There has been many points of view expressed already about Charlie Brooker's The National Anthem (Sunday CH4 9PM). One of three dramas in his Black Mirror series. People seem to have, perhaps inevitabley, loved or hated it. Inevitably since a drama about the Prime Minister having to have intimate relations with a farmyard animal in order to save a popular Princess from execution was always going to divide opinion.
I was one of those who hated it. I found the premise wholly unbelievable. And at least part of it was meant to be believable. Part of it's message was about what could happen regarding such an event in the light of Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and all the other paraphanalia of the internet age. You were meant to say at the end.' You know that could actually happen'. Yes, the animal relations was an exaggeration but it was an exaggeration made in order to prove an overall point. But I found it too exaggerated. I was always too conscious of the self-conscious plot and the aims behind the plot to fully enjoy it.
As said, the whole prepostorous story about the PM having to commit such an act because of the power of the internet was to illustrate a point about the power of the internet nowadays. Yes, well OK. The internet and the collective opinions expressed on it can be powerful. I get that. So what? Tell me something new.
On the plus side, most of the acting was excellent, particularly from Rory Kinnear as the troubled PM caught between an execution and a soft place. But apart from the end, there was no real plot twists or depth to the piece. It's simple point of the the way new technology can influence news events became boring. In fact, it was a relief for the PM to finally come to his fate. As I'm sure it was for the PM.
One point made in this drama's defence was, regardless if it was good or bad, it was good to see such a different drama on TV. In an age where every drama is cop, lawyer, hospital based etc, that it was good to see airtime given to an 'original' drama with such a different storyline.
Yet it's not really good. If you think about it. It's rather depressing in fact. Because the fact is if Charlie Brooker wasn't behind it, the probability is the drama wouldn't have been made in the first place. Charlie Brooker is a popular guy right now. Always with a distinctive, charismatic, realistic and humorous voice which is enjoyable to hear.
But he himself has benefited from this internet age. He is a darling of the Twitter community. His 'street cred' is fairly well-established. And as said, the internet has helped his own popularity and in turn his fame. That's what depressing in some ways. I don't believe if he wasn't famous this drama would have ended up in production. It seems even TV dramas now, albeit original ones, only get produced if someone famous is behind them. Would this contentious drama involving the PM, a farmyard animal and execution of a princess really have been made without the TV companies knowing Charlie Brooker was behind the script? Brooker helped produce it of course but that doesn't alter the main point. More and more in everyday culture, if you're famous for one thing it seems to mean you're seen as talented at anything. Fame itself is seen as an all-round talent.
So this drama wasn't something to be celebrated even for being original. Charlie Brooker is of course a very talented guy. But if the TV companies took more chances on writers who have not yet known fame, then the chances of a truly great and original TV drama appearing on our screens would be much greater. But anyway, I'm digressing. Back to my original point. Black Mirror : The National Anthem. I didn't like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment