stringtranslate.com

The Man in the High Castle (TV series)

The Man in the High Castle is an American dystopian alternate history television series created for streaming service Amazon Prime Video, depicting a parallel universe where the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan rule the world after their victory in World War II. It was created by Frank Spotnitz and produced by Amazon Studios, Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions (with Scott serving as executive producer), Headline Pictures, Electric Shepherd Productions, and Big Light Productions.[1][2] The series is based on Philip K. Dick's 1962 novel of the same name.[1]

The pilot premiered in January 2015, and Amazon ordered a ten-episode season the following month which was released in November. A second season of ten episodes premiered in December 2016, and a third season was released on October 5, 2018. The fourth and final season premiered on November 15, 2019.

Setting

Set in 1962, the series' main setting is a parallel universe where the Axis powers have won World War II in 1946 after Giuseppe Zangara successfully assassinates United States President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, creating a series of developments that include the Germans dropping an atomic bomb on Washington, D.C. (now renamed "District of Contamination"). The German Reich extends to Europe and Africa and the Empire of Japan comprises Asia, but most of the series is set in the former US and in Germany proper. Adolf Hitler is dictator of most of the world. The Emperor of Japan is ruler of most of the rest of the world. Although the real life Axis included Fascist Italy under the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini, only the Japanese and German factions of the Axis are depicted in this fictional world. There are no Italians in the scenario, nor is Mussolini accounted for, except as an image in one of the mysterious newsreels, with the Führer.

Flag of the Japanese Pacific States, part of the Empire of Japan

Western North America, now part of the "Japanese Pacific States", is occupied by the technologically less-advanced Shōwa-period Empire of Japan, which has assimilated its formerly American citizens into Japanese culture, although high-class ethnic Japanese are extremely fascinated by pre-War American culture. Japan's Trade and Science ministers work in the Pacific States' capital, San Francisco. The Japanese rulers subject non-Japanese people to discrimination and grant them fewer rights.

Flag of Nazi America, part of the Greater Nazi Reich

Eastern and Midwestern North America is a colony controlled by the Greater Nazi Reich (GNR) under an aging Führer Adolf Hitler. The colony, headed by a "Reichsmarschall of North America", is commonly referred to as "Nazi America" or "the American Reich" and its capital is New York City. The Nazis continue to hunt minorities and euthanize the physically and mentally sick. Fictional developments of 1960s technology such as video phones (History of videotelephony), live surveillance video (CCTV), and supersonic jetliners (as was the real-life SST) that were technologically available in the '60s but never commercially produced are featured in the series.

The US as depicted in the television series. Though Denver is the capital of the Neutral Zone, Cañon City, Colorado, is a major setting.

A Neutral Zone, which encompasses the Rocky Mountains, serves as a buffer zone between the Japanese Pacific States and Nazi America due to Cold War–like tensions between the German and Japanese blocs. Another buffer zone is present in the Urals.

Films collected by the eponymous "Man in the High Castle" are newsreels depicting numerous other Earths, including some where the Allies were victorious, some featuring executed Allied leaders (such as Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin), and some where an American resistance is doing well. The events depicted include both actual history and other possible alternate timelines.

Cast

Main

Recurring

John Smith's family

Juliana Crain's family

Nobusuke Tagomi's family

Historical characters

Episodes

Season 1 (2015)

Season 2 (2016)

Season 3 (2018)

Season 4 (2019)

Production

Development

In 2010, it was announced that the BBC would co-produce a four-part TV adaptation of The Man in the High Castle for BBC One together with Headline Pictures, FremantleMedia Enterprises and Scott Free Films. Director Ridley Scott was to act as executive producer of the adaptation by Howard Brenton.[7] On February 11, 2013, Variety reported that Syfy was producing the book as a four-part miniseries, with Frank Spotnitz and Scott as executive producers, co-produced with Scott Free Productions, Headline Pictures and Electric Shepherd Prods.[8]

On October 1, 2014, Amazon Studios began filming the pilot episode for a potential television drama to be broadcast on their Prime web video streaming service.[9] Adapted by Spotnitz, the project was produced for Amazon by Scott, David Zucker and Jordan Sheehan for Scott Free, Stewart Mackinnon and Christian Baute for Headline Pictures, Isa Hackett and Kalen Egan for Electric Shepherd and Spotnitz's Big Light Productions.[2] The pilot was released by Amazon Studios on January 15, 2015.[10] Amazon Studios' production process is somewhat different from those of other conventional television channels in that they produce pilot episodes of a number of different prospective programs, then release them and gather data on their success. The most promising shows are then picked up as regular series. On February 18, 2015, Amazon announced that The Man in the High Castle was green-lit along with four other series, and a full season would be produced.[11]

