Every country will have a time when they are not rich but extremely happy. Koreans miss the 1980s and 90s, so they have "Reply 1988"; the British miss the 1950s and 1960s after the war, so they have "Calling" The Midwives, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, tells the life of midwives in the East Docklands of London in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In London, many people's impression of the city is "elegant", but this is not the case in the East End. Through the perspective of the heroine Jenny, we see the true face of the East End of London in 1957 at the beginning.
Since the Nonnatus House she is going to is located in the center of the dock area in east London, along the way, you can see dock workers carrying goods everywhere, and walking inside, there are women who wash and cook, and children who run and play. Crowded, dirty, and noisy, Jenny's exquisite dress seemed out of place. She was also taken aback by the sight in front of her from the West End, and she never thought that this would become the most important experience in her life.
Nonnatus House is the author's fictitious name, derived from midwives obstetricians, maternity, birth and newborn patron saint - St.Raymund Nonnatus , midwives are composed of Anglican nuns, providing help to poor families, in the East End of London and the United Kingdom The slums of important industrial cities have monasteries.
Some people will say that midwives are not "stable mothers"? totally different. Whether it is a woman from China or a handywoman from the United Kingdom, they have not been trained in systematic science, do not understand medicine, do not pay attention to hygiene, and are not supervised. When it comes to difficult labor, they are helpless. Therefore, the neonatal mortality rate was high in ancient times, both at home and abroad. Midwives (Midwife) are professionals who have undergone systematic modern medical training and obtained qualification certificates through examinations.
The nuns are the difference between this drama and other medical dramas. Their existence makes the whole drama beautiful and healing. Even I, who are not religious, love the hymns sung by the nuns, as if they can resolve all the sufferings in the world.
The strong atmosphere of the times is another major feature of the play. Whether it is midwives' clothing, hairstyles, or medical technology and NHS (National Health Service), they will gradually change over time.
The first season was 1957, when there were no washing machines and laundromats, and women were hand-washed at home. Midwives often had to wear clothes to dry before coming to the mother's home. There are few home telephones, and family members of mothers have to go to public phone booths to call midwives. The contraceptive pill has not yet been invented, marriage must be done to become pregnant, and unmarried cohabitation is completely unacceptable...
The London fog in 1957, the demolition of the slums, the illegally run brothels, the ruins left after the war, and Chummy's hand-crank sewing machine, etc., can be seen in the play. In each episode, we will not only follow the midwives into the mother's home and learn about their stories, but also hear the warm and healing songs of the 1950s. The representative song Que Sera, Sera of Doris Day, who passed away in May this year , appeared in the first episode.
"Every child comes because of love or desire", love is also the theme of the whole play. The love between husband and wife, the love of parents for their children, the love of the midwives and the people of the Eastside, the love of the midwives to their work... Every kind of love runs through.
Because of love, even poor people are happy.
As the original says,
Hope is the guardian; love is the elixir.
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