The Man in the High Castle

What if the Nazi’s won the war? This is the premise that fuels the Ridley Scott-produced Amazon Original, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. Set during the early 1960s, the series imagines how a Japanese and Nazi controlled America would look. It is a bleak fascist world but our focus is centred on America, with the Japanese controlling a small portion of the western states, a small neutral zone in the middle and the Nazi’s controlling the rest (see below).

The Man in the High Castle

 

As some of you may already know THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE is based on the Phillip K. Dick novel of the same name. You might not be familiar with the name but Phillip K. Dick’s film adaptations include conceptual sci-fi films such as BLADE RUNNER, TOTAL RECALL, MINORITY REPORT and the lesser-known and underappreciated A SCANNER DARKLY. These are all films I love for their dark disturbed dystopian constructs and existential and philosophical musings. THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE exudes these qualities in abundance.

Season one of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE goes beyond my expectations and is a powerful start to a series that is destined to become even greater. From the offset you can tell Amazon threw most of their budget for originals at this show. THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE has a seriously humongous budget, which is particularly flaunted in the first two episodes. We get to see Nazi skyscrapers, Japanese styled San Francisco and so many more large-scale set pieces that really helps draw you into this dark new world.

The Man in the High Castle

There is a strong ensemble of characters each with their own agenda and moral ambiguity. The show is mainly focussed on three ‘central’ characters; Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos), Frank Frink (Rupert Evans) and Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank). Juliana and Frank are lowly Americans who simply get by under the Japanese regime. This all changes when Juliana acquires a mysterious film, the contents of which are highly dangerous and sought after by all factions in the show. Juliana is quickly wrapped up into the resistance and this severely impacts everyone around her.

What I like about Juliana is that she has embraced the good parts of Japanese rule. I personally love Japanese culture and to see it portrayed in a balanced manner was very engaging. At the start of the show Juliana is shown practising Aikido, a martial art I am particularly fond of. The philosophy behind Aikido is not to strike another down but to use another’s aggression against them. Not only does this serve as one example of Japanese cultural influence, but is also a poignant metaphor about Juliana herself. She will defend her beliefs but she will not stoop to the level of her aggressors to win her battles. Whilst there are various pros and cons to this belief it reveals a lot about her character early on in the show.

I am always more interested in the villains/anti-heroes, and in a show whose characters are particularly grey to begin with, some of my favourite characters to watch are Nazi’s and Japanese Kempeitai (military police somewhat akin to the SS). I won’t go into all of them, and will instead hone in on two.

The first is obie doobie…obie woobie…hold on let me just wiki this, Obergruppenführer (try saying that three times fast) John Smith, portrayed to perfection by Rufus Sewell. Smith is an American Nazi and his position as an Obergruppenführer is one of the highest military ranks of the SS. He is a strict but fair father who you will disagree with profusely. He is calm and highly intuitive, this makes for a dangerous combination and is not someone to be crossed lightly. My interest in him is in his subtly suggested self-loathing. I think that deep down he questions his own actions, but he has given everything to his flawed Nazi empire, and looking back is not an option.

The Man in the High Castle

My second pick is Inspector Kido, who like John Smith is portrayed to perfection by Joel de la Fuente. I really enjoy watching this character and he is responsible for some seriously brutal things at the start of the show. He is an intelligent, observant man who understands the bigger picture and will do what he must to ensure the safety of the Japanese empire. Kido is willing to die for his country and paradoxically is extremely honourable and dishonourable.

The Man in the High Castle
Inspector Kido

Part of the beauty of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE is the ambiguity so inherent in most of the characters. They are all very complex and to categorise them of as good or bad would be deeply reductionist. Even the colourisation and visual tone of the show has a very grey grimy aesthetic. Literally the very colour in this world has been muted to illustrate the diminishment of beauty from the vibrant 1960s America we usually see in film and television.

The pacing of the show really modulates throughout, there are so many tense moments and chases but the show is actually very still for the most part. We learn a lot more about characters and the world not by seeing it, but through dialogue. Although at times there are some clumsy or mundane bits of dialogue and plot points, there is poignancy inherent in many of the character exchanges, which really bolsters the show. There is a quiet refrain felt throughout and the show is a lot less brazen a drama than you might expect.

The opening title sequence of the show perfectly illustrates this. Instead of a loud orchestral montage of Hitler winning the war and taking over, which is what I expected, it is a slow theme from THE SOUND OF MUSIC called Edelweiss. I think this juxtaposition with visuals of Nazi structures perfectly sums up the tone of the programme. Despite the horrors of the Nazi regime there is still beauty trapped deep down.

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE is a brilliant show that verges towards the level of perfection. The final episode in particular is extremely masterful and really gives the show oomph heading into the next season. Whilst I do understand why people may have some misgivings about the show, and I appreciate that it will not be for absolutely everyone. THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE is a well-crafted programme that is blossoming into something even greater.

You can watch THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE on Amazon Instant Video now.

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