Atlantic Crossing - General Discussion

[chitowngirl]

A princess steals the heart of the president of the United States in an epic drama based on the World War II relationship of Franklin Roosevelt and Norwegian Crown Princess Martha. Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Sex and the City) stars as Roosevelt, opposite Swedish star Sofia Helin (The Bridge) as the beautiful Martha, who flees the Nazis with her three young children and lives under Roosevelt’s protection. The eight-part series co-stars Tobias Santelmann as Crown Prince Olav and Harriet Sansom Harris as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
 

Begins April 4, 2021 on PBS

[lark37]

My husband and I really enjoyed this first episode. Being a royalty fan, I'm familiar with the Norwegian Royals and was amazed for the most part at how much the cast resembles their real life counterparts especially King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav. Never been a fan of Kyle Maclachlan but he seems to be capturing FDR pretty well.  The real delight is Harriet Sansom Harris as Eleanor Roosevelt. I remember her well as Frasier's agent Bebe and thought she was hilarious. Stage actors often bring so much more to a character than film actors. My only quibble was that all the parents from Olav and Martha to Nicolai their servant and his wife looked too old to be parents to young children. The real Crown Prince Olav was in his twenties when his daughters were born and early thirties when Prince Harald (now King Harald) was born. These actors could almost pass as the children's grandparents rather than parents. Looking forward to the next episode though and more of FDR and Eleanor. 

[zoey1996]

I found this gripping. It's a part of history that is relatively unknown.  I can't imagine what it would have been like to live in those times, so it's good that it's being highlighted in this way.

Edited to add, when the dog was left behind, I knew she wouldn’t be long for this world. Good girl that she was too.

Edited April 5, 2021 by zoey1996

[QQQQ]

I enjoyed the first episode, although I thought how the men left the building and crossed an open field to seek cover in the forest was a bit odd. Seemed like it could have been done a bit more covertly/strategically.

[JasonCC]

Was completely riveted this first episode! I get it they wanted talented, Norwegian-speaking actors (and they are all good) but the beautiful Sofi Hein does seem a smidge too old to have kids that young back then. Prince Olav reads as thirtysomething to me. 

Production values were top notch and so was the pacing. 

Can't wait to see more of Harriet Sansom Harris as Eleanor Roosevelt. They should get creative with camera angles to make her seem TALL. Eleanor and Michelle Obama both were/are about 6ft without heels. 

 

[Blergh]

I liked it a great deal and kudos for them for having the performers speak in Norwegian (with English subtitles) when they were having the action take place in Norway instead of lazily having everything in English.  It also was refreshing that the union between Olaf and Martha was depicted as a love match despite them both having been royals with the marriage having been arranged.

Oh, as long as I'm here, the future Olaf V (King of Norway) had been born Prince Alexander  of Denmark in 1903 the only child of the then-Prince Carl of Denmark and his wife, born Princess Maud of Wales- in, of all places, Appleton House on his maternal grandparents' estate of Sandringham- yes, they were King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Well, in 1905,Norway had become an independent nation and elected Prince Carl to become their new king which he did as Haakon VII    and little Prince Alexander's name got changed to the more Scandinavian Olaf when  he became the Crown Prince . Oddly enough, they seemed to have no problems with Princess Maud of Denmark becoming Maud, Queen Consort of Norway- despite her given name having no Scandinavian ties .  Queen Maud had died in 1938 (and Haakon VII would never remarry) , so  by the time of the story's events, Crown Princess Martha was the Senior Royal lady of Norway. 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Blergh

[DoctorAtomic]

I've been holding my breath the whole episode. The escape from the Capitol was absolutely harrowing. 

Also agreed that this is a fresh pov on WWII. You don't really hear much about the North. Clearly, there was strategic value. 

[DanaK]

Entertaining so far

[marypat57]

I’ve really enjoyed this first episode, and I totally agree with @DoctorAtomic that it provides a fresh prospective on WWII. 

It has been very dramatic, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the episodes.  
 

I knew the actress playing Eleanor Roosevelt looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her.  Thanks to @lark37 for that info!

[Pallas]

It's a compelling idea for a series. The two escape sequences -- Olav's and Martha's -- were riveting. But the domestic scenes, so far, are stilted. The dialogue between the Roosevelts, and the foreshadowing of doom for the caretakers' children and the family pet, had all the subtlety of a safe falling out of a window. 

[JudyObscure]

I knew nothing about it and was riveted throughout the first episode.

