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The author
Ellis Peters, real name Edith Pargeter, wrote around 90 books over a period of 50 years, although she did not begin writing the Cadfael series until 1977. She began to write the series after becoming interested in the period of Civil War between Empress Mathilda and King Stephen. ... Read review
Brother Cadfael, the medieval mystery-solving monk, is a fascinating detective, at once a ... more
man of God, of science, and even of action. Derek Jacobi stars as the former "soldier, sailor, sinner, and Crusader" who has his faith tested by crimes of royal i...
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Brother Cadfael, the medieval mystery-solving monk, is a fascinating detective, at once a ... more
man of God, of science, and even of action. Derek Jacobi stars as the former "soldier, sailor, sinner, and Crusader" who has his faith tested by crimes of royal i...
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Man of the world turned man of the cloth - Cadfael (Derek Jacobi) is a rare hero.He is a ... more
man who has chosen to live as a monk - yet he's no saint. Once a soldier who fought in the Crusades, he has lived - and loved.Even his devotion to the church is no...
Man of the world turned man of the cloth - Cadfael is a rare hero. He is a man who has ... more
choosen to live as a monk - yet he's no saint. Once a soldier who fought in the crusades he has lived - and loved... Episodes include: One Corpse Too Many The S...
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Murder and mystery in darkest Medieval England provide a perfect backdrop for the ... more
outstanding talents of Sir Derek Jacobi.Man of the world turned man of the cloth, Cadfael is a rare hero. He's a man who has chosen to live as a monk - yet he's no saint.Cadfael is assisted by the local Under-Sheriff, Hugh Beringer, and between them they set about uncovering the secrets of an evil world, trapping thieves and hunting down murderers.
Brother Cadfael, the medieval mystery-solving monk, is a fascinating detective, at once a ... more
man of God, of science, and even of action. Derek Jacobi stars as the former "soldier, sailor, sinner, and Crusader" who has his faith tested by crimes of royal intrigue and baffling murders that seem to plague 12th-century Shrewsbury. You'll find few Benedictine monks so skilled at using a quarterstaff, but beware never to tell him your theory of how a crime "must" have been committed. "We must always be wary of 'must'," he states. "Nothing is certain." And so attest these divine mysteries based on the books by Ellis Peters. Each feature-length episode is self-contained but plays against the backdrop of England's civil war between forces loyal to King Stephen and those to Empress Maud. Eoin McCarthy costars as local Under-Sheriff Hugh Beringar, who relies on Cadfael when murder subverts his efforts to keep the peace. --Donald Liebenson
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Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Advantages: A change from the usual detective series Disadvantages: Sometimes hard to follow the plot
...did not begin writing the Cadfael series until 1977. She began to write the series after becoming interested in the period of Civil War between Empress Mathilda and King Stephen. The background to the novels is very accurate. Ellis Peters began an interest in the historical crime fiction genre - although it had existed before Cadfael, it took off as an industry after her novels were published and many writers have since followed in her footsteps, ... ...in herbal medicine Brother Cadfael. Cadfael served in the Crusades before returning to Shrewsbury, where the stories are set and taking holy orders. His knowledge of the world and latter day forensic science lead him to help the local sheriff in solving the many crimes that crop up in the local area. Sir Derek Jacobi, knighted in 1992, is a Shakespearian actor of some renowned, although he has also had film roles in Dead Again in 1991 and Gosford ... more
Introduction This is yet another series that I missed while living overseas, although to be honest, I probably wouldn't have watched it, not being overly keen on historical crime fiction. However, on my return to the UK, I did start reading the books, primarily because I wanted something new to read and enjoyed them so much that I bought the DVD of the first series. I do still prefer more modern crime fiction, but I like a change sometimes and this ideally suits the purpose. Thirteen episodes were made in all, four of which constitute the first series. Filming came to an end after thirteen episodes because costs were too high - the episodes were filmed in Hungary because of a lack of suitable locations in the UK.
The author Ellis Peters, real name Edith Pargeter, wrote around 90 books over a period of 50 years, although she did not begin writing the Cadfael series until 1977. She began to write the series after becoming interested in the period of Civil War between Empress Mathilda and King Stephen. The background to the novels is very accurate. Ellis Peters began an interest in the historical crime fiction genre - although it had existed before Cadfael, it took off as an industry after her novels were published and many writers have since followed in her footsteps, including Candace Robb and Susannah Gregory. All in all, she wrote around 20 novels featuring Brother Cadfael.
