Netflix Period Drama 'Transatlantic' Is a Tale of Resistance and Hope
Deleila Piasko, Ralph Amoussou, Lucas Englander, Gillian Jacobs, Cory Michael Smith, and Amit Rahav in "Transatlantic"
(Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023)
It can often feel like period dramas that occur during World War II are a dime a dozen, which is a big part of why any series that tries to do something new with the setting almost immediately stands out from the pack. World on Fire's multi-POV storytelling helped convey the global scale of the impending conflict. Home Fires told stories of the lives of English citizens supporting the war effort on the home front. The Bletchley Circle explored the world of codebreakers at Bletchley Park. And Netflix's latest period offering, Transatlantic, seems poised to join this group.
The seven-part limited series hails from Unorthodox creator Anna Winger and is based on the novel The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer. It aims to tell the story of Varian Fry, a journalist who came to France in 1940 with the Emergency Rescue Committee, an organization dedicated to helping artists and writers fleeing the Nazis. Alongside American heiress Mary Jayne Gold, the two would alleviate some of Europe's most prominent thinkers and artists, including Hannah Arendt, Max Ernst, Marchel Duchamp, and Marc Chagall.
Cory Michael Smith (Gotham) plays Fry and leads an international cast alongside Gillian Jacobs (Community) as Gold, Lucas Englander (Catherine the Great) as Albert Hirschmann, a Jewish economist working with the Emergency Rescue Committee, and Corey Stoll (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) as Graham Patterson, an American Consul who sees the refugees as an existential threat to U.S. values.
The series synopsis reads:
Marseille 1940-1941.Transatlantic is inspired by the true story of Varian Fry, Mary Jayne Gold and the Emergency Rescue Committee. Risking their lives to help more than 2000 refugees escape occupied France, including many artists on the Nazis’ most-wanted list, an international gang of young superheroes and their famous charges occupy a villa at the edge of the city, where the threat of mortal danger gives way to unexpected collaborations and intense love affairs.
Other members of the series' sprawling ensemble cast include Grégory Montel (Call My Agent) as Philippe Frot, Ralph Amoussou (The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan) as Paul Kandjo, Deleila Piasko (Agent Hamilton) as Lisa Fittko, Amit Rahhav (Unorthodox) as Thomas Lovegrove, and Luke Thompson (Bridgerton) as Hiram "Harry" Bingham.
The series was directed by Stéphanie Chuat, Véronique Reymond, and Mia Meyer, created by Winger and Daniel Hendler, and produced by Camille McCurry and Winger.
Transatlantic premieres globally on Netflix on Friday, April 7.