Then disappointed to go to the PBS site and see the blurb, "A princess steals the heart of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II."  Didn't any pretty woman who walked past FDR steal his heart?  I've seen enough dramas where he not only cheats on his wonderful wife, but barely tries to hide it. 

[Blergh]

Poor Martha coming  so close to being a sitting duck with herself and her children having the likely fate of being prisoners and pawns in their own nation- in no small part thanks to her own uncle trying to placate the NAZIs. Thankfully, her husband and father-in-law had faith in her to know that installing her young son Harald as a puppet king   was NOT her idea and were able to reach out to FDR to protect her before she'd have been forced into that horrible fate.  Sad irony here is that FDR was infinitely more willing to stick his neck out to keep this young family safe- despite the US being technically neutral than her treacherous uncle was.  One also can't help but wonder how history might have been different had Crown Prince Olaf wound up being the leader of his nation's defenses. Would he have become a guerilla leader for the duration or would he have wound up being killed or( even more demoralizing to his subjects) captured?   I also liked that Haakon VII and Olaf having to camp out in a cabin until they were able to make their way to the UK (despite so narrowly avoiding the other ship's fate of being sunk), they seemed to adjust to not living in a palace with no complaints. 

Great job so far but I'm not happy that they dropped the thread of what became of the courtiers' family (with their elder children stuck in Oslo while the courtiers and their younger son were with the Royals). If they were going to have that initially depicted alongside with the Royals' journey, they should have continued the parallel story or at the very least mentioned what their fates were. 

[zoey1996]

I agree, we should find out what became of Ulla and Rolf. They are listed in future episodes, so we will find out later in the series.

So sweet that the children’s prayers included Vimsa, and daddy.  They don’t yet know with certainty what happened with either of them.

What a horrible situation Martha and her children were in, and put there by her relatives!  
 

[DanaK]

It seems a little odd that Masterpiece, usually showing British dramas, is showing a Norwegian drama. But the producer said in an interview it was a way to keep the pipeline open with shows when other programming had to shut down, so I appreciate her making the extra effort

[DoctorAtomic]

Why not though? It's a compelling story. I don't mind shows with subtitles. 

[Shanna Marie]

1 hour ago, DanaK said:

It seems a little odd that Masterpiece, usually showing British dramas, is showing a Norwegian drama.

I'm thrilled that they're showing this and that so much of it is in Norwegian because I'm attempting to learn Norwegian (my family's from there, so a trip is on my bucket list and it was something to do while stuck at home during the pandemic) and this gives me a chance to practice hearing the language. I mostly pick up on individual words and need the subtitles because Duolingo doesn't include a lot of words about war in its lessons. Alas, there have been no conversations about what ducks eat, bears drinking beer, giant spiders, or whether cats and dogs read the newspaper or I'd have had better luck understanding without subtitles. Almost every other Norwegian production I've found is a gritty crime drama, and this is more my speed.

I rather like the way this is done, with the characters speaking the language they'd have been speaking in reality rather than the usual movie/TV trope of them speaking English all the time with a fake accent. We get Norwegian when they're speaking Norwegian, I think they were speaking Swedish in Sweden (at least, I had a little harder time understanding it. The words are similar but the pronunciation is different), and English when they're in England and the US.

The tiny boy the fishermen were cheering at the end of the second episode is the current king of Norway.

[Bunnyette]

PBS has a facts vs fiction on its website and it’s true the fishermen did sing the Nation Anthem as the family went to the ship, in return the Crown Princess held up little Olav to them.

[Blergh]

I wish they had depicted how Martha and her children were able to get into Finland to take that boat that would prove their salvation. I seriously doubt that her uncle threw them a going away party in Stockholm . More likely   she and the U S American Ambassador wound up concocting an excuse for her and the others to visit Finland but, in reality, were sneaking her and the children away before they'd have been forced to have been NAZI prisoners and puppets. 

 

[lark37]

10 hours ago, Bunnyette said:

PBS has a facts vs fiction on its website and it’s true the fishermen did sing the Nation Anthem as the family went to the ship, in return the Crown Princess held up little Olav to them.

The Crown Princess is holding up future Norwegian King Harald not Olav. 

