1899

Over the weekend, Liz and I started to binge watch 1899 – a new Netflix series. I’m going to avoid giving anything away, and will just say this: if this looks even remotely interesting to you… watch it now, before the spoilers find their way to you.

The fascinating thing for me is how many different languages are at play, in any given episode. There’s a mixture of English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Japanese – and some characters have difficulty understanding others.

In a lot of mystery/thriller movies, you oftentimes get visual cues that help develop the story. I feel like language is being used in this series in a similar way – you have to almost watch and listen with a lot of attention, to pick up on some very subtle things at play.

On top of the multiple languages, there are moments where the Victorian background is scored with a decidedly 60’s era soundtrack, giving the show a very “lost in time” feel. It’s decidedly different, and Liz and I are definitely hooked.

Related:
Game of Thrones: Creating the Dothraki Language
Kevin’s Visit, Hella Apple Pie, and Being Lost with Lost
Suddenly, Cantonese