The creators of the mini-series Durham County:
Laurie Finstad Knizhnik
Adrienne Mitchell - Janis Lundman
Full Producers & Production Credits on the »» Durham County website.
Hugh Dillon in a recent interview:
"Q: Durham County – there’s something of a Twin Peaks going on here.
A: I never watched Twin Peaks. But what I find is that Durham County is hypnotic. I put this show on and it’s addictive. There’s something to be said for these filmmakers. Adrienne Mitchell’s got such an eye and such a vision. And her and [writer] Laurie [Finstad-Knizhnik] working together, they’re like Jagger/Richards. It’s fucking awesome to watch them go. And sometimes scary when all their attention turns to you. It’s a demanding trio, Adrienne, Janis [Lundman] and Laurie, the three of them because they are intellectual heavyweights.
[...]
They have an uncanny ability to distill the truth out of all the bullshit that’s happening. That’s why we’re such great allies. I’m just 100 per cent committed to these folks and their project I’d follow them anywhere.
Usually you can find fault with somebody’s motives, but not these women. And the only way for you to win is to be acquiescent. [...] Because I want to learn; I want to figure out how to get there. And so everything they say is there to help you. The writing is one thing, but the way it’s shot is so beautiful, and you got to get your head around it sometimes because the character is here but you don’t see the whole vision. And they’ve got such patience that they will explain the whole thing to you. They are just such powerful women and they got such vision. It’s exciting to be a part of it. They’re really unstoppable and they have such integrity."
Source: toromagazine.com
*********************
* Season One of DC premieres in the U.S. on Monday, September 7th on »» ION Television.
»» http://www.durhamcountysecrets.com
Will bump this post up on Monday. --chris
I've added my personal impression as a comment. --chris
* Added screencaps of episode 4 to »» our gallery.
Avoid the gallery if you haven't seen the episode. DC is a whydunit and not a whodunit, though.
A few quotes of the first part of a German review, part 2 will be published tomorrow:
Durham County: A (sur)real Nightmare
"Durham County" is silent, hard-edged and hardly bearable. The series gets under one's skin. Its disturbing images and stories are fascinating. It is the same kind of fascination encountered by the viewers of "Twin Peaks", "SE7EN" and "The Shield".
[...]
The violence of men, their secret desires, the contravention of the law and the disintegration of the lower middle-class family are common phenomena of the neighboring countries Canada and USA - although, in most cases, the U.S. entertainment industry avoids painting an honest portrayal of all these. "Entertainment", of course, is the keyword here. Can a series like "Durham County" with its opening images of the cruel murder of two schoolgirls be called "entertainment"?
But the dark fascination of these stories (or their entertainment factor, if you will) lies in the fact that as an audience we have to make a choice and form an opinion. We are constantly forced to judge what we feel, and, in particular, to ask ourselves how we feel about what we have just seen. These works tread a fine line between a documentary on the state of society, and a fictional narrative. The status of the fictional narrative serves only to forget the disturbing images, the process of displacement.
But we know that whatever is repressed, comes back and manifests itself in everyday human action.
[...]
Another fascination of "Durham County": The series does not even attempt, leave us groping in the dark (which would probably also be pointless since we ARE in the dark). We need not guess what happened or who the murderer is, [...] "Durham County" is upfront and stresses that the act of violence shown is not the most cruel thing. That is rather what's behind it: its inevitability. "
Translated by Randy
* Randy added his thoughts as comment. --chris
Original quotes (German):
Durham County: Ein (sur)realer Alptraum
„Durham County“ ist leise, schonungslos und kaum auszuhalten. Die Serie geht einem unter die Haut. Ihre verstörenden Bilder und Erzählungen sind faszinierend. Es ist dieselbe Art der Faszination, die Zuschauer „Twin Peaks“, „Se7en“ oder „The Shield“ entgegenbrachten.
[...]
Die Gewaltbereitschaft von Männern, die heimlichen Begierden, das Übertreten des Gesetzes und der Zerfall der kleinbürgerlichen Familie sind gemeinsame Phänomene der Nachbarstaaten Kanada und USA - nur vermeidet es die US-Entertainmentindustrie in den allermeisten Fällen, hiervon direkte Bilder zu geben. „Entertainment“ ist hier natürlich das Schlüsselwort. Kann eine Serie wie „Durham County“ mit ihren Eröffnungsbildern vom grausamen Mord an zwei Schulmädchen „Entertainment“ sein?
Aber die dunkle Faszination solcher Erzählungen (oder deren Entertainmentfaktor, wenn man so will) besteht darin, als Zuschauer eine Wahl treffen und diese dann selbst beurteilen zu müssen. Wir werden als Zuschauer stetig gezwungen, über das, was wir fühlen, ein Urteil zu fällen bzw. uns zu fragen, wie wir das Gesehene empfinden. Solche Produkte wandern auf einem schmalen Grat zwischen Dokumentation über den Zustand der Gesellschaft und fiktionaler Erzählung. Der Status der fiktionalen Erzählung dient dabei lediglich dem Vergessen der verstörenden Bilder, dem Prozess der Verdrängung.
Aber wir wissen: was verdrängt wird, kommt um so stärker zurück und manifestiert sich im menschlichen Alltagshandeln.
[...]
Ein weiteres Faszinosum an „Durham County“: Die Serie versucht gar nicht erst, uns im Dunkeln tappen zu lassen (das wäre vermutlich auch sinnlos: denn wir SIND im Dunkeln). Wir müssen gar nicht raten, was passiert ist oder wer der Mörder ist; [...] „Durham County“ ist direkt und betont, dass der gezeigte Gewaltakt noch nicht das Grausamste ist, sondern das, was dahinter steckt: seine Unausweichlichkeit."
Source: serienjunkies.de