 

10 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

I'm thrilled that they're showing this and that so much of it is in Norwegian because I'm attempting to learn Norwegian (my family's from there, so a trip is on my bucket list and it was something to do while stuck at home during the pandemic) and this gives me a chance to practice hearing the language. I mostly pick up on individual words and need the subtitles because Duolingo doesn't include a lot of words about war in its lessons. Alas, there have been no conversations about what ducks eat, bears drinking beer, giant spiders, or whether cats and dogs read the newspaper or I'd have had better luck understanding without subtitles. Almost every other Norwegian production I've found is a gritty crime drama, and this is more my speed.

I rather like the way this is done, with the characters speaking the language they'd have been speaking in reality rather than the usual movie/TV trope of them speaking English all the time with a fake accent. We get Norwegian when they're speaking Norwegian, I think they were speaking Swedish in Sweden (at least, I had a little harder time understanding it. The words are similar but the pronunciation is different), and English when they're in England and the US.

The tiny boy the fishermen were cheering at the end of the second episode is the current king of Norway.

I loved Home for Christmas--a Norwegian comedy on Netflix. There are currently 2 seasons. 

Edited April 13, 2021 by lark37
Irrelevant information

[proserpina65]

I was hesitant to watch this because I'm kind of WWII-ed out and I'm not interested in the Roosevelts at all.  But I recorded it, just in case, and decided to watch part 1 on Saturday when I just wanted something I didn't necessarily have to pay a lot of attention to.  Yeah, uh-huh, that worked out, lol.

The story turned out to be very absorbing, and I liked that everyone was speaking the native languages of the country where they were.  I was drawn in quickly by the main performances.  Sofia Helin, Tobias Santelmann and Soren Pilmark are all fantastic.  They really made me care about these people so much that I had to google the history.  (And then went down the rabbit hole of looking at current hot crown princes of Europe - Carl Philip of Sweden wins.)

I'm not sure how much I'll like it once Martha and the children get to America, but we'll see.  From what I understand, there was talk about FDR's obvious interest in her, but nothing actually happened.  And I did discover that Olav and Martha lived in Bethesda, Maryland while here in exile.

I can't say that much good has come of this pandemic, but if nothing else, it's allowed PBS to look farther afield for programming and that's a great thing.

[Driad]

Article on stamps and genealogy that begins with Crown Princess Martha and her family.

[DoctorAtomic]

I was surprised that the price was put for the chief of defense. That had to be highly unusual. Clearly the king did not approve. The prince looked so crestfallen. 

I mean, I don't care about royalty at all but the actors are incredible. I was so sad when Norway got beat even though it already happened. 

I don't get why the king and prince had to always be together. It seems to high risk. The king himself told the prince that he was more important. The king should have stayed behind and then just effectively abdicated if he was caught. 

Edited April 15, 2021 by DoctorAtomic

[meep.meep]

To add to the discussion of languages on the show - in the scene with the German ambassador, he and the king were both speaking German.

[DoctorAtomic]

59 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

To add to the discussion of languages on the show - in the scene with the German ambassador, he and the king were both speaking German.

I actually noticed the difference. I perked up because it meant the king might be shady. 

 

[meep.meep]

Me too.  All of a sudden I could understand what they were saying.

And who doesn't like the Swedish cheer:  Hoo ray, Hoo ray, Hoo ray, Hoo ray!

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't speak it, but for someone who lived in a foreign country I'm kind of tuned to differences. I like that the show just ran with it and required the viewer to pay attention. 

Same thing. I didn't know the king and prince were meeting with the king and queen of England until George stuttered. 

Edited April 15, 2021 by DoctorAtomic

[Blergh]

Of course, it should be noted that Windsors as well as the Norwegian and Danish royals at the start of WWII were all almost entirely German in origin. Ironically, the Swedish royal family the Bernadottes were founded by a French associate to Napoleon but even they had wound up marrying German or German-ancestored wives so they,too, had largely  German origins. Oh, and virtually all of them (apart from the future British Queen Mother who grew up in the UK and was mainly Scottish) grew up having learned German as a second language. 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Blergh

[Blergh]

What a relief that they made it across the Atlantic (despite getting so close to that German mine and Prince Harald being depicted as nearly getting poisoned by that pill). No surprise that FDR seemed to enjoy the Crown Princess's company but I think she'd better move out of the White House ASAP or else this could cause quite a few needless misunderstandings. Sad to say, I think this production will be delving into speculation if not gossip as opposed to the actual struggles of the Norwegian Royals from this point on. One odd thing here was that her servant sure picked up on the Roosevelt marriage gossip real fast but where did SHE hear it from? It's unclear if she herself speaks English or could she have gotten it all from the Norwegian Ambassador?  Also, one big historical groaner was when they said that Martha would need to be interviewed for newspapers, radios. ..and television. In 1940, there was only the most sporadic broadcasts made in the NYC area to a rather tiny audience as the few sets for sale were rather out of budget for most Depression burdened households (and nowhere else in the US).

