The documentary “The Cable That Changed the World” (RTÉ One, 9.35pm) appears drear despite revolving around a fascinating topic. It presents the tale of the construction of the transatlantic telegraph cable that linked Ireland with North America in the mid-19th century, taking a route through Ireland’s Valentia Island and the Canadian island of Newfoundland. However, the narrative is disappointingly mundane and overburdens the viewer with excessive details that would be more apt in a scholarly publication. Towards the end, even the narrator, Jessie Buckley, seems anxious to leave.
A flaw of the film, produced in collaboration with RTÉ and University College Cork, is its international rather than local focus. This likely explains why several of the Irish scholars adopt American accents and why Buckley’s commentary is fraught with revelations of well-known facts. We are told that the potato crop failure sparked a “severe famine” in mid-19th-century Ireland, and that in 1922, Irish nationalists aspired “to terminate centuries of British dominance” in Ireland and achieve autonomy for the majority of the island. Such revelations do not add much to the information already known to most viewers.
The major issue with “The Cable That Changed the World” is its ambition to narrate a global tale instead of focusing on the Irish context, particularly the impact of the cable on the inhabitants of Valentia, in Co Kerry.
When the telegraph crews built their settlement on Valentia, they formed a unique community but not much is said about their interactions with the local population or what has become of their dwellings which were noticeably contemporary against the backdrop of the rustic Atlantic coastline. Anecdotes such as locals dubbing someone as “Telegrapher” if they started to become arrogant are glaringly missing from the documentary.
Intermixed within the narrative, viewers could also see traces that the documentary might have been better off concentrating more on the local history instead of attempting to give a broader international perspective.
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However, there’s an overemphasis on scholarly opinions, neglecting other points of view. We get a few insights from Mícheál Lyne of Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation, yet it seems like every other interviewee is an academic. It raises the question whether a compelling documentary can be crafted relying solely on voices linked with university campus realms?
It’s somewhat disappointing, as there’s plenty of ground to cover. Take for instance the character of Peter FitzGerald, a local proprietor famously referred to as the knight of Kerry. He orchestrated much of the bucket work to ensure that the cable landed at Valentia. But despite being highlighted for his commendable performance during the Famine, there’s minimal insight provided into his role in history.
There’s also an evident level of forced contemporisation in the documentary. Cyrus Field, the man behind the cable, is likened to Elon Musk, a comparison that might be peculiar unless Field was a controversial figure who displayed a penchant for bitter exchanges with global leaders as well.
Having watched “The Cable That Changed the World,” I find myself engulfed in nostalgic memories of my university days. But the nostalgia is not accompanied by feelings of fondness. It gives off the vibes of a monotonous double-length lecture during heatwave conditions. Nevertheless, the narrative about Field’s efforts to fundraise and gather a team of experts to lay the cable is conveyed in excruciating detail that could make it a useful educational resource. It maintains a balanced perspective, avoids too much focus on minor details, and provides a broad overview. Judged on these merits, the documentary is proficiently created. However, a quiet Monday evening on RTÉ, it doesn’t really set the pulse racing.