pumpkinstrokemarrow

But, leaving that aside, the French seemed to be much more into flesh, both dead and alive. They portrayed their police as possibly well intentioned but a lot more violent towards suspects and others than would be permitted on the sort of English policier that I watch - that is to say, not the late 'Bill' and not very often 'Taggart'. They also take (illegal) drugs. There is more interest in character and less interest in plot - something which I also noticed in Simenon during my phase on him. Passing interest in the scenes and difficulties of modern life, but without coming across like New Labour, social workers or preachers on the preach. Much interest in corruption in government and the crude manoeuvrings of the ambitious in the workplace - something with which we hardly bother at all.

Whereas the British make the things more or less into costume dramas. Much focus and loving attention on quaint milieux, habits & settings, antique motor vehicles & steam engines and regional accents - in this case Oxford University. And, luckily for me, as I am a bit squeamish that way, neither focus nor loving attention on medical matters, contraptions or injections. (I have always thought that US producers were a bit keen on this sort of thing).

Characters usually not much more than cardboard cut outs. Straightforward people with well signalled characteristics, either good, bad or of class (or lack of it). Little visible violence although there is usually an abundances of corpses. Much focus and loving attention on complicated plots with lots of kippers and with the ambition of the producers seeming to be to ensure that the audience is more or less completely lost by the end. Perhaps this encourages repeat, income generating, viewings. Oddly, the episodic format, which I rather like, is more or less out now, outside of the world of soaps. Each 1 or 2 hour chunk is self contained, while the French still go in for lots of episodes. Perhaps the old-fashioned teaching methods over there deliver audiences with slightly longer attention spans than ours.