The television series “The Man in High Castle” is a show that is set in a surreal alternate past time frame that dealt with the scenario of what the world would have become had the Nazis won the war and spread their ideology throughout the globe. In this Amazon Studios production, Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany are in control of the United States. It’s a riveting show and if you haven’t seen it, then you’re missing out on an unforgettable experience that takes the viewer far beyond the realms of the what ifs. Here are ten things that you didn’t know about “Man in the High Castle.”
1. Ridley Scott is an advisor for this project
It’s not really common knowledge, but the famed director Ridley Scott has his fingerprints on this project. He served as executive producer and it was produced by the company that he owns, called Scott Free Productions. He served as an advisor for visual effects for the show and he offered the team inspiration that helped them in a well-balanced completion with an extra special touch that only Ridley Scott can impart.
2. A publicity stunt for the show shocked New Yorkers
The people of New York weren’t forewarned that they would find a collection of Nazi propaganda within the NYC transit system and they were surprised when they entered the subway area one morning to discover it. Not knowing that it was all for promotion of the series, many were offensive and cited it as being “inappropriate” and “insensitive.” As a result, all of the offending ads were taken down. This was one publicity stunt that went terribly awry.
3. The project had the structure of a great novel
When Amazon Studios produced and aired the video it was set up like a novel. It was divided into blocks of chapters. Viewers had the option of watching every episode within the same day if this is their preference, or it could be distributed out over time.
4. The bad guys had American accents
This may seem strange, but the creator of the show (Franz Spotnitz) designed the fascist characters in his show actually wanted them to initiate a debate and it was his goal to keep them detached from traditional stereotypes of Hollywood villains. This is why he made sure that they all had American accents so it would seem more realistic and it would make it harder for viewers to pull away from them.
5. The show is characterized by great detail
It’s not often that a project of this nature is filled with so many critical details that give it a sense of realism. The project is set in the year 1962 and it’s in an alternate reality. For example, everyone was wearing hats as was the habit in 1962, and Times Square is set to show ads from that time era with distinct detailing that would fit in with the era in an alternate reality. They paid close attention to the smallest things and it worked very well in creating a realistic experience.
6. It portrays parallel realities
The creator skillfully used the concept of a multi-reality theory and put it into practice in the project. With all of the infinite number of realities that are possible, the project gives us a taste of how reality might be played out in each of them with different results. These are deep concepts that are heavily rooted in this type of theory and it works well within the project.
7. Spotnitz planned an alternate ending
Not everyone is aware of the fact that the creator of the project set out an alternate ending for the series. There were no guarantees that Amazon would sign on for another season, so it could have easily ended with the conclusion of season one. There are no worries though because Amazon knew that this was a good choice for a continuation so season two is on and Spotnitz was able to carry through with the thrilling cliffhanger that left viewers in suspense and wanting more.
8. Rufus Sewell’s Nazi and his Jewish Adventures
It was brilliant the way Rufus Sewell managed to handle two jobs at once. Especially since the Nazi commander was such a contrast to the Jewish priest. Not everyone knows that he scurried to fly from Morocco to Washington and that he spent a lot of time in the air when he wasn’t working.
9. The project isn’t about Germany
It’s important to distinguish the difference between Germans and the country of Germany and Nazi ideals. The two are very different and it was Spotnitz’ intent to distinguish between the two. He attempted to clarify this.
10. “Man in the High Castle” was years in the making
This project isn’t like so many series that can be put together in the space of a year. The work on it actually started in 2010. It began with the BBC. After this, it ended up in SyFy and finally, with Frant Spotnitz joining the team, it found its way to Amazon four years after it began in 2014.Ridley Scott
Follow Us
