A good reviewer is not supposed to give the game away early, but I can’t help but gush: If you haven’t seen Any Human Heart when it aired on PBS, you will have an opportunity to watch the episodes online the Monday after its initial showing, from Feb 14 to March 22, and two more weeks to catch the last two episodes on screen (February 20 & February 27).
Some critics have dismissed this mini-series as another Forrest Gump story, wherein the fictional hero moves through the 20th century and rubs shoulders with famous people. I can assure you that this is the only trait that these two movies have in common, for one is filmed from the perspective of magic realism and the other is a gritty view of a man’s life and his failures and successes. I began to watch the first episode of Any Human Heart when I had the time to view the DVD from start to end. I was glad that I had five free hours, for I could not stop watching it. The opening credits had a similar feel to the opening of Mad Men, which clued me in that this mini-series would not offer a one-note plot (I have not read William Boyd’s book, but intend to), and that cigarettes would be used as a prop. I was right.
We meet Logan Mountstuart almost immediately in all of his personifications (in misty watercolor memories) – from childhood,
Conor Nealon as Logan Mountstuart, youth
to young man,
Sam Claflin as Logan Mounstuart, young man
to mature man,
Matthew MacFadyen as Logan, mature man
to an old man reminiscing about his life.
Jim Broadbent as an old Logan
“I’m all these different people,” he thinks as the camera pans to a misty scene of a river bank. “Which life is truly mine?”
The three Logans on the river bank
Logan rummages through the detritus of his life, burning memories (much as Cassandra Austen burned her sister Jane’s letters) and looking over his journals. “Your past never leaves you,” he says early on.
Burning memories
There are many reasons to watch Any Human Heart, not the least of which are the performances.
Matthew MacFadyen
Logan is a flawed, egotistical man whose ambition to write his great novel eludes him. Too often he is ruled by his heart, not his head, and he is easily influenced by external events and his own and other peoples’ desires. Matthew captures this man perfectly. We see him happy and content only with Freya.
Freya (Haley Atwell) and Logan
For the rest of his life he compromises, and it becomes a struggle. Not that his love story with Freya is without fault, for Logan leaves his wife and son to be with her. I am a child of divorce whose father never bothered to come and visit, and so I thought myself incapable of feeling much empathy for a man who abandons his son and sleeps with his friend’s girlfriend and wife, but Matthew MacFadyen’s performance had me riveted.
End of Logan's first marriage with wife #1, Lottie (Emerald Fennell)
Logan’s character is complex, and Matthew portrays all his shades in such a way that, although I found Logan’s actions often repellent, I also felt sorry for the choices he made and how the plans of his youth unraveled. “Life has to be encountered with an ignorance of sheer faith.” Ah, Logan.
Jim Broadbent
During the first two episodes, Broadbent’s role as Logan in old age is largely silent, but in this actor’s skilled hands, the viewer knows exactly what is happening and why.
Mature Logan (Jim Broadbent) in France
When Broadbent finally takes center stage in the third episode, the final chapter of Logan’s life is told. Now old and bent and poor again (for his assignments as a reporter have dried up), he has taken to eating dog food to stay alive and selling newspapers for a radical group.
Logan selling radical newspapers
The older Logan reviews his life through the lens of knowledge and experience, and what he sees and remembers makes him wince. “We never stay the same person. We change as we grow older. It’s part of the story of our life.”
Gillian Anderson
With The King’s Speech up for a gazillion awards, this is a propitious time to portray Wallis Simpson, and Gillian has taken on the part with gusto.
Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
Gillian Anderson as Wallis Simpson
Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard
At any moment I expected her to morph into Gloria Swanson and say “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup” or perhaps Morticia, I can’t decide. Not a single person in my social group admires Wallis Simpson, for her reputation as a sexual predator and icy fashionista, and knowledge of her dominatrix control over David have preceded her. Neither the Duchess nor Duke of Windsor come off well in this production.
Wallis spies Logan at a gathering and spews venom
The viewer can think of their story line as Chapter 2, after David abdicated as king in The King’s Speech. As for Gillian, she is carving out quite a career for herself in these spectacular BBC and PBS dramas, and I can’t wait to see more from her. Her performance in this series is over-the-top dramatic, but then wasn’t Wallis herself?
