Secret Army watch online HD

I've just finished watching Secret Army on UK Drama and, for me, it's BBC drama at its best. It might have seemed hard for the team that had produced the highly acclaimed 'Colditz' series to live up to its reputation but I believe that this highly popular classic surpassed it.

Colditz did have a distinct disadvantage, taking place mostly within the four walls of a POW camp, making the atmosphere at times rather claustrophobic and making the scope rather limited. Secret Army, on the other hand, was able to use and contrast a variety of places and situations. As well as this, it had more detailed analysis of the all the characters - something which was often lacking in its forerunner – and also examined their motives. Using the setting of Brussels in World War II, the producers were able to capture perfectly the grim realities of life under German occupation with the distant hope of liberation. Everything from the sinister music to the camera angles, special effects and scenery was cleverly thought out. The varied plots, whose frequent twists kept everyone guessing, along with many clever subtleties and inferences, made each episode thoroughly enjoyable.

The central character of Albert Foiret was carefully scrutinised, his greed and ruthless determination to keep ownership of his beloved Candide at any cost coming out. Bernard Hepton seemed able to show an inexhaustible range of emotions, making his character something of a change from the German Kommandant he had played previously. In contrast, the virtually emotionless Kessler could show generosity, and great loyalty, albeit misguided, to his beloved country and Fuehrer. Clifford Rose was perfect as the bespectacled, ice-cold SS man with no sense of humour. Even the smaller parts, such as Alain and Dr. Keldermans were well played by Ron Pember and Valentine Dyall, along with Monique (Angela Richards) whose lovely singing in the seemingly happy atmosphere of the Candide was often made to contrast the often sinister goings on elsewhere.

The series just seemed to go from strength to strength as the characters developed and plots became more complicated. The last few episodes produced a gripping climax as we were left wondering how all the ongoing issues were going to resolve themselves, and there was much irony when many did not end up the way you would have expected.

Unlike many of the older WW2 films this serial was certainly not biased towards the allies - airmen were often seen to act rather crassly and the resistance people could be less than scrupulous, sometimes killing innocent people and breaking promises for their own survival. It also addressed many issues which were not always fully appreciated, like the uneasy relationship the French and Belgian police had with the Germans, the contempt felt by the Wehrmacht for the SS and the bitter power struggle between the resistance and the communists. Being a product of the 70s there was none of the gratuitous violence or obligatory sex scenes which can sometimes mar the storylines of more contemporary works.

Secret Army was very much a true-to-life drama - even if there were many improbable coincidences and few factual errors – with many memorable episodes. I'd certainly recommend it.

After seeing Secret Army recently for the first time on UK Drama, I was blown away by it's brilliance. I had read lots about it, but never realised that the show was as impressive as it is.

The characters are all very well drawn and the series views World War II from many angles. We don't only get to see the heroic and valiant efforts of the allies and resistance - the Germans, the Belgian police and ordinary citizens of the Low Countries are all represented, and more than anything else the series shows that the war affected different people in vastly differing ways. Nothing is black and white. Albert, our hero in the series, is a flawed hero: he can be greedy, dominating and possessive (Albert is a far cry from Hepton's role as a Nazi Commandant in Colditz, some years earlier). Major Brandt of the Luftwaffe is a German but not like Kessler, a Nazi. Brandt is simply a member of the armed forces who is only doing his job. Secret Army can be commended for not presenting the heroes and "villains" as mere stereotypes. Special mention must also go to Clifford Rose who play the head of the Gestapo in Belgium, Ludwig Kessler - the inspiration for Herr Flick in the spoof series Allo Allo. Rose is magnificent as Kessler and the character is written as a man who is completely and utterly devoted to the Fatherland and the Fuhrer.

Secret Army, along with other greats like Colditz and I, Claudius is an example of the great drama serials that the BBC no longer produce. These days we seem to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of police and hospital drama serials. Secret Army was transmitted at prime-time on BBC1 when it was first shown: how many period dramas do we ever see on our screens these days? At very best we get a Jane Austin type adaptation, and that would only ever be broadcast on a Sunday night.

Why don't the BBC take the chance to make something as daring as Secret Army? I'm sure that a viewing public tired of the same old shows would thank them for it.

I hope that UK Drama will show the spin-off series Kessler now!

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

This programme is a true masterpiece; possibly the best television series ever made by the BBC.

When I watched it as a young teenager, it was totally memorable and gripping. It is probably the only TV series of its kind from which I could recall every character and many of the plots some 25 or 30 years later. Some of the episodes toward the end of the final series were utterly gripping. The acting was outstanding; the writing fantastic, and the music and intro/credits I recall to this day with total clarity.

UDATE: Having just watched it again on DVD almost 30 years later, my view hasn't changed at all. No sense of disappointment here - this really is classic television at its very best. A clever, nuanced and absorbing series in every respect.

Yes indeed. "Secret army", has to be my favourite series from the 70-ies. A classic in his own right. Very dramatic, very real! Even at this moment it's running again on Belgian TV, and every time it's a joy to watch! I got to mention, especially Kessler, played by Clifford rose, a great performance, even today! I wonder what happened to most of the actors, cause haven't heard or seen much about them after the series. One thing I did find very sorry is, why they had to make a comic version of it! Because the series is telling us of people who risked their lives to save that of others, when Europe, (Belgium), was going trough his most dark period in history! Peter.

The 1970s was undoubtedly the golden age of British television . There were so many great shows , everything from the Jon Pertwee and early Tom Baker episodes of DOCTOR WHO , THE SWEENEY , THE PROFFESIONALS , FALWTY TOWERS and a dozen other shows that I could list off the top of my head . Perhaps that's why I'd forgotten all about SECRET ARMY a show that I've just been watching again on one of the history channels on freeview and I'm instantly reminded as to how great it was and left me me wondering slightly as to how I'd forgotten it . Actually I think I know why it's unfairly forgotten but I'll explain in a moment

What's so striking is how much thought has gone in to the series . Producer and series creator Gerald Glaister spent the second world war as a bomber pilot and this brings a personal dimension to a series like this . Imagine for a second how much inferior this drama would have been if it'd been produced today by someone from an academic media studies background . It'd almost be a parody wouldn't it ? Take notice too that each and every episode was inspired by actual events that took place during the war and how much research went in to every script . It's sad that today we rarely see if ever such thought go in to a drama

SECRET ARMY is drama ith a capital D . Even if you've little interest in the second world war you can't fail to notice the rich characterisation and intelligent writing . This greatly helps the cast and draws the audience in to on screen events as the Belgian " Lifeline " resistance try to help downed allied bomber crews escape to a neutral country where they'll eventually be repatriated to Britain . It's interesting to note that there's so much moral ambiguity involved . Series hero Albert for instance isn't only painted as a Belgian freedom loving patriot , he's also someone who accepts sums of money from the Brirtish government which helps him run an exclusive restaurant and he hates communists , not as much as his right hand man and confessed thief Max Brocard , but still someone who's not got a selfless motive for helping the allies . There's also doubt in his mind after a main character is written out of the first series in a cruelly ironic way but the money sure comes handy . Likewise the series " Good German " Major Erwin Brandt almost beats an RAF airman to death , a bomb aimer who is only saved by the intervention of gestapo chief Ludwig Kessler

Ludwig Kessler deserves his own paragraph because he is quite simply one of the greatest characters created for British television . Again imagine if he was a character created today he'd be portrayed as one of those " Ve have vays of making you talk Englander " goose stepping stereotypes . He is a three dimensional character who is obviously capable of great cruelty but who is also very intelligent and is driven by a desire to bring order to the world . He is someone who never fails to point out to the other characters " That every hour of the day and night German women and children are being murdered in large numbers by American and British terror raids " . You're not going to like him but you can understand what's motivating him . Praise too for the acting of Clifford Rose who gives a restrained and very subtle performance . Look closely and you'll notice one of Kessler's personal flaws is that he seems very lonely . You could almost feel sorry for him if he wasn't a gestapo head

So why is this show forgotten ? One reason only and that's 'ALLO 'ALLO is directly based upon it . A comedy show that ran for ten years based upon a spoof premise and endless repetitive lines like " Good moaning ... " you stupid woman " and " the madonna with the flashing boobies " YAWN . You quickly become so bored with that comedy show that you quickly forget what inspired it . Perhaps when I say you'll forget all about Renee and the camp Nazis when you watch the repeats of SECRET ARMY you will realise what a genuinely great drama it is

I wasn't even born when this series was first made. It was my mother who introduced me to the series on uk drama. She insisted that I 'give it a chance.'I am glad that I did!

During the first series the show showed little potential, the characters were stereotypical and shallow, such as Kessler, with his robotic like ways and constant determination to get one over on life line. The melodramatic content was so bad you could almost hear him shouting: 'I'll get you next time!' at the end of every episode. However somebody waved their magic wand at the start of the second series, because the show changed it's angle completely. With the dramatic exit of Yvette, (one of my favourite scenes in television)and the introduction of the Candide. We saw alot of changes for the characters. Kessler gained a love interest, and at last we could see his human side.Life line too showed it had some weak human traits, more often then not Albert's greed resulted in him ordering command just so that he could keep his precious restaurant. And when Monique was left in charge at the end of series two she turned into a bit of a boozer! More importantly, as the storylines developed and conspiracies got more complicated, life line didn't always end up on top, usually at the expense of poor Natalie or Monique.

The show came to prove that it was more about humans fight for survival. And less about the adventurous action man enthusiasm sometimes given to war in american films. What a shame that somebody made a spoof in the form of 'allo, 'allo. This became more famous than the original classic and now shadows it's brilliance. As my Mother insisted to me, I would insist to you: 'give it a chance, please!'

I have recently seen this series about WW2 escape lines again. It hardly dates at all. The stories are hard hitting,realistic as are the characters. I hope all these will become available on DVD soon.

This series played a few years ago on the "History Channel." It was, to me, good from first episode to last. The acting, dialogue, situations were true to life. One could, in tiny roles, see actors such as David Neilson (Roy on Coronation Street) as a young German officer. That the Gestapo officer played by Clifford Rose escapes at the end is realistic: though he is reprehensible, we are made to understand him. If this show isn't available on video, is hopefully will be.

I never cease to be amazed at what young people did all those years ago. As a piece of entertainment, each time I see an episode, I see something I missed before. The cast, from my totally amateur standpoint, are very good. Though a bit of a baddie Steven Yardley's "Max" is very well played. Inspite of Max's role in the communist plot, I will always remember his orphan back ground referred to. Also this background was underlined in the Christmas episode where Max describes how the "kids" can smuggle an injured airman.

There is much more to think about in historical terms. I am still curious about the Belgian police uniforms used..........

Let's get one thing straight - because 'Secret Army' was spoofed by a long-running sitcom ( 'Allo, Allo' ) does not mean that it was a bad series. Far from it. It would be like saying 'Brideshead Revisited' was awful simply because it was ( partially ) spoofed by I.T.V.'s 'Brass'.

Produced by Gerald Glaister ( responsible for the superlative 'Colditz' ) 'Secret Army' was a top-notch drama set in wartime Belgium, concerning the exploits of the resistance organisation 'Lifeline', whose task is to find crashed Allied airmen and then send them home to carry on the good fight. The leader of the group was, in the first series, at least, 'Lisa Colbert' ( Jan Francis ), codenamed 'Yvette'. 'Lifeline's' headquarters was the Cafe Candide, run by Albert Foiret ( Bernard Hepton ).

Each episode pitted Lifeline pitted against Gestapo chief Kessler, marvellously played by Clifford Rose. Being a co-production with Belgium television, 'Secret Army' was able to achieve some remarkably authentic looking wartime location footage. Amongst the female cast members Angela Richards was simply outstanding as 'Monique', and its astonishing she did not go on to enjoy the success she so richly deserved.

Season 1 was at best a moderate success, but Glaister ( wisely ) decided to make changes for the second. The café was sold off in favour of a more high-class establishment where German officers' careless talk could be overheard. Max Brocard ( Stephen Yardley ), forger, pianist and Communist infiltrator, joined the team, and made a nice contrast with the more cynical Albert, who by his own admission is more interested in money than patriotic duty. Over time, Kessler seemed to grow more and more human, particularly when he fell in love with Madelaine Duclos. In a rather shocking move, Lisa was killed off when she hid in a building during an air raid,

Of the three seasons, the last was by far the best; as the war comes to and end, the Lifeline team find themselves at risk of being killed by the very people they have striven to help. It introduced the brilliant Terrence Hardiman as 'Reinhardt', a truly mesmerising performance. When, in the final episode, Reinhardt is put on trial and executed by fellow Nazis, it is impossible not to feel sympathy. Thirty-two years since it ended, with its complex plotting and pitch-perfect performances, 'Secret Army' still manages to take the breath away.

This brilliant series from the 70's is repeated on UKTV

It is set in the Second World War but is far from the stereotypical wartime drama.The heroes are flawed and the Germans shown in a more realistic light.The Kessler character could be seen by some as a trajectory,but can people who order mass murder at the drop of a hat be portrayed sympathetically?Both the Luftwaffe officers are shown to be ordinary people stuck in an extraordinary situation,and the contempt that Brandt has for his Gestapo superior is cleverly and subtlety done.

This can only enhance or understanding of the psychology of the war. The plot revolves around "Lifeline" which is an evasion line for downed airmen run by Lisa who is scarred by the death of her parents and wants to defeat the Nazis.She is portrayed as ruthless and willing to take hard decisions for the greater good.An especially dark episode ends with the Candide owner,Albert,giving up two allied airmen to certain death in order to protect the line.

This is brilliant,well thought out drama and very thought provoking.We can all look at the German people and say it couldn't happen here,or at the Occupied Countries and say we would have been in the Resistance.But Nazi domination was based on simple everyday slights to minorities that in themselves didn't seem OTT but produced an atmosphere of fear and the opportunity for ruthless or inadequate people to do their worst whilst people looked the other way or said "It's not my problem".Exactly the type of thing that allows (present tense) Sinn Fein/IRA to keep Nationalist areas under control.

Six million don't die because the Nazi Elite thought it was a good idea.You have to make people complicit and feel big or at best make it so they are ambivalent to the fate of others or just plain scared.

This drama is for me the best thing broadcast by the BBC ever.Dark,atmospheric,Pinteresque spring to mind.

There is a myth that telly was better in the 70's.It wasn't.It was mostly terrible but with the odd absolute gem such as this.I fear these programmes would not be made today due to ratings which is the King.

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.

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 .

It's well made, scripted and acted, but one thing makes this "not just another Wartime drama".

Most of these sorts of shows are black and white ; good guys versus evil Germans. Cheer when the Germans get shot/bombed/etc, and the heroes return home to their lives.

In this show it's all shades of grey, and frequently black. The "heroes" do unpleasant things - right from the start - watch 1x02 and 1x05 - not just to the "bad guys" but to the "good guys". Maybe not unusual now, but really odd for the 1970s. Everyone makes compromises to survive in this show.

This is not a show with a lot of happy endings, and indeed the final ending isn't happy either. Not quite Blake's Seven standard though, if you are thinking of watching it.

The Germans - are also shades of grey. Brandt is conflicted and hugely flawed, but the best performance in the whole show goes to Clifford Rose's Kessler, who, once he gets into his stride manages to somehow make Kessler evil and human at the same time.

Kessler comes over as a human being, albeit one totally committed to the Fuhrer, which actually makes him far more unnerving than the "classic" evil Nazi. When I first watched this as a kid Kessler scared the living daylights out of me.

Reinhardt is just ... well , Reinhardt (watch it, you'll see what I mean).

Highly recommended.

I watched this the first time round and loved it. I then bought the box set earlier this year and I am watching it as I exercise on my treadmill - my exercise time has risen dramatically! I am loving it all over again and as it is so long since I saw it I really cannot remember what happens next! I would recommend it to anyone who loves suspense and WW11. The one thing I would love to know though is where some of the external town shots were taken. Anything I read says some external scenes were shot in Brussels but some of them look more like Ghent or one of the more provincial cities or towns. Does anyone have any knowledge of where external scenes in Belgium were shot?

Excellent series, however, can only get season 1 in the U.S. or region 2 for DVD. How can I get all three series for DVD in Region 1? All episodes are compelling with a twist at the end. It's difficult not to want to watch the entire season in one sitting. Unfortunately, only season 1 is offered in the U.S. All three seasons are only offered in region 2 format, so unfortunately I can only get season 1. Would like to get all three seasons if there is a distributor that sells in region 1 format. It's great to watch a series that is built on plot, storyline and acting, rather than all just high tech virtual reality visuals. I'm sure once you start to watch you'll be hooked. Get this series and you won't be disappointed. Again, my only criticism is all three seasons are not available in region 1. Not sure why they would do this as I'm sure they would reach a larger number of consumers who are hungry for good T.V.

Sole criticisms - they should have included more Belgian collaborators like the Rexists. Would Reinhardt have really allowed himself to be executed rather than exposing Kessler to The authorities? And they should show the last episode!

Season 2 & 3 of this late 70's BBC series weren't released in the US ... and that should have been my big hint! Ignoring the writing on the wall I popped in disk 1 in and gave it a whirl. This experiment lasted 1.5 episodes. Really when you think about it most late 70's BBC shows were really bad and I remember having the same revulsion when I watched "Enemy At The Door" about 20 years ago.

Stagey and slow ... lots of film noir camera shots but no FN music ... bad acting ... and all those unrelenting close ups of people's faces ... it made me feel claustrophobic.

This is not good TV and that is too bad as it is an excellent idea for a series.

BTW: To show IMDb what I think of their disabling their message boards, I am vowing to stop using Amazon's pay per view service! Google Play, VUDU and Netflix are excellent alternatives ... and are often cheaper. Thanks IMDb/Amazon ... way to treat your dedicated customers who want to share their passion for films and history!

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.