1899

 

Seeing as I follow Anthony Peake on social media you can imagine I sometimes get some good viewing recommendations. 1899 is so called because that is the year the series is set. Most of the action takes place aboard a ship, a transatlantic liner that is based on the design of the Titanic, except that it is darker. All the colours on the ship are dark brown or black; the hull, the funnels, the internal panelling. The vessel is rusty and dirty, even though it is supposedly quite new. The weather is almost continuously wet and/or foggy. The passengers and crew are all people who have suffered some form of loss or grief, and it soon becomes clear it is not mere chance that has thrown them together. They experience dreams and flashbacks so vivid that they, and the viewer, find it hard to tell reality from fantasy. A dread is hanging over the ship because four months earlier another ship of the line, Prometheus, suddenly vanished without trace. She is presumed sunk, but doubt about her fate has never gone away. There is a huge amount of intrigue and mystery in this eight-part series and I don't want to say much more because the plot twists in unexpected ways; however, I understand why Anthony likes it. It reminds me very much of other psychological horrors and mysteries like Frank Darrabont's The Mist and The Matrix series. 1899 explores the areas of mind control and conspiracies connected to the mental health system. This production is German, but the dialogue is multilingual. Along with its native language, you'll hear the characters speaking French, English, Spanish, Chinese and Danish. It is important to select the subtitles option or audio dubbing if you prefer. The score includes somewhat anachronistic tracks such as 1960's pop singles. It's definitely worth watching. See here for the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7OUQ9U2qIw.
See here for background: https://hpanwo-radio.blogspot.com/2016/12/programme-215-podcast-anthony-peake.html.