Kim Cattrall
The same goes for Kim, who has recently been flexing her acting muscles onstage in London and in substantial parts such as My Boy Jack and as Gloria Scabalius in this production. She (and Gillian for that matter) show no vanity, allowing themselves to be filmed with makeup that is too white and heavy, as middle aged women who were once beautiful are often wont to do, and play the parts of cougars.
Kim Cattrall as Gloria Scabius, predatory female
In Kim’s case this is literal, as her character, Gloria, has the habit of leaving her mark on her men. She cheats on her husband (Peter Scabius, Logan’s friend), and goes after Logan like a heat-seeking missile.
Kim as Gloria in full cougar regalia
Her final scenes with Logan are full of pathos. (I could not help but think of an ailing Liz Taylor or Zsa Zsa Gabor.) Perhaps Kim will shrug off the bad after effects of that excruciatingly awful film, Sex in the City 2, and accept only meatier roles from now on.
Tom Hollander
Gillian Anderson as Wallis and Tom Hollander as the Duke of Windsor, who needs reminding that he has met Logan before.
You just have to love an actor who is willing to play a weak, self-indulgent, and dangerous man, and capture that personality to a tee. Tom Hollander’s performance as The Duke of Windsor personifies what I think of the former king. As a teenager I read several biographies about the Windsors, thinking like so many others that the king’s willingness to abdicate his throne for the woman he loved was romantic. Well, it was not.
The odd, self-important couple in Nassau.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor toadying up to Adolph Hitler
In this series we see the Windsors for what they are: willing to ruin other peoples’ lives and to use others in order to maintain their self-important but insignificant status. They were stupid and dangerous snobs who hobnobbed with carpet baggers, the nouveau riche and dangerous factions. Tom Hollander portrays the duke as a mighty mite, and he does it perfectly.
Haley Atwell
Haley Atwell as Freya Deverell, Logan's wife #2
One can believe that a man can lose his head, senses, and heart to a woman as beautiful as Freya (Haley). She’s smart, totally in love with her man, and too good to be true. Plus, she smokes as much as Logan. (Some of the scenes were so Bette-Davis-1930’s, where the man offers to light the woman’s cigarette, and so much can be said cinematically through the gestures of a cupped hand touching the other and looks of longing behind curtains of smoke.)
Logan meets Freya, a smoking hot newspaper woman
I don’t think I have ever seen an actress look lovelier in 1940’s dresses than Haley, and in this role she is the personification of Logan’s idea of a perfect woman. As he said, “Time away from Freya is time lost forever.”
Charity Wakefield as Land Fothergill (Logan's first love) and Sam Claflin as young Logan
The cast of Any Human Heart is so strong that I could continue gushing for another hour. I suppose this mini-series might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I certainly will be watching it again. Simply put, I found it outstanding.
Tess (Holliday Grainger), Logan's first lover
Emerald Fennell as Lottie, Logan's first wife
Natasha Little as Allanah Mountstuart, Logan's 3rd wife
Logan, Gloria, and Lionel, Logan's son (Hugh Skinner)
Tobias Menzies as Ian Fleming
Julian Ovenden as Ernest Hemingway
Samuel West as Peter Scabius, Logan's successful friend
More on the topic:
Jane Austen's World 
Brilliant review, thank you for the great deal of work you obviously put into it! I caught a little bit of it this evening and look forward to seeing the rest.
Masterpiece Theater is back to actual writing, rather than made-for-Brit-TV writing hack jobs. Good.
I wish they’d do some Robertson Davies.
Just what I was thinking as I read this review. The Deptford Trilogy on Masterpiece Theatre would make me think the world a more cultured place. I think I must start a campaign for that now.
As for Any Human Heart, I had dismissed it as something rather depressing, but luckily I did DVR it, and now I’ll have to give it a go. Matthew MacFadyen, Jim Broadbent, Gillian Anderson AND Kim Cattrall. Guess it’s worth a look.
Boyd’s an underappreciated writer. I was pleasantly surprised that they did this.
Now if they’d do Anthony Burgess’ ENDERBY, that would be a hoot.
BTW, Brenda Gleeson is in the midst of making a movie of Flann O’Brien’s AT-SWIM TWO BIRDS. I look forward to this.
