[Afamilyatwar-list] Episode 6

[Veit, Richard]

Episode No. 6, "The Breach in the Dyke"

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Again in “The Breach in the Dyke,” as in the episode that preceded it, the characters of Harry Porter and his wife, Celia, command much of our attention. One of the more engaging scenes in Alexander Baron’s fine script is when the couple hear the shocking radio report about the evacuation from France. Harry is dejected, seeing Dunkirk as a crushing defeat, but myopic Celia’s cursory thought is only that her John will be coming home. It is a revealing moment. I must reiterate how wonderful I think their performances are. So completely has Margery Mason assimilated her unsympathetic role that Celia Porter comes across as a real person. Patrick Troughton, too, is utterly believable as Harry Porter, with eyes so expressive that they alone—even without a line of dialogue—could serve to tell us what he is thinking. A remarkable pair, brilliantly cast.

The character of Jean Ashton (Shelagh Fraser) displays both her strengths and frailties here. She stands up to her brother in behalf of Edwin, boldly asserting that any company would provide the pension that Sefton so magnanimously proposes. And yet she searches for reasons to excuse David’s negligence in writing to Sheila, finally settling upon how busy he must be. This is a recurring theme that surfaces through much of the series and may well explain why David behaves so irresponsibly, knowing full well that his lapses of judgement will be exonerated at home. This episode presents the first subtle allusion to Jean’s depressive tendencies, a mental decline that ultimately will consume her. Freda notices that things are not quite right with her mother, but it is far too early yet to cause undue alarm.

The battle footage is very well staged by director Tim Jones, particularly in light of the fact that budgetary concerns would always cast a long shadow over production efforts. A poignant use of sound deserves special praise, at that instant in the farmhouse when the baby’s plaintive cries are cut short by a German artillery shell. Very sad, and it is clear to see that John Porter’s gentle character is quite unable to cope with the horrifying situation in which he finds himself. A short time later, there occurs a brief but visually stunning sequence that stands out in my mind as another powerful directorial choice. That is when a hand-held camera is used to follow John’s aimless trudging through the countryside, with the purposefully unsteady framing conveying to great effect his chaotic, nightmarish rush to who-knows-where.

I must say that the actors who play military officers and NCOs throughout the entire series are unfailingly convincing in their portrayals. I am also impressed by how convincingly the action scenes are staged—whether it be John in Belgium, Philip in Spain or North Africa, David over Germany, or even Robert in a lifeboat. No doubt the writers’ and/or directors’ first-hand knowledge contributed much to the authenticity, and I suspect that in many instances the military services were available for consultation as well. The devastating effects of a hand grenade is just one example. John Porter is not very accurate with his grenade toss in “A Breach in the Dyke,” and yet its detonation is close enough to put the German machine gunner out of commission. Much later in the series, those claustrophobic scenes on the bomber (“One of Ours”) are, I think worthy of the finest motion pictures in terms of placing the viewer within the action.
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