Month: April 2021

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for April 4: A busy Easter, from “Atlantic” to “Zoey”

1) “Masterpiece: Atlantic Crossing” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Martha (played by Sofia Helin, shown here) had a life of royal comfort: Her uncles were the kings of Sweden (her homeland), Denmark and Norway; her husband (also her first cousin) was Norway’s future king. They had three children and she charmed Franklin Roosevelt during a visit. Then World War II changed everything. This eight-week film (sometimes in Norwegian, with sub-titles) turns soapy in its mid-section, but starts and ends strongly. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 2, 2021
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for April 5: Great biographies and new seasons

1) “Hemingway” debut, 8 p.m. today through Wednesday, PBS, rerunning at 10. Ernest Hemingway (shown here) took a unique approach to fiction – cool, efficient, often macho. We see that often here, in brilliant passages read by Jeff Daniels. But Hemingway also molded another fiction – his own image. Yes, he was an outdoors guy, with big torso and regal visage. But he was also a doctor’s son from suburbia, an insecure guy who exaggerated his life. Ken Burns tells the story brilliantly, tracing a life of contrasts. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 1, 2021
Stories

Hemingway: a large life, a larger image

Ernest Hemingway’s fame soared in two ways.
As a writer, he was popular and praised. As a person, he was something more.
People knew him (shown here) as a pop-culture figure who traveled the globe and did it all – food, drink, romance, adventure – to excess. It was an impressive reputation … even if some of it wasn’t true.
“The public persona became such a burden to him,” said Lynn Novick, who combined with Ken Burns to mold “Hemingway,” a compelling, three-night documentary that starts Monday (April 5) on PBS, So it was “wonderful to discover him young, before he became that stereotype.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 1, 2021