sergeant Reggie Soper, quartermaster, played by Jeremy Swift
The episodes
The following summary of the six episodes is borrowed from the BBC website (no spoilers). Each episode runs for almost one hour. The total running time of all six episodes is almost six hours.
Episode 1. Three girls face a baptism of fire as they arrive at a British field hospital in warn-torn France.
Episode 2. A large convoy of wounded men brings challenges for the hospital staff.
Episode 3. The hospital anticipates a patient’s court martial, while Thomas Gillan and Joan Livesey face tough cases.
Episode 4. Katherine “Kitty” Trevelyan is shocked by a visitor from her past, and a group of patients pose a moral dilemma.
Episode 5. A hostile patient forms a connection with Matron Grace Carter, and Sister Joan Livesey awaits a letter from her fiancé.
Episode 6. The hospital is thrown into disarray as Sister Joan Livesey faces a charge of aiding the enemy.
The BBC website has a special page where you can find more information about the series. There is a link to the British Red Cross Blog with six items about the The Crimson Field.
You are invited to watch several video clips where each actor or actress presents his or her character in the drama. Unfortunately, these video clips have been removed. They are no longer available. This is a shame.
All characters have a past. Sometimes the past includes a secret which the character would like to hide. I will not tell you about it. You must watch all six episodes in order to find out what each character is hiding and why he or she tries to keep it a secret.
Conflicts
In theory, the staff and the wounded soldiers are on the same side, like one big and happy family, but underneath the surface there are several conflicts and some of them explode into the open:
** There is a conflict between soldiers from England and soldiers from Ireland. Many Irish soldiers do not want to fight and die for king and country. Example: episode 3.
** There is a conflict between surgeons of the old school and surgeons who wish to try new and modern methods to help and save more patients. Example: episode 3.
** There is a conflict between people who want to do everything by the book, even when this seems to be unfair, and people who are prepared to ignore strict regulations, when this seems to be the right thing to do. This conflict pops up several times, for instance in episode 1.
** There is a conflict between nurses and VADs. The nurses have had a long period of training, while the volunteers have only had a short period of training. Some nurses look down on the volunteers, because they are not real nurses. This conflict pops up several times, for instance in episode 2.
Conclusion
As stated above, it takes a while to find out who is who and how they relate to each other. Not everything is revealed in the first episode.
But when you go from one episode to the next, more details will be revealed, and you will get to know most of these characters quite well (in particular, the female characters).
Step by step, the story becomes more captivating. When you get to the end of episode 6, you will want to watch season 2, and you will be sad to learn that the BBC decided to axe this drama after only one season.
The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well. The camera work is highly professional.
Occasionally, there are some great views of the landscape surrounding the hospital.
The music plays an important role in the production, supporting the story and setting the mood.
This is why The Crimson field is highly recommended. It is a shame the BBC could not allow this drama to continue for at least one more season.
PS # 1. If you like The Crimson Field, I am sure you will also like the Australian television drama Anzac Girls, which has a similar perspective, and which also takes place during World War One.
Here is a link:
PS # 2. The Australian television drama is inspired by The Other Anzacs by Peter Rees (first published in 2008).
A second edition of his book appeared in 2014 with a new title: Anzac Girls.
*****
The Crimson Field
Saving lives on the front lines of WW1
A mini-series in six episodes
(2014)
*****
On this blog
My review of the book
ANZAC Girls
by Peter Rees
(2014)
*****
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