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Tenko - Series 2 Complete [1981]
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Tenko Series2 Complete
Review date: 2006-11-23 Rating: 10 out of 10
"Tenko" the moving BBC drama series about civilan women captured by the Japanese in 1942,following the fall of Singapore,returns for a second series on this DVD set.
As the women march to a new camp,they find out three of their friends Nellie(Jeananne Crawley)Slyvia(Renee Asherburn) and Blanche(Louise Jameson)have been sent to another camp.
The writers cleverly writing into the plot,when actors weren't returning or pregnant,Blanche thankfully does return in episode 6 with the sad news Slyvia has died,she tells Beatrice(Stephanie Cole)that Nellie is still alive,although Beatrice thinks its a kind lie,in series 3,its revealed Nellie dies just before the end of the war.
On the way to the new camp they meet Joss Holbrook(Jean Anderson)who becomes a much loved character and sadly Debbie(Karin Foley)is bitten by an unseen insect and dies along the way.
On arrival they meet their new leader,the very polite but sinister Verna Johnson(Rosemary Martin)who Joss takes an instant dislike to.
The camp is run by evil administrator Miss Hasan(Josephine Welcome)who cares nothing more than making money and when Sally(Joanna Hole)commits suicide,the whole camp suffers.
Rose is betrayed by Marion's( Ann Bell) old friend Lillian(Phillipa Urqhart)for food,her boyfriend Bernard is shot and Rose is paralysed until Beatrice helps her out of her misery when her infection causes her to die slowly.
This is the best series of Tenko to me,the writing and acting as always,is first rate,amongst all the horror of war,there is humour when Blanche and Joss plant a rat in Miss Hasan's hut.
The 2nd series ends with the revelation that Miss Hasan and Verna have stolen the red cross parcels for money but before Miss Hasan can be brought to justice,the camp is hit by an allied raid,Miss Hasan is killed and the series ends on a cliffhanger with Yamauchi saying they are defeated woman and will be shot..
Sadly Louise Jameson wasn't available for the 3rd series,so Blanche dies between series 2 and 3.
A great show,give it a go if you haven't seen it yet!
Similar Products
- Tenko: Complete BBC Series 3 [1981]
- Tenko - Series 1 Complete [1981]
- Tenko - Series 1 - Part 1 [1981]
- Tenko - Series 1 - Part 2 [1981]
- Tenko - Series 3 - Part 2
Reviews
More of the best!
Review date: 2003-09-23 Rating: 10 out of 10
Tenko is, of course, the best thing the BBC ever did. I don't begrudge my television licence fee, because I have this fine set of programmes to watch.
Tenko series one saw the women fall into Japanese hands, and end up in a prison camp. Series two moves the tension up a notch: there were some scenes I watched from the edge of my seat, and some scenes so powerful that I involuntarily held my breath.
Moved to a new camp, the prisoners find themselves in a completely new situation. While conditions are better (running water and mattresses for a start!), it soon becomes clear that the new camp has a completely different pecking order, and our friends have no real power in the grand scheme.
Alongside a few new characters, some of the old faces from series one have gone elsewhere. The fear, loss and tragedy that our friends suffer, separated from some of their group and thrust into a new situation with new rules, makes painfully real viewing. Among the new characters are two who linger in the memory more than most, and may even be Tenko's best. The malicious Miss Hasan, right-hand woman to the commandant, is the very image of evil. Spiteful, cruel and vicious, she's completely unforgettable. Alongside her, the prisoners' leader, Verna Johnson, seems like a pussycat: beware that, no matter how grand and genteel she may seem, no-one ever argues with Verna.
Picking up from the cliffhanger at the end of the previous series, right up to its own devastating finale, Tenko series two is a masterpiece of television, full of shocks and twists. Please buy this. It is perfect in every way.
Product Details/Specifications
Director(s):
Recording label: Acorn Media
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
EAN: 5036193090288
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2003-08-11
Number of discs: 4
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 516 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1981-10-22
Language: English (Original Language)