Vic, wonderful review but I think your review is actually better than the series. Masterpiece knows they have a ready made audience who love costume dramas of any sort. Here they made little attempt – at least in the first episode – which aired here last night, to get beyond the cliche ridden, celebrity studded story. I enjoyed watching Sam Claflin who had the role of a youthful cad, but who still made it appealing and most important he was believable. When the switch was made to Matthew MacFadyen, I found he lacked gravitas, and while all the other actors and actresses were fine, I couldn’t stay interested. Will try again next week.
Your insight into the Windsors is perfect. I saw the Duchess of Windsor a long time ago coming out of a Park Avenue building in New York, where she no doubt was a “house guest.” Even as an elderly lady, but with no wrinkles, the face was still whitened, the lips bright red and the hair too dark to flatter her face – all strangely in a time warp. My friend was working at Serendipity – they carried clothing at the time. He waited on the Duchess who wanted a tie for the Duke. My friend had to assure her that the tie he sold her would make a double knot – the Duke’s trademark. He told me she was charming.
I almost forgot – I saw the Duchess of Windsor a second time. She was buying Erno Lazlo products in the now defunct Bonwit Teller. Could they have been the source of the white powder?
I love the personal memories you relate. My thinking is this — that history will smooth out the rough edges and that we will have a more rounded view of this couple as more historians write about them. Meanwhile, I can only go by the impression I have of them from the books and articles I’ve read.
It’s a pity that this production insisted upon portraying the Duchess of Windsor in such a one-note manner. Mind you, I was never a fan of the woman, but I don’t admire such one-dimensional characterization.
[“Her performance in this series is over-the-top dramatic, but then wasn’t Wallis herself?”]
I forgot to add that Wallis wasn’t really an over-the-top or dramatic personality. Actually, she had a reputation for being a cool and subtle personality.
I respect your opinion. Obviously, I have never met her. I base my opinions on several books I have read in recent years and an opinion piece in Vanity Fair in the 1990s. I started out as a fan of the Windsors, and as I matured I thought – “What lives wasted.”
Well I watched about an hour of it last night and found the characters insipid and the plot banal. I haven’t decided yet if I will continue to watch it, but probably not.
I, also, was very disappointed. Shallow depictions of characters, no motivations beyond randiness, and I don’t understand why McFadyen keeps being cast in things. He does sad, and he does wooden. A small pallet.
I am seeing many conflicting opinions about Any Human Heart, which is fine with me. I must reiterate that I was pleasantly surprised by this series and that I am a MacFadyen fan.
I am listing reviews, both pro and con, which reflect the comments on this post.
Pro:
Ology: http://www.ology.com/screen/any-human-heart-part-1-review#comment-14947
On the Box: http://channelhopping.onthebox.com/2010/12/05/any-human-heart-review-from-riches-to-rags/
Middling:
SFGAte: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/11/DDMC1HGN4T.DTL
Variety: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117944566
Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704132204576136164106300794.html
Neither here nor there:
Bookyurt: http://bookyurt.com/book-watching/any-human-heart-this-sunday-on-masterpiece/
No real negative reviews…yet. Please let me know if you’ve read some (aside from your comments).
I watched part one online last night, and I have to agree with a couple other commenters who were not impressed.
I agree with Catherine on my feelings for the episode and MacFadyen (no offense!) and I agree with Patty that your review was MUCH better than the episode! That is, more entertaining and informative.
[…] here to read the rest: Watch Any Human Heart Online: PBS Masterpiece Classic « Jane … Posted in Online Predators Tags: a-one-note-plot, a-similar-feel, control-over, icy-fashionista, […]
I was trying really hard to like this movie as I’m a fan of both Matthew MacFadyen and period pieces. But I found myself about 45″ into it and just willing myself to complete it. I thought that I must just be missing something that I’d later regret. I’ll still watch the next 2 episodes because I now have to see how it all turns out. I have decided that after seeing The King’s Speech I now have a decidedly negative view of the Windsors, though I, too, grew up with the idea that abdicating the throne was a terribly romantic thing to do. Tom Hollander does sleazy so well (remember Mr. Collins?)
Even though I’m not currently a fan of this mini-series, I really enjoyed your insights and think I’m likely to get more out of it now.
