Cadfael - The Complete Series 1 (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	A change from the usual detective series
Disadvantages:	Sometimes hard to follow the plot

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

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.

The DVD is available from Amazon for £14.99.