The pilot, which premiered in January 2015, was Amazon's "most-watched since the original series development program began". The next month, Amazon ordered a ten-episode season, which was released in November to positive reviews.[12][13][14] A second season of ten episodes premiered in December 2016, and a third season was announced a few weeks later.[15][16][17] Amazon announced in January 2017 that they were bringing on new executive producer and showrunner Eric Overmyer for the third season to replace Spotnitz, who had departed from the show during the second season.[18] Season three was released on October 5, 2018.[15][16][17] In July 2018, it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the series had been renewed for a fourth season,[19] which was confirmed in February 2019 to be the last one of the series.[20] Daniel Percival and David Scarpa took over as showrunners for the final season.[21]

Filming

Principal filming for the pilot took place in Seattle, with the city standing in for San Francisco and locations in New York City. Filming also took place in Roslyn, Washington, with the town standing in for Canon City and other Neutral Zone locations. Sites used in Seattle include the Seattle Center Monorail, the Paramount Theatre, a newspaper office in the Pike Place Market area, as well as various buildings in the city's Capitol Hill, International District, and Georgetown neighborhoods. In Roslyn, the production used external shots of the Roslyn Cafe, along with several local businesses and scenery.[22][23]

For the series, filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Specific filming locations included West Georgia Street in the city's downtown core, and the promenade of the Coast Capital Savings building in April 2015.[24] In May and June 2015, filming also took place at the University of British Columbia.[25] Exterior shots of Hohenwerfen Castle in Werfen, Austria, were filmed in September 2015 for the tenth episode of the first season.[26] The interior scene where Hitler and Rudolph Wegener meet was shot on the ground floor of the Bell Tower.

Release

The first and second episodes were screened at a special Comic-Con event. The season premiered on November 20, 2015.[27][28] The second season was released on December 16, 2016.[29] The third season was released on October 5, 2018.[16] The fourth season was released on November 15, 2019.[30]

Reception

The pilot was Amazon's "most-watched since the original series development program began".[12] The first season received critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an approval rating of 95% based on reviews from 62 critics, with an average rating of 7.5 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states, "By executive producer Ridley Scott, The Man in the High Castle is unlike anything else on TV, with an immediately engrossing plot driven by quickly developed characters in a fully realized post-WWII dystopia."[31] Metacritic gives the first season a score of 77 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32] Meredith Woerner from io9 wrote, "I can honestly say I loved this pilot. It's an impressive, streamlined undertaking of a fairly complicated and very beloved novel."[38] Matt Fowler from IGN gave it 9.2 out of 10 and described the series as "a superb, frightening experience filled with unexpected twists and (some sci-fi) turns".[39] Brian Moylan of The Guardian was positive and praised the convincing depiction as well as the complex and gripping plot.[40] The Los Angeles Times described the pilot as "provocative" and "smartly adapted by The X-Files' Frank Spotnitz". The Daily Telegraph said it was "absorbing", and Wired called it "must-see viewing". Entertainment Weekly said it was "engrossing" and "a triumph in world-building", cheering, "The Man in the High Castle is king." After the season, Rolling Stone included it on a list of the 40 best science fiction television shows of all time.[41] Amazon subsequently announced it was the service's most-streamed original series and had been renewed for a second season.[42][43]

The second season received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an approval rating of 64%, based on reviews from 25 critics with an average rating of 7 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states, "Although its plot is admittedly unwieldy, The Man in the High Castle's second season expands its fascinating premise in powerful new directions, bolstered by stunning visuals, strong performances, and intriguing new possibilities."[33] Metacritic gave season 2 a score of 62 out of 100, based on reviews from ten critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]

The third season was met with positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an approval rating of 86%, based on reviews from 21 critics with an average rating of 7.4 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states, "The crafty addition of minor sci-fi elements and a terrific William Forsythe to the show's already engrossing narrative make The Man in the High Castle's third season another worthy binge."[35] Metacritic gives season 3 a score of 70 out of 100, based on reviews from five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[36]

