[Afamilyatwar-list] Episode 50

[Veit, Richard]

Episode No. 50, "Two Fathers"

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Only one of the principal characters from “A Family at War” appears in “Two Fathers,” a statistical distinction that this episode shares with four others in the series. Three of them in that category (“For Strategic Reasons,” “A Lesson in War,” and “Hazard”) revolve around Philip Ashton, another (“Breaking Point”) follows David Ashton, and this one centres upon Edwin Ashton. What makes the setting of “Two Fathers” so different from those others is that it takes place not during the war at all but several weeks after the war has ended.

It is November of 1945, and Edwin has received a cryptic message from an Army sergeant in Germany, suggesting that Philip’s death was of a questionable nature. Edwin decides to investigate the circumstances surrounding the inexplicable passing of his most gifted son, who Edwin says “was going to do everything I never did.”

Like a good murder mystery, “Two Fathers” unfolds at a leisurely pace, revealing one bit of evidence at a time and leading up to a surprise conclusion that is all the more tragic for where the culpability is determined by authorities to lie.

Heading a uniformly brilliant cast, Colin Douglas shines as the Ashton patriarch, who must bear the sorrow of losing another son to the effects of war. Philip’s death, unlike Robert’s four years earlier, is particularly ironic in that he is cut down while engaged in a humanitarian effort, trying to assist the German people. Another cast member who should be singled out for special praise here is Keith Barron, in the pivotal role of Major Harkness. Though quite forceful when he needs to be (as in his dealings with the persistent Hellmut Regler), this judicious officer has a compassionate side that serves Edwin well in his poignant search for the truth. And then, of course, there is the remarkable Kenneth Colley, whose uncannily natural acting style convinces viewers that Sergeant Jago is an actual person who stands before us, magically removing from detection any pretext of his art. (See him in the underappreciated 1988 film A Summer Story for a subtle characterisation that will remain etched in your memory.)

Some random comments about “Two Fathers”…

The stark visuals of a war-torn German city are captured with unblinking grimness by director Bob Hird’s cameras. Where in the world, in the early 1970s, did such a desolate setting exist? Was this perhaps some massive urban-renewal project that happened to coincide with the production schedule of “A Family at War”?

Music, not so very important in the series as a whole, nonetheless plays a significant role in this episode, firmly establishing the time frame of “Two Fathers.” In the beer hall sequences, we hear “September Song” (huskily sung by local chanteuse Erika), “We’ll Meet Again,” “Bless ’Em All,” and “Roll Out the Barrel” to very good effect.

Incidentally, from 1968 to 1977, a span which included the period of shooting for this episode, Catherine Schell (Erika) was married to actor William Marlowe (who played Sergeant Oldcastle).

That dramatic final shot under the credits, when the camera pans right to show the unimaginable destruction, is a powerful one, a disturbing image that continues to bring the war home to modern audiences.

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