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

One odd thing here was that her servant sure picked up on the Roosevelt marriage gossip real fast but where did SHE hear it from?

The staff in the WH.  Missy seems to ruffle feathers quite easily, I'm sure there are other staffers in the WH eager to spill the tea.

I did love FDR's 'Eleanor's busy running the country' line.

[Blergh]

On 4/19/2021 at 9:46 AM, sugarbaker design said:

The staff in the WH.  Missy seems to ruffle feathers quite easily, I'm sure there are other staffers in the WH eager to spill the tea.

I did love FDR's 'Eleanor's busy running the country' line.

But it's unclear whether the servant herself spoke English (and for that matter would the White House staff truly have felt like unburdening themselves to this houseguest's servant- even if she DID speak English?). 

Yes, I'm sure that the staff may not have liked the idea of Miss LeHand queening it over them as though she was the First Lady despite her officially being solely the President's secretary but I'm not sure they'd have voiced their speculations to the other character  who was a virtual stranger to them so quickly. 

Of course, if they DID, it's likely they'd have expected the Norwegian attendant to have given THEM so gossip about the Norwegian Royals. 

IMO, it's more likely that Martha's servant did not hear the scuttlebutt at that time (if ever)  but that this was put into the script to acknowledge what would not heard for decades by the general public. 

[sugarbaker design]

I have no problem believing a bitter member of the FDR downstairs staff would spill the tea with a visiting princess's aide.  I have no problem believing that aide would be conversant in English and share stories of border crashings, car chases and ocean mines.  Of course the WH staff knew about the Roosevelt's areangement.  And while FDR & EDRs infidelities were never aired by the MSM, rumors about such were rife.

[meep.meep]

The Rooseveldts were much more concerned that no photos showing that the President was crippled were ever shown.  Rumors about him having affairs would push his image as a virile vibrant man.

I've heard that remark from Queen Elizabeth about not leaving before, but stated that way to a king and crown prince in exile, it was particularly stinging.

[Blergh]

21 hours ago, meep.meep said:

The Rooseveldts were much more concerned that no photos showing that the President was crippled were ever shown.  Rumors about him having affairs would push his image as a virile vibrant man.

I've heard that remark from Queen Elizabeth about not leaving before, but stated that way to a king and crown prince in exile, it was particularly stinging.

There were plenty of photos circulated showing President Roosevelt cavorting around in swimming pools (and he himself was proud that he had 'Jack Demsey's upper physique)  so until the last few years of his life, the public had little if any reason not to believe he wasn't a virile, vibrant man.

However, in an age when divorce would finish a political career, I'm not sure the Roosevelts would have been so keen for the public to believe he was having extramarital affairs (which is one reason WHY this was somewhat kept hushed up for decades after his death). In Latin America and Continental nations, a leader cavorting with his secretary while his wife stayed away would have been dealt with a nudge and a wink but not in pre-1960's US or the UK. 

Now, as to what the WH servants knew/believed and/or concocted out of thin air  and when is another story  (and it would have helped make the case for them having possibly passed on their speculations had the Norwegian servant   been depicted conversing in English). 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Blergh

[JasonCC]

Not quite getting this vibe from the show yet, but based on the books and documentaries I've always felt a little sorry for Missy LeHand. Devoting her life to her boss, no romantic life of her own that I know of. I've always got the sense Eleanor felt a little sorry for her too. By this point in their partnership and marriage she knew what was what. FDR clearly loves being the center of crowd, being doted on, flirting, small talk--even shallow gossip in the middle of a world crisis. The Roosevelt marriage always seems to be the epitome of a natural introvert (Eleanor) and natural extrovert (FDR)..and the show does seem to touch on this aspect. He has to "recharge his battery" in the midst of a global spreading war through his infamous WH cocktail hours, seeing people, being social. Eleanor is able to be "his feet on the ground" (events, speeches, visiting working people in coal mines and tenements) but she needs to "recharge her battery" with serious solitude. She hates the DC social circuit but will tolerate it when it has advantages for the goals of their partnership.

