Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

irinne-99873 I used to love this show and still like a few characters, but it's becoming so politically correct, I'm starting to hate it. A snow lady, really? And I'm sure that back in the '60's racists were considered ignorant and rude, as this show suggests. You've talked enough about discrimination, you've had a lesbian couple, enough with your progressive agenda already. Not to mention how hard it is to buy the Alexandra-Trixie moment. It was love at first sight, they spend so much time together and all of a sudden she's been wetting her bed for a month because of Trixie.It looks like you've just run out of ideas and are desperately trying to find a plot twist, just like when Trixie outed herself as an alcoholic - that came out of nowhere, just like her breakup with Christopher.

trevorrg Series based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. It helps us to understand how life was for women in childbirth in the 1950's in the East End of London. It deals with issues like Downs Syndrome, Thalidomide. Polio, Deafness. I find it very enjoyable.

George Wright I think we need more movies that embody the values of people who follow their conscience and do what's right for themselves and others. Call the Midwife is a fine example. Nonatus House is a convent for a group of Anglican nursing sisters in the east end of London, post World War II. Sister Julienne, the sister superior, is played by Jenny Agutter who brings us an example of discipline softened by love for her community of sisters and caring for the neighbourhood they serve. The narrator, whose voice is that of Vanessa Redgrave, describes her life at the house before she chooses to marry and take up family life. At one point we see her as an elderly woman at home in the present. Her writing is beautiful and describes the values they lived by. Judy Parfitt is Sister Monica, who often becomes a counsellor to the younger nuns, patients and friends in the community. Although afflicted by dementia, she speaks truth in confused situations. Her zest for life can be the spark that gives hope and takes others out of an often tragic world. The minor characters and the neighbours provide their own stories, like the thalidomide babies or the loss of babies and mothers in childbirth. We also see how the Nonatus nuns cope with poverty and failed marriages among the women who come for help. The improvements brought by government medical care are shown as the series evolves. Changes in the cast and their personal lives also reflect reality. We do not view plaster saints but for the most part, people with the same hopes and dreams as everyone. They are flawed but their best instincts usually prevail. It is good for us to view the hardships that life can serve up and see how good people come to terms with severe setbacks in a hopeful and positive way. It is truly inspiring.

graduatedan It's hard to believe that anyone could be as compassionate and tender as the midwives in Call the Midwife, compassion and tenderness being rare qualities in the increasingly disconnected world of the 21st century. I suspect those qualities are a real incentive for even the casual viewer of this series, which depicts the lives of midwives toiling in the east London of the late 50s- early 1960s. The world of almost 60 years ago was a very different one from today, both from a social and technological standpoint. I'm impressed by the attention to detail in the series, which allows viewers to immerse themselves in the stories, which touch upon issues such as abortion and incest, as well as the then real threats of polio and tuberculosis. More recent stories have even addressed the thalidomide tragedy. The acting is, without exception, top notch, especially that of Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan. I tend to be especially critical of shows that rely on lachrymose sentimentality to further the story. Call the Midwife is at times tender, sweet tempered and, well, nice, but never false as it displays the panorama of the human condition.