This mini series is a bit like wandering through an amusement park with a carousel and Mary Poppins flying around with her umbrella. It goes round and round without much excitement in a light air of drama. The acting is largely superb from Broadbent, Ovenden and Anderson and they should be credited for holding this epic tale together to make the first two episodes worth the ride. The strong cameo appearances of Gillian Anderson is similar to catching the brass ring as one circles and circles on the same horse. With Part 3 looming next weekend and only Broadbent remaining it’s time to get off the ride.
Won’t anyone admit how dreadful and boring this latest Masterpiece is? Trite, predictable, poorly scripted, poorly paced, poorly directed drivel. Downtown Abbey was almost as bad, filled as it was with every BBC costume-drama Brit cliche imaginable. If you modern-day producers of Masterpiece think you will draw “new” audiences with such second-rate material, you are dead wrong. I don’t know who’s more culpable, you or the Brit producers who obviously salivate on the chance to pawn these products off on you.
Postively poor show. Stop underestimating your American audiences, or we will stop supporting you!
I’ve rarely had such a disagreement between a review I wrote and the people who comment on it, but here it is.
A good friend, whose opinion I respect, also dislikes this show intensely. Then again, another friend, whose opinion I also respect, likes Any Human Heart as much as I did.
It’s puzzling, but I do appreciate all your comments and disagreement with my POV. This is much more exciting than having everyone rubber stamp the same opinion about every show.
I think your review is spot on as far as I am concerned.
I will say that so much of the production comes down to subtle qualities. MacFadyen’s eyes, for example, convey every emotion so accurately, that words and action do take a backseat. That can be a problem for some viewers — in the same way that many people disliked Ordinary People. As a middle-aged man nearing 50 who has lately been reflecting a bit on life, this hits home with my present circumstance in a way I was not expecting. “Life is luck,” indeed. Looking forward to Episode 3!
I do agree with those who feel the program would be better without the royal interlude.
I am spellbound by Macfadyen and the series. The moanful cry he lets out when he digs up Freya’s pin pierced my own heart and found it very haunting. What could have been perceived as trite, was not. It feels authentic. I find the nuanced characterizations riveting because of where life has taken him, as it takes all of us, sometimes without our knowing. I love it.
I was so excited about the actors within this! Sadly, I was really disappointed in this show–the story and plot left me cold after episode one. I didn’t feel any connection to the story or people in it.
Curious if anyone who disliked the first episode persevered and changed their mind by the final as I did. I was a bit bored at first, and found Logan as a young man unlikeable. Of course this is an important element of the story, but you don’t realize it at first.
By the final episode I was totally hooked by the story and fascinated by MacFayden’s and Broadbent’s performances. It’s the kind of movie/show that comes to mind at odd moments the next day. I’m definitely going to watch the whole thing online so I can savor the subtleties I missed out on at the beginning.
Broadbent is fantastic as always as his acting is superb in everything he chooses to do. To say this piece is a “gritty view of a man’s life and his failures and successes” is a big stretch of “flowery verbage”. Forrest Gump? Absolutely! Unfortunately, this piece was produced in a way that lost the attention of the audience early except for a few surprise performances like that of Anderson that were unique, interesting and made viewing tolerable. This one was very disappointing.
I LOVED IT! My only harsh words are for our local PBS station, which lost its transmission for the last 40 minutes of the last episode…Forcing me to wait til a DVD becomes available.
As for the critics, well each to their own taste. so many real and intriguing situations are placed within masterpeice and Yes a lot of the BBC dramas also. So maybe you need to fine tune a mindset…it’s like watching a travel film of a place you knpw you’ll never get to, and thinking yourself there.
I watched the second part hoping it would get better-the visuals were great– but there was really not much to like or admire in the main character whose worse flaw was that he was boring (and whiney). Nothing shown about the character explained how he ever could have sold an expensive painting, made friends for life, been a peer with the literary crowd and attracted gorgeous smart (rich) women. He showed no intellectual curiosity, humor, brillance or charm and came across as consistently not talented in anything but self-pity and passivity. He was neither a good person with bad vices or a bad person with good vices. He was a boring person.
I was annoyed–but maybe that was the point?
A facebook pal refers to the Windsors as “The Simpsons”, but I always think of Unforgiven’s Richard Harris- “The Duck.”
I watched Any Human Heart with my husband who just came over the other side of a major year long health crisis and I loved the series and even cried at some of the parts. It made me think about life, love, passion, art, death, loss and beauty. I also saw it from the vantage point of a writer.