Seaside Hotel – Badehotellet: Danish TV Period Piece

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This 10 season WWII Danish period piece ran from 2013-2024 and is quite addicting to watch. You will find it on PBS. I found it to be Denmark’s description of WWII, similar to A French Village, in that they are capturing a small community of people during this period of crisis. The differences are vast, in that A French Village shows more violence and causes more stress to the viewer. In fact, at the end of A French Village, I felt emotionally exhausted. But, the French period piece is doing a lot of “Show Don’t Tell,” vs. the Danish piece is “Telling but not Showing.” Which is fine and a unique way of narrating a horrible time in history. With Seaside Hotel, we are seeing amazing actors, never out of character, who are capable of telling the story of WWII and how it impacted them. These are middle to well to do characters who choose to consistently take room and board at this seaside hotel, during the summer season. It is strangely comforting, as if your grandparents or great grandparents are talking to you from beyond the grave.

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Pamela Harriman – Kingmaker, by Sonia Purnell

On February 5th 1997, almost seven months before the day of Princess Diana’s fatal crash, both coming from the Hotel Ritz in Paris, Pamela Harriman died suffering a heart attack while doing her favorite sport – swimming. Ironically, Henri Paul tried to save Pamela, after she was pulled from the waters and as a result of this heroic deed would become the final driver to Princess Diana.

Photo above by Annie Leibovitz

“What she really wanted–and what those men were unable to give her–was a life on her own terms. A woman born in the early twentieth century to parents who wanted a boy, who was raised only for marriage, who never had the chance of a formal education or proper career, that meant changing her name and her nationality, wrecking her health with work and worry, and waiting five decades for her second break.” Sonia Purnell, Kingmaker.

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Melania – A Millennial Jackie Kennedy

As I began to read this book, my first thoughts were of two other autobiographies I have read in the last ten years. One was Queen Noor (the American-born journalist who became the Queen of Jordan in 1978 – 1999) and Sophia Loren. All had sons (though the Queen had two daughters as well). All were women who were very beautiful, international sensations, and went through tough issues as women: controversies, struggles, yet rose to fame and fortune nonetheless. None of them were tactless enough to make their book about gossip, though the Queen did have a lot to say about her son not becoming King (he wasn’t in line, as was culturally acceptable). All had strong opinions but were very grounded and kind and loving.

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