A bakery fire nearly destroys London.
“The Great Fire” is an ITV historical drama ported to American shores for PBS consumption. While most Americans aren’t that familiar with the Great London Fire, I’m sure that it gets mined to death in England. There’s nothing that stellar about the production over its four hour span. However, the costumes are amazing and I love watching Rose Leslie in anything. Have I mentioned my fondness for ginger ladies that willingly put themselves in danger? Have I talked to you about my obsession with Cheryl on “Archer”? Back to the topic at hand.
Historical figures like King Charles II and Samuel Pepys get tackled more like footnote obligations rather than fleshed out characters. All the while, we get a broad mix of London commoners trying to survive the Fire and make sense of what happened. If you can dig Ye Olde Disaster Movie, then this one might be for you. I enjoyed the subtle campiness of the matter, but I feel that it might go over the heads of most viewers. The Blu-Ray comes with no special features.
RELEASE DATE: 11/3/2015