Producers/directors/screenwriters The producer is Stephen Smallwood. There are a number of directors, including Ken Grieve, Mary McMurray and Herbert Wise. The stories were adapted to TV by various writers, including Russell Lewis, Paul Pender and Christopher Russell, based closely on Ellis Peters' books.
The actors/characters Derek Jacobi is superb as the worldy-wise expert in herbal medicine Brother Cadfael. Cadfael served in the Crusades before returning to Shrewsbury, where the stories are set and taking holy orders. His knowledge of the world and latter day forensic science lead him to help the local sheriff in solving the many crimes that crop up in the local area. Sir Derek Jacobi, knighted in 1992, is a Shakespearian actor of some renowned, although he has also had film roles in Dead Again in 1991 and Gosford Park in 2001.
Sean Pertwee plays Hugh Beringar, the local sheriff. Unfortunately, Sean Pertwee did not remain in the role in further series and was replaced by Eion McCarthy and then Anthony Green. I haven't seen either of the follow-up Beringars in action, but I did really enjoy Sean Pertwee in the role as the rather dry, slightly mysterious Hugh. Beringar is good at his job and fastidious at following up clues, helped, of course, by Cadfael. One thing that does seem to be missing is the interaction between Cadfael and Beringar, who have a very close relationship in the books. I think this would have made for more interesting characterisation.
Michael Culver as Prior Robert and Julian Firth as Brother Jerome add a touch of comedy to the series. Both disapprove of Cadfael's activities, which are often unusual for a monk of his standing. Brother Jerome delights in spying on Brother Cadfael and reporting back to Prior Robert in the hope that it will get Cadfael into trouble. Watch out also for ?? (Marlon Dingle in Emmerdale) who plays Brother Oswyn in a very different role from his Emmerdale one!
The content The first series is made up of the first four stories in the Cadfael series: One Corpse Too Many, A Sanctuary Sparrow, The Leper of St Giles and Monk's Hood. There is a general format to the programmes - all involve a murder for which someone innocent is blamed. Cadfael believes in their innocence and helps Hugh Beringar find the real criminal. The innocent man is usually young and attractive and falls in love with a beautiful young woman who believes firmly in his innocence. Many of the crimes are solved because of Cadfael's knowledge of herbs and poisons. Most of the plots are very clever and completely unguessable.
Technical bits Extras: there are a fair amount of extras, including a biography of Ellis Peters, audio comments on the series by Derek Jacobi, filmographies of the most prominent actors and a selection of production stills. I rarely buy DVDs based on the extras, but I have to admit these added to my enjoyment of the DVD.
Classification: 15
Running length: 302 minutes
Conclusion This is not the sort of DVD that you can sit down and watch in one sitting. Like the books, the plots are often a bit samey and yet sometimes need a lot of concentration to follow, not least because the names of characters can be difficult to remember. However, dipping into it occasionally makes a nice change from the usual crime fiction. Derek Jacobi is the main reason for the show's popularity - he is a really excellent actor and is absolutely perfect for the role. I also like that the episodes are very closely based on Ellis Peter's novels. The setting is fantastic - I had no idea it was Hungary, but it is absolutely spot-on.
I was given this DVD as a present - I doubt I would have bought it myself, but it was certainly a welcome present. Recommended.
All of the first series of the classic TV whodunnit.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
ITV DVD; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date
15/03/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
37115 05863
Barcode
5037115058638
Author
Ellis Peters
Languages
Main Language
English
Professional reviews
Review
"...This medieval detective series is perfect..." (Mail on Sunday, )
"...It's different, ambitious and Jacobi is in it which makes three big pluses..." (The Times, )
DVD Description
Based on Ellis Peter's CADFAEL series of novels, this popular television series stars Derek Jacobi as the eponymous clergyman. It follows Cadfael, a monk who, in his youth, was a crusader, sailor, and adventurer, but who has now settled down at Shrewsbury Abbey as its resident gardener, botanist, and herbalist. However, from time to time, there are mysteries to be solved around the Abbey, forcing Cadfael to put his startling sleuthing skills into use. This set contains every episode from the first series of the show: THE LEPER OF ST. GILES, MONK'S HOOD, ONE CORPSE TOO MANY, and THE SANCTUARY SPARROW.
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