Named after the cataclysmic event in 1665 that claimed the lives of a third of Londoners, The Great Plague transports viewers into a time of extreme despair and devastation.
This deeply disturbing documentary draws on a trove of letters, diary entries and newly unearthed documents to paint a vivid and visceral portrait of its terror.
The citizens of London are weary of the possibility of another plague. It’s been 19 years since the last episode, and they fear a repeat.
By the time of the Great Plague, London’s population had swelled to more than half a million people. This overcrowding seriously affects the quality of life in the city. Despite the best efforts of sanitation workers, many streets are still flooded with sewage. Like humans, many animals and pests roam the urban landscape. Poverty is an epidemic in itself, and those living at the bottom of society are often the most vulnerable to disease and infirmity.
Much of the film takes place in Cork and Key Lane, an overpopulated neighborhood that suffered a particularly high death rate during the plague. The first signs of impending disaster appeared outside the parish in April 1665, but no amount of protection could contain them. From there, it spreads with alarming speed, and it was only a matter of time before it reached the vulnerable citizens of the community.
The film introduces us to mothers, fathers, children and city workers struggling to survive under the threat of destruction. We hear stories of religious hysteria, deep personal loss, desperate and futile attempts to maintain order, mistrust and chaos among the poorest masses, those who bravely care for the sick, and the elite who let them down richest member. The ensuing social breakdown was almost as terrifying and dire as the disease itself.
Adorned with masterful staging and illuminating narrative, the film deftly portrays the corruption and madness of the era, recreating the harsh conditions under which the city’s 100,000 residents lived and died.
Directed by: Rob Coldstream
