- Manhunt (1969 TV series)
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Manhunt Genre Drama Created by Rex Firkin Starring Alfred Lynch
Peter Barkworth
Cyd HaymanTheme music composer Ludwig van Beethoven Opening theme Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven) Ending theme Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven) Country of origin United Kingdom Language(s) English No. of series 2 No. of episodes 26 Production Executive producer(s) Rex Firkin Producer(s) Andrew Brown Running time 26 x 50 minute episodes Production company(s) London Weekend Television Broadcast Original channel ITV Audio format Mono Original run 2 January 1970 – 26 June 1970 Manhunt was a World War II drama series consisting of 26 episodes, produced by London Weekend Television in 1969 and broadcast nationwide[1].
Contents
Synopsis
British pilot Jimmy Porter (Alfred Lynch) crashes his aeroplane in occupied France and immediately finds himself on the run from the Nazis. He meets a young girl, Nina (Cyd Hayman), a part-Jewish agent with important information, and vows to get her back to Britain. He is helped by another agent, code-named Vincent, (Peter Barkworth) and pursued across France by S.S. Officer Lutzig (Philip Madoc), and the ambivalent Abwehr Sgt. Gratz (Robert Hardy), a complex psychological character who is implied to fall in love with Nina. Unlike most previous war dramas, the Nazis were presented as more than just fanatical thugs. While Lutzig was close to the stereotype, although given great depth by Philip Madoc, Gratz could not have been more different.
In the end, both Nina and Porter return to Britain, at the cost of several lives. Having been forced together while fleeing, they find they have nothing in common back home and cease their budding relationship. According to Gratz, he had managed to get most of the information he required from Nina as "pillow talk". One is left feeling that the whole effort, and by implication the war itself, was a futile exercise.
Cast
Character Actor Jimmy Porter Alfred Lynch Vincent Peter Barkworth Nina Cyd Hayman Adelaide Maggie Fitzgibbon Abwehr Sgt Gratz Robert Hardy Lutzig Philip Madoc Notes
- The name Jimmy Porter is a clear reference to the main character in the play Look Back in Anger. Coincidentally Alfred Lynch acted in the film version of the play.
- The Allied agents identify themselves to each other throughout the story with the challenge "What is war ?" to which the answer is "War is love". This may be an intentional reference to Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell (Party slogan "War is Peace" and war prosecuted by a "Ministry of Love") as well as an ironic comment on the dramatic subplots. If the Orwell reference is real, there is a slight anachronism, as the book was written in 1948, after the war was over.
- The musical theme was taken from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which features the famous rhythm used to introduce radio broadcasts to Nazi occupied territories, and also signifies the letter "V", for Victory, in Morse Code.
- With the exception of the episode "One More River" which was shot on film, the programme was shot on colour videotape.
- The episode "Intent To Steal" is most uncharacteristic of the series and features very little dialogue.
References
- ^ Brockman, David (2002-11-01). "Watching London". Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/insidetv/history/london.php. Retrieved 2007-10-09. "Early programmes from LWT included a 26-part drama series set among the French resistance in World War II called “Manhunt”"
- Evans, Jeff (2001). The Penguin TV Companion. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books. ISBN 0 140 51467 8.
External links
- Manhunt at the Internet Movie Database
Categories:- ITV television programmes
- World War II television drama series
- 1969 in British television
- 1970 British television programme debuts
- 1970s British television series
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