The Big Battalions
The Big Battalions was one of the most compelling things I’ve ever seen on television. It was screened in Australia and I remember taping the whole thing and re-watching it a few times. Over the years I’ve been amazed at how few people had seen the series and wondered why it hasn’t been re-screened, or […]
The Big Battalions was one of the most compelling things I’ve ever seen on television. It was screened in Australia and I remember taping the whole thing and re-watching it a few times. Over the years I’ve been amazed at how few people had seen the series and wondered why it hasn’t been re-screened, or released on DVD.
Carnival Films were the producers and here is the synopsis of the show, from their website.
“An epic saga of faith and fanaticism that moves between the heart of England, the Holy Land and the ancient hinterlands of Ethiopia. It weaves together the stories of three families – Christian, Muslim and Jewish. Some are just searching for something to believe in, while others are prepared to shed blood in the name of God.
EDWARD HOYLAND (Brian Cox), the Archdeacon of Birmingham wants power and loves publicity. When his ambitions are thwarted his life is irrevocably changed and he comes face to face with his faith. His wife, MARTHA (Jane Lapotaire), embittered by his self-interest, is forced to confront the conflict of her marriage and faith when she becomes the victim of a kidnapping.”
I’ve written to both Channel 4 and Carnival in the past and whilst they’ve been very polite, there doesn’t seem to be a prospect of the programme being released on DVD anytime soon. The story, which shifts from the suburbs churches of the UK, to the timeworn plains of Gondar and the religious conflicts of the Middle East seems so timely and relevant that I’m sure it would find an audience today. Moreover, what I remember of the story would be fascinating to everyone interested in how questions of faith and spirituality can be explored through films and television.
