Vienna Blood - TV Series Review

Centered in the capital of music and ideas of the turn of the century Vienna, Vienna Blood concerns the story of Max Liebermann – an early twenty-something student from England and the disciple of Professor Freud. The series sets off on a complex story as Max works hand in hand with Detective Oskar Rheinhardt to solve some of the most horrifying murders. The music, the great cafes, and the opera houses of Vienna serve as a perfect background to the subject that has been masterfully developed in the series; psychology, clashes of cultures, and transformations of the society in the specific period of Vienna. It is quite effective in capturing the prejudice and bigotry which fed anti-Semitism and are alive in society. Telling the story of the Birth of Psychoanalysis intriguingly switches between the thrill of detective stories and the fascination with people’s motives and actions; the characters’ personal development adds a human aspect to the realizations of the intricate processes of the human mind as well as the process of crime solving.The main character, Max Liebermann, portrayed by Matthew Beard, is incredibly fascinating to watch. What adds depth to the fresh changesional and hardened relationship between him and Juergen Maurer’s skulking Oskar Rheinhardt is their improving on-screen chemistry. With promising cast such as Luise von Finckh and Amelia Bullmore, it adds vigor to the show while making the series’ storyline and characterization very solid.

Fortunately, the series is directed by Robert Dornhelm and Umut Dag which gave good color to the series besides making it so attractive for the people to watch. The directors successfully intertwine a historical setting with an exciting crime drama and every episode is both a visual and an emotional rollercoaster. The contrast of all those various and beautiful cityscapes with the more intimate private spaces adds value to the portrayal of the movie’s plot.

The whole mise-en-scène makes one feel in historical Vienna, in every dialogue, every dress, every piece of furniture, every object placed within the frame. This realism enhances the storytelling and provides some extra depth to the world of Vienna Blood.

Even if the series does not rely heavily on special effects, those are used to depict the relevant historical period and events as realistically as possible, thus, adding the necessary amount of realism and suspense to the show.

The B-roll is relevant and meaningful, and it does not overpower the series while its post-production is clean and concise to keep the tension and breath The advancements from one scene to the other form a good back drop that leads to the plot of the story .

The crescendo that forms the series is well mastered as it combines the suspense, growth of characters and historical themes.

The scripts used have good jokes that depict the high standards of intelligence of characters. It both highlights the communicational patterns of the given historical periods and portrays the procedural development of personal transformations of the major characters.

Overall, Vienna Blood is a high-quality show with compelling actors, but it may be too much for viewers who are looking for a more traditional crime drama show. Some of the scenes may appear historiographic, which necessitates close watching to grasp the depth of the series. It’s a cerebrally stimulating journey that matches the show’s themes of early psychoanalysis and moral ambiguity, and mirror of society. It is quite memorable as viewers are both visually and conceptually engaged by the series.