Secret Army

1977

Seasons & Episodes

  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

8.5| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

World War II drama about covert organisation Lifeline helping allied airmen escape after being shot down in occupied Europe, working with the Resistance and hiding from the Gestapo.

Director

Producted By

BBC

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Angela Richards

Reviews

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring
VividSimon Simply Perfect
Lawbolisted Powerful
Console best movie i've ever seen.
kitsun-58782 To say that Secret Army is not your average WW2 show is an understatement . Everything from the locations to the characters remains original even by today's standards . It truly is an amazing story-driven show that one shouldn't watch if it is action that you are looking for .It takes on themes that aren't pictured very often in movies and show , like the escape lines in the first place , most of the time people will prefer to focus on active resistance fighters rather than more passive movements . It also has a much more realistic if not dark and gritty approach than most others War shows and hardly ever " glorifies " the actions of the protagonists . It is often hard to define who the protagonists really are in the show due to what the people of Lifeline often have to do to protect themselves or the pilots they are trying to send back to England . Added to the general antipathetic behaviour of some of the main characters the likable characters appear to be very few , whilst the despicable characters are many and on both sides .They also have a very interesting way of depicting the German side with a strong duality between the honourable and sympathetic Luftwaffe Officer for whom you might find yourself rooting for before you know it , and the ruthless , sadistic Officer of the SS which is so brilliantly portrayed that he might just be one of the most evil characters you've seen on TV .The great acting from the whole cast only contributes to further immerse you in the dreadful atmosphere of the life under the Occupation , and ties in pretty well with real historical events often depicted in the show . And needless to say that as someone who knows Brussels and its surroundings , it was even more appealing since all the streets and locations showed and mentioned throughout the 3 seasons are real and give you a nice idea of how Brussels looked 30 years ago . They even made an extra effort to have background chatters recorded in French and Dutch to add to the authenticity of the setting .
captarne I have been a fan of allo allo for years and I have heard about this show. It is very good, showing life under the occupation in Belgium. But don't expect it to be light fare, it is very dramatic. The series shows the cat and mouse game played by the resistance and the occupiers during the war, the stress level in each episode is palpable. One doesn't know you are friends and enemies. My parents lived through the war in Norway and Sweden, they never really talked about it, except when my mother was stuck on the railway and train loads of German troops pulled into the station.
s_duncan02 I first saw this programme as a child watching with my parents when it was broadcast in the late 1970s. I found it compelling then, though I did not understand some of the nuances. But having watched it again recently on UKTV Gold I have to say that it is one of the very best dramas of its era, and indeed of the subsequent period.It never took a simplistic view of the people involved, and developed the characters over time. None of the moral situations the characters find themselves in are presented in black and white terms. The very final episodes, when liberation is close and retribution is being sought against people considered to be "collaborators", are so dramatic, and I will not forgot the tone of the final episode set on the day the war in Europe ended.Marvellous.Sarah
fushion I too am "revisiting" this programme on UK Drama and it truly is a gem though you do realise where "Allo Allo" came from at times - I hope now that UK Drama have shown this twice that they show the follow up "Kessler" made in 1981 - i can vaguely recall it.