The fourth season received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an approval rating of 92%, based on reviews from 13 critics with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states, "The Man in the High Castle finds something close to closure, wrapping up major threads to bring everything full circle in sufficiently dramatic fashion."[37]

Accolades

Advertising controversy

As part of an advertising campaign for the season one release, an entire New York City Subway car was covered with Nazi and Imperial Japanese imagery, as seen in the show, including multiple US flags with the Imperial Eagle symbol in place of the 50 stars (a change from the swastika used on the flag in the show), and multiple flags of the fictional Pacific States.[64]In response to criticism from "state lawmakers and city leaders", the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released a statement saying that there were no grounds to reject the ads because the neutral content subway ad standards prohibit only advertising that is a political advertisement or disparages an individual or group. MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz stated, "The MTA is a government agency and can't accept or reject ads based on how we feel about them; we have to follow the standards approved by our board. Please note they're commercial ads." Spokesperson Adam Lisberg said, "This advertising, whether you find it distasteful or not, obviously they're not advertising Nazism; they're advertising a TV show."[65]

After complaints from New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, initial reports indicated that Amazon pulled the advertisement from the subway. It was later announced that it was the MTA, not Amazon, that pulled the ad because of pressure from Cuomo.[65]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle". Amazon Prime Video.
  2. ^ a b "TV Review: The Man in the High Castle". Variety. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Nelson, Samantha (September 27, 2018). "Season 3 of The Man in the High Castle doubles down on science fiction — and stumbles". The Verge.
  4. ^ Petski, Denise (April 15, 2016). "Callum Keith Rennie joins Amazon's Man in the High Castle; Rafael de la Fuente in When We Rise ABC Miniseries". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  5. ^ Petski, Denise (April 6, 2016). "Bella Heathcote joins Man in the High Castle; Warren Christie in Eyewitness". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  6. ^ "FX's Tyrant casts Annet Mahendru; Sebastian Roché in Amazon's Man in the High Castle". Deadline Hollywood.
  7. ^ Sweney, Mark (October 7, 2010). "Ridley Scott to return to work of sci-fi icon for BBC mini-series". The Guardian. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  8. ^ Marechal, A.J. (February 10, 2013). "Syfy, Ridley Scott, Frank Spotnitz set miniseries". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 24, 2014). "Amazon Studios adds drama The Man in the High Castle, comedy Just Add Magic to pilot slate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  10. ^ "The Man in the High Castle: Season 1, Episode 1". Amazon. January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  11. ^ "Amazon greenlights full seasons of Mad Dogs, The Man in the High Castle, The New Yorker Presents, and children's shows Just Add Magic and The Stinky & Dirty Show" (Press release). February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy; Andreeva, Nellie. "Amazon orders 5 original series including Man in the High Castle, Mad Dogs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  13. ^ Spotnitz, Frank [@FrankSpotnitz] (August 17, 2015). "@dlairman @HighCastleTV Ten" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Fienberg, Daniel [@TheFienPrint] (August 3, 2015). "Time for 'Man in the High Castle,' which premieres on November 20 on #Amazon. #TCA15" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle season 2 premiere date: Season releases Dec. 16". Den of Geek. August 12, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Trendacosta, Katharine (January 3, 2017). "The Man in the High Castle Gets Another Season and Another Showrunner". Gizmodo. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Amazon Prime Video (October 6, 2017). "The Man in the High Castle Season 3 – Exclusive: New York Comic Con Sneak Peek". Archived from the original on October 30, 2021 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 3, 2017). "The Man In the High Castle Renewed For Season 3 By Amazon, Gets A Showrunner". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  19. ^ Patten, Dominic (July 21, 2018). "Man In The High Castle Renewed For Season 4; Unveils Season 3 Premiere Date & Trailer – Comic-Con". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  20. ^ Patten, Dominic (February 19, 2019). "Man In The High Castle's 4th Season To Be Last For Amazon's Alt-History Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  21. ^ Oewn, Phil (July 20, 2019). ""Man in the High Castle": Get First Look at Final Season for November Launch". The Wrap. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  22. ^ Muir, Pat (October 6, 2014). "Roslyn hopes new TV show brings 15 more minutes of fame: The Man in the High Castle". Yakima Herald-Republic. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020.
  23. ^ "Amazon builds film sets around DJC Building". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
