Inattention to detail

Originally broadcast in Australia in 1984 , the joint ABC-BBC production of Bodyline has finally been released on DVD. At the time, the programme caused a stir, with most anger coming from the British end at the portrayals of some of the characters.

Twenty years on, and it is fairly easy to see why. Bodyline had always stirred the nationalistic pot, and there is a distinct pro-Australian slant to this seven-part series, with many of the England side coming across as pompous snobs (perhaps that's not too far-fetched in some instances). Douglas Jardine, played by the impressive Hugo Weaving, is made to utter some unbelievable lines ("Harold, you've really bowled a lot of balls") and comes across as having no redeeming features at all, while all the Aussies are apparently down-to-earth good blokes. In fairness, had this been a British production then undoubtedly the script would have been equally stereotypical. "Never has the stuffed shirt and the stiff upper lip been presented in such a melodramatic and therefore unconvincing way," noted the Times when the programme was first aired in the UK in 1985.

The other main problem comes if you know about Bodyline, or even about cricket. The story is a remarkable one that more than stands up on its own, but the whole thing has the rug pulled from under it by the semi-farcical action sequences, the failing of almost every film or TV show ever made about the game. There is the usual idiocy of bowlers appealing when the batsman's stumps are splattered (the same in football where crowds are always hushed when a penalty is being taken ... not at any ground I have been at!). Some of the outfields are covered with autumnal leaves; Bill Voce appears to be old enough to collect his pension, and a spinner to boot, and creases are incorrectly marked. Small gripes, for sure. But in an expensive production, attention to detail would not have been too much to ask. Perhaps the producers might have been better advised to use archive footage interposed with modern shots.

The drama itself is sound, although there are some dreadful clichés and a few too many benefit-of-hindsight observations. It should also be said that the script often appears to have been knocked out by someone whose day job is writing for soaps.

But, despite these reservations, this is a mini-series worth ploughing through, although you might need as many cocktails as some of the characters seem to down to make it to the end. Forget the inaccuracies, suspend your natural urge to guffaw at the cricket sequences, and this is a fairly entertaining re-enactment of the series that caused a diplomatic crisis.

And take much of what you see with a pinch of salt. As Bob Wyatt, a survivor of the 1932-33 series, replied when asked what he thought: "It's absolute rubbish from beginning to end."

This DVD is released for the Australian market, and while available elsewhere, only those with a multi-region player will be able to watch.

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