[Blergh]

19 minutes ago, JasonCC said:

Not quite getting this vibe from the show yet, but based on the books and documentaries I've always felt a little sorry for Missy LeHand. Devoting her life to her boss, no romantic life of her own that I know of. I've always got the sense Eleanor felt a little sorry for her too. By this point in their partnership and marriage she knew what was what. FDR clearly loves being the center of crowd, being doted on, flirting, small talk--even shallow gossip in the middle of a world crisis. The Roosevelt marriage always seems to be the epitome of a natural introvert (Eleanor) and natural extrovert (FDR)..and the show does seem to touch on this aspect. He has to "recharge his battery" in the midst of a global spreading war through his infamous WH cocktail hours, seeing people, being social. Eleanor is able to be "his feet on the ground" (events, speeches, visiting working people in coal mines and tenements) but she needs to "recharge her battery" with serious solitude. She hates the DC social circuit but will tolerate it when it has advantages for the goals of their partnership.

Very good summary of things but I wonder how deeply this series will delve into that?  Also, will the series make note that Miss LeHand had an adjoining bedroom to FDR and that it had been approved by Eleanor herself? Well, it should be interesting to see Crown Princess Martha's possible reaction to :

Spoiler

Miss LeHand suffering a   stroke at age 44 in 1941 which would  severely debilitate her and compel her to be sent away from DC before her early death at age 47 in 1944. 

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Blergh

[proserpina65]

I have to confess, I'm much less interested in what's going on in America than I am what's happening to Olav and Haakon in London, even if I do find Martha to be a compelling character.  I'll definitely keep watching though.

As to the info about the Roosevelt marriage, it's possible the aide overheard staff gossiping amongst themselves.

[Wallaby724]

I don't think the show has indicated either way whether the staff speak English or not, but historically Ragni (Martha's lady-in-waiting) did speak English (and French, Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish). (She grew up in Finland with Norwegian and Finnish parents, went to Swedish schools, and traveled extensively in France and England as a teenager.) So yes she definitely could have understood White House staff gossiping in English. :-)

I'm a Scandinavian royal history nerd. ;-)

[Driad]

This PBS page has special features for Atlantic Crossing, including a "Fact or Fiction" article for each episode that has aired.

[Dehumidifier]

Watched Episode 3 last night . They made FDR look like a clown. 

[Dehumidifier]

8 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

Watched Episode 3 last night . They made FDR look like a clown. 

Episode 4, just can't think of how to describe tonight's FDR. Just know I felt angry (at him) after the episode ended.

[zoey1996]

14 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

Episode 4, just can't think of how to describe tonight's FDR. Just know I felt angry (at him) after the episode ended.

Why did you feel angry at FDR?

I suspect the adults know that Vimsla died but are keeping it from the children. Sweet that they got another dog for them in America.

We heard that Ulla and Rolf are all right, whatever that means.

The Roosevelt’s marriage has been hard for many to understand, me included. I thought It was...interesting that Martha asked Eleanor to stay while she talked to Franklin about helping Norway, and brought up help already being given to Great Britain. I didn’t understand that Lend/lease started prior to the US entering into WWII following Pearl Harbor. 
Was the general reaction to the USA entering into the war by supporting GB & Norway as negative as shown? It sometimes seems as if we’ve become numb to politicians flip-flopping positions/lying to us.

[Passing Strange]

On 4/25/2021 at 1:46 PM, Dehumidifier said:

Watched Episode 3 last night . They made FDR look like a clown. 

Exactly, they made him a skirt chasing buffoon. Worse, in the fourth episode they made it look like he designed the lend-lease program because of Martha's influence. In reality, it was part of a long term plan for the US to be ready in case of war, which Roosevelt believed was inevitable. We don't know a lot about Martha, so it makes sense that the writers need to extrapolate from what we do know, i.e., make stuff up. We know a lot about Roosevelt and I wish they'd try for a realistic representation of him. It doesn't help that Kyle MacLachan's characterization seems to depend mostly on broad gestures and waving a cigar around.

2 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

The Roosevelt’s marriage has been hard for many to understand, me included. I thought It was...interesting that Martha asked Eleanor to stay while she talked to Franklin about helping Norway, and brought up help already being given to Great Britain.

Actually, this was an accurate representation, at least of the fact that Eleanor and Franklin were partners intellectually and emotionally, if not sexually. As a couple they were intriguing. Way ahead of their time, I think.

[Dehumidifier]

3 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Why did you feel angry at FDR? 