  24. ^ "Shoot: The Man in the High Castle's American Nazi John Smith (Rufus Sewell) films at Vancouver's Arthur Erickson-designed concrete tower". YVRShoots.com. April 21, 2015. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  25. ^ Hauen, Jack (June 1, 2015). "The Man in the High Castle is filming at UBC". The Ubyssey. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  26. ^ "Hakenkreuzflagge flatterte auf der Burg Hohenwerfen" [Swastika flag flutters on Hohenwerfen Castle]. Salzburger Nachrichten (in German). September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015.
  27. ^ "A New Trailer for The Man in the High Castle and Episode Two Preview". Newsweek. July 13, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  28. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (August 3, 2015). "The Man in the High Castle Creator Frank Spotnitz on Creating Alternate Histories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  29. ^ "The Man in the High Castle Season 2 Release Date, Trailer, and Review". Den of Geek. December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  30. ^ "Amazon Prime for November 2019: More 'Jack Ryan,' 'The Report,' 'Man in the High Castle'". USA Today. October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  31. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  32. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  33. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  34. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle: Season 2". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  35. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle: Season 3". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  37. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle: Season 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  38. ^ Woerner, Meredith (January 16, 2015). "Man in the High Castle is wildly different from the book but still great". io9. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  39. ^ "The Man in the High Castle: Series 1 review". IGN. November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  40. ^ "The Man in the High Castle: the Nazis win, but so do viewers". The Guardian. November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  41. ^ [dead link]Adams, Sam; Collins, Sean T.; Fear, David; Murray, Noel; Scherer, Jenna; Tobias, Scott (May 26, 2016). "40 Best Science Fiction TV Shows of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  42. ^ "The Man in the High Castle is Amazon's most-watched Original". The Hollywood Reporter. December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  43. ^ "Amazon Original Series The Man in the High Castle, Recently Renewed for Season Two, Marks Biggest Launch Month in Prime Video History" (Press release). Amazon Studios. December 21, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  44. ^ "Best New Series – IGN's Best of 2015 – IGN". IGN. December 11, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  45. ^ The Man in the High Castle – IMDb, retrieved September 28, 2022
  46. ^ "The ASC – Past ASC Awards". www.theasc.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  47. ^ a b "The Man in the High Castle". Emmys. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  48. ^ "Best Picture – Critics' Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. January 17, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  49. ^ Knox, David (June 17, 2016). "Monte Carlo TV Festival 2016: winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  50. ^ Bryant, Jacob (February 24, 2016). "'Star Wars,' 'Mad Max,' 'Walking Dead' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  51. ^ "USC Scripter Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. February 17, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  52. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 10, 2017). "'Rogue One' Leads Visual Effects Society Feature Competition With 7 Nominations As 'Doctor Strange,' 'Jungle Book' Grab 6 Each". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  53. ^ "2016 Young Artist Awards » Young Artist Awards". October 30, 2016. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  54. ^ "The Casting Society of America". www.castingsociety.com. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  55. ^ "Outstanding Fantasy Television Series". costumedesignersguild.com. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  56. ^ "Leo Awards, Nominees by Name 2017". www.leoawards.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  57. ^ "Outstanding Locations in a Period TV Series – 'Hidden Figures,' 'La La Land' Among Location Managers Guild Award Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  58. ^ McNary, Dave (March 2, 2017). "Saturn Awards Nominations 2017: 'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  59. ^ "Nominations Announced For The 6th Annual Location Managers Guild International Awards". SHOOT online. July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  60. ^ Caranicas, Peter (September 21, 2019). "'Mission: Impossible – Fallout' and 'Roma' Win LMGI Awards for Motion Pictures". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  61. ^ "2018 Awards Nominees". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  62. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (January 15, 2019). "Avengers,' 'Lost in Space,' 'Ready Player One' Lead Visual Effects Society Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  63. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 7, 2020). "VES Awards Nominations: 'The Lion King', 'Alita: Battle Angel', 'The Mandalorian' & 'GoT' Top List". Deadline. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  64. ^ "New York Subway pulls Nazi-themed ads for new show, Man in the High Castle". NPR. November 25, 2015.
  65. ^ a b "Man in the High Castle subway ads, featuring Nazi symbols, removed from trains". CBS New York. November 24, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to The Man in the High Castle.