Before 'The Day of the Jackal,' Eddie Redmayne Was a Haunted Soldier in This Dark WWI Miniseries

If, like the rest of us, you can't get over Eddie Redmayne's chameleon-like portrayal of a masterful assassin juggling an ice-cold killer's touch with the sensibility of a devoted family man, then we've got good news. There's an underrated show that you need to watch while waiting for the next season of The Day of the Jackal. Written by Abi Morgan and directed by Philip Martin, Birdsong is a historical drama that was released in 2012 and features Redmayne, Clémence Poésy, Richard Madden, Joseph Mawle, and Matthew Goode. Adapted from Sebastian Faulks's novel of the same name, the two-part series is the story of Stephen Wraysford, a WWI soldier struggling to survive the unpredictable nature of trench warfare as he looks back on the unfulfilled promise of a romance that went awry.

Having shown us a darker side in the Peacock series, The Day of the Jackal through his precise ability to blend cold precision with emotional depth, Birdsong is unlike anything the Oscar winner has ever done. In this underrated series, Redmayne brings to life the inner turmoil of a man torn between love and trauma. With complex characters and an inner turmoil that builds strong viewer resonance, the performance is a haunting one that showcases his range in a gripping, tragic series.

'Birdsong' Chronicles the Dual Lives of Stephen Wraysford

Birdsong is undoubtedly a vehicle for Redmayne to show his range and skills, and he delivers on both accounts. Just as he showed us in The Day of the Jackal, Redmayne mesmerizes with his portrayals of two very different characters within the same person. A good actor can play many shades depending on the character. It's the truly great ones that can embody several different shades within a single character. Redmayne switches from cold and aloof to warm and expressive within the same scene on the battlefield.

As the taciturn and stoic soldier, Wraysford (Redmayne) is hard to read as he keeps his emotions in check. While he appears cold and distant from the outside, the real Stephen, the one who's still grieving over his lost love, does come to the surface from time to time, especially during moments of danger, such as when he's holding on to a fallen soldier, asking him to think of his sweetheart as he bleeds to death. We get the feeling that, deep down, he's still the same sensitive, loving person. It's Redmayne's eyes that betray the hurt lurking just behind the facade. Perhaps he's been hurt by making himself vulnerable before, a mistake that he tries to avoid by keeping the men at a distance and avoiding emotions. On the surface, the two versions of Stephen are basically different characters, but how Redmayne brings about the steely resolve in the younger version and the softer side in the war-weary older version is praiseworthy.

'Birdsong' Conveys the Unpredictable Nature of Love

Stephen's backstory is revealed in small poignant flashes in which we see a more naive and expressive version of him, as he's intrigued by the quiet depth of Isabelle (Poesy) and the hidden pain and unhappiness he senses. Slowly, through chance encounters on cobbled streets and in lush green forests, he finds himself being pulled into her. The flashbacks work as fillers for the desolate craters in his personality and as a respite from the blood and loss of lives on the battlefield. We see that it's these fleeting moments of a time bygone that Stephen holds onto as he witnesses people dying around him. His memories are the well that goes back again and again to recharge and to remind himself what he's living for. It's also those memories that allow Stephen to see that others like him are also holding out hope for meeting their loved ones when he finds out that Firebrace's (Mawle) son is ill.

In the flashbacks of their romance, it's hard to decide if there's any interest in Isabelle or if it's a one-sided seduction on Stephen's part. How Isabelle ends her marriage and leaves with Stephen is a bit oversimplistic, bordering on farcical, but at least it clears up a few things. However, in another flashback, when Stephen finds Isabelle again, only to be told that she doesn't love him and isn't coming back to him, we see hope dying in his eyes as he goes to war with nothing to look forward to.

And yet, when going into certain death, he still writes to her. It's as if he's come to terms with her not loving him anymore, but can't prevent his heart from holding out hope. One gets the feeling that there's a lot going inside that never bubbles to the surface until the very end, when the tunnel caves in. It becomes clear in the next flashback when Jeanne (Marie-Josee Croze) reveals a secret that Isabelle had shared with her.

'Birdsong' Shows Us the Beauty of Living For Others

The talk with Firebrace right at the end, where he talks about his dead son and how there's nothing more to life than to love and be loved, forms the beating heart of Birdsong. Finally, it dawns on both us, the viewers, and the trapped Stephen, that although Isabelle had left him, it wasn't because love had run dry. On the contrary, she loved him so much that she had to go, and it's this realization as he feels the walls of the tunnel closing in on him that gives him a new will to live.

It's the clarity that Stephen needs to see that he needs to do whatever it takes to get out alive and repay Isabelle’s love. In the end, there's a full circle moment when Stephen comes back to the French countryside after the war. Everything looks the same as in the beginning, but the only change is in Stephen, who has finally understood what true love is. As a grand romance set against a sweeping backdrop of catastrophe, Birdsong is a must-watch as he perfectly slips into the skin of Stephen Wraysford. Though he doesn't show us the full measure of his shape-shifting Jackal personality, there's enough in this performance to resonate with viewers, especially those looking to see more of his range through these complex, detailed characters. While we eagerly await his next turn in The Day of the Jackal, Birdsong serves as a stunning reminder of his ability to captivate and move us, no matter the role.

Birdsong is available to rent on Amazon Prime in the U.S.

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