Was the general reaction to the USA entering into the war by supporting GB & Norway as negative as shown? It sometimes seems as if we’ve become numb to politicians flip-flopping positions/lying to us.

You answered your own question there.

My father's family lost two members in WW2. I don't think they were fans of FDR. My father used to say the Democrats always get the country into wars.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Dehumidifier

[zoey1996]

1 hour ago, Dehumidifier said:

You answered your own question there.

No, you did.  I didn't know if it was because of the turn to war involvement, FDR's womanizing, or something else I hadn't picked up on.  I understand your comment better now.

 

2 hours ago, Passing Strange said:

accurate representation, at least of the fact that Eleanor and Franklin were partners intellectually and emotionally,

I agree with that. I didn't realize that Martha understood that until she asked Eleanor to stay.

[Bunnyette]

Princess Astrid is still alive and helps her brother Harald out with a number of duties.  I’d love to see an interview with her about her time in the US...yes I think the adults knew poor Vismla was a victim of the Nazis so agreed to the new puppy.   According to what I read online Martha actually visited Olav in the UK and went with Roosevelt to meet Churchill in 1941.  I hope they show that!

[Blergh]

Since Eleanor DID want to help refugees from war-torn Europe, I seriously doubt she'd have opposed FDR's plan but maybe she DID pick up on him having more than merely charitable impulses towards the Crown Princess. Still, I think by that point, they'd come to an 'agreement' that as long as they each supported their respective agendae and treated each other with respect, neither would attempt to rock the boat!

[meep.meep]

This is fiction, not history.  It is written to put the most flattering light possible on Princess Marthe.  I doubt she was involved in any of the politics, other than trying to get a meeting between the ambassador and the President.  FDR was known to flirt with any  woman around him, but his marriage was successful intellectually.  They also had 6 children.

[JudyObscure]

I'm not surprised this series makes FDR look like a buffoon, it's the standard American stereotype in British productions.  The only episode of "The Crown," I didn't like was the one in which the  JFK visited and acted like he's been raised in a log cabin.  Maybe the writers confused him with Lincoln?

I take all the historian's speculations about the Roosevelt love life with a grain of salt.  Most well to do couples at that time had separate bedrooms and women usually traveled and stayed with other women. The couple may have had  an understanding, or that might just be a convenient way to make excuses for FDR.  I  think it would be hard to know exactly how Eleanor felt about the whole thing.

[DoctorAtomic]

I'm not really seeing FDR as a buffoon. He's not the main character, so when you see him with Martha, he's basically taking a break from being the president. His monologue about being 'tired to his chair' was good. 

I don't mind it's fictionalized. Sure, Martha probably didn't have those conversations with FDR, but it's not like we didn't know FDR wasn't angling for a way around neutrality either. 

Martha is getting dumped on right and left. All of a sudden everyone is expecting her to be a career ambassador. 

Her FDR impression was hilarious. 

Edited April 29, 2021 by DoctorAtomic

[Dowel Jones]

On 4/26/2021 at 10:50 AM, zoey1996 said:

Was the general reaction to the USA entering into the war by supporting GB & Norway as negative as shown?

Yes, I think it was, from what I've read and seen on programs.  The tragedy of WWI was still fresh in many people's mind, and there were strong feelings that we were drawn into an imperialist war to benefit bankers and industrialists.  Much of this was disseminated by the German-American organizations, and helped along by various celebrities such as Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh.  In retrospect, it's hard for me to imagine why US citizens would think that isolationism would save the world from tyrants like Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo. 

I liked the effort put into showing the human effect of the war and the invasion of Norway had on the kids in the family.  They have no idea what's going on, and in their minds it's all just so unfair, etc.  I also saw that they took pains to show some of the disconnect between the royals and the common citizens.  Martha scolds FDR for essentially following the law of the Neutrality Acts (as he is required to do), instead of just acting unilaterally to do what he thinks is right.  She apparently didn't grasp the concept that, in a democracy, actions have consequences in an election year.

ETA:  I think they touched on this a bit during the pre-election meetings, but, relative to the isolationist sentiment, was the concern about where it was located, i.e., in states that were critical to FDR's re-election, and their associated electoral votes.

On 4/28/2021 at 9:58 AM, Blergh said:

Since Eleanor DID want to help refugees from war-torn Europe...

They mentioned a ship tied up in New York with Jewish refugees.  Was this the one the was turned away and forced to sail back to Europe?  Most of the passengers did not survive the war.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Dowel Jones