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DVD Description
Available on DVD for the first time in one stunning box set, three excellent adaptations of the work of Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell).
Featuring:
A Dark Eye Adapted (1994): Based on the true story of Vera Hillyard, one of the last women in Britain to hang for murder. A Dark Eye Adapted is a dark and brooding tale of a seemingly close-knit suburban family whose facade of normalcy hides the murderous sibling rivalry.
Gallowglass (1993): A European aristocrat's wife, already the victim of one kidnapping attempt, endures round-the-clock protection when another plot looms.
A Fatal Inversion (1992): A tragic summer, long forgotten by four friends, returns to haunt the now estranged group when the body of a young woman and a baby are uncovered in the pet cemetery on an ancestral estate.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2.4 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: 3-DVD Set, Box Set, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: A Fatal Inversion After Adam inherits a country house from his great uncle, he and his friend Rufus decide to spend the summer there instead of abroad. An odd assortment of 'house guests' turns up through different means and it's an uneasy mix at best. A decade afterwards, the bodies of a young woman and an infant are discovered in the woods behind the house. As the police investigate, they naturally look to Adam as former owner of the house, and what happened all those years before starts to catch up with him. A Dark Adapted Eye This psychological mystery/thriller, adapted from Ruth Rendell's novel of the same name, depicts a family on the edge. Two sisters, the elder obsessive Vera, and the younger, manipulative Eden, cut a path of jealousy, murder and revenge that leads to the destruction of their entire family. Gallowglass The word 'gallowglass' means servant, or one indebted to another. This is the story of a young man who feels such indebtedness to another young man after he is saved from committing suicide by jumping in front of an oncoming train. So strong is his sense of gratitude that he follows his 'savior' even to the kidnaping of a wealthy woman. But there are ulterior motives to the kidnaping, complicating it with other details that intertwine and make for a typical British murder mystery. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Edgar Allan Poe Awards, ...Barbara Vine 3-DVD Boxset ( A Fatal Inversion / A Dark Adapted Eye / Gallowglass )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Ruth Rendell's work has not fared well on either the small or the big screen. The best adaptations of her novels are French films that either rework the story considerably (La Ceremonie) or move the action from England to France (The Bridesmaid, Alias Betty). The made-for-TV Ruth Rendell mysteries are of low quality for British TV (speaking as a Yank), with mediocre scripts that make nonsensical changes to the story, add or delete characters seemingly at whim, and don't stand well on their own in any case. (The Wexford films with George Baker are fairly good, but still make unneeded changes.)
However, these three films of Barbara Vine novels, A Dark-Adapted Eye, Gallowglass, and A Fatal Inversion, are faithful renderings of the novels they're based on. In fact it was this version of A Dark Adapted Eye that caused me to start reading Rendell/Vine's books, which has greatly enriched my life. In these three films, the books really come to life. Changes are made out of dramatic necessity and they're few and far between. These are some of Rendell/Vine's best work in any case, and it's great to have these films --- I only wish more could have been made with this kind of loving care.
However, these three films of Barbara Vine novels, A Dark-Adapted Eye, Gallowglass, and A Fatal Inversion, are faithful renderings of the novels they're based on. In fact it was this version of A Dark Adapted Eye that caused me to start reading Rendell/Vine's books, which has greatly enriched my life. In these three films, the books really come to life. Changes are made out of dramatic necessity and they're few and far between. These are some of Rendell/Vine's best work in any case, and it's great to have these films --- I only wish more could have been made with this kind of loving care.
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
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'Adapted Eye' is the best of the Vine novels, a modern Greek tragedy that explores the sheer hatred that is unleashed when two hitherto devoted sisters fall out over a child that both want. The excellent TV adaptation captures the range of emotion, helped by the casting of Sophie Ward as the glacial Eden (the name conveys her perfection) and Celia Imrie's homely but manipulating Vera. Acting as narrator, Faith (Bonham Carter) has an important role of her own, her life blighted by guilt and the suspicion that Vera's madness might be hereditary. In an early appearance, Honeysuckle Weekes plays the young Faith, morphing rather unconvincingly and suddenly into the darker Bonham Carter - a pity in an otherwise good production.
'Fatal Inversion' was the first Vine novel I read, and this adaptation has captured the free spirit of those far-off days of hippiedom and chilling out. Saira Todd's performance as Zosie is the high point: again the highly emotive issue of who is the mother of a child is central.
'Gallowglass' is the odd man out here, but explores another familiar Vine theme - dependence and control. I didn't warm to the novel or this film, but that may be personal prejudice.
An excellent set that has received much less publicity than other DVDs based on the works of Vine's alter ego, Ruth Rendell.
'Fatal Inversion' was the first Vine novel I read, and this adaptation has captured the free spirit of those far-off days of hippiedom and chilling out. Saira Todd's performance as Zosie is the high point: again the highly emotive issue of who is the mother of a child is central.
'Gallowglass' is the odd man out here, but explores another familiar Vine theme - dependence and control. I didn't warm to the novel or this film, but that may be personal prejudice.
An excellent set that has received much less publicity than other DVDs based on the works of Vine's alter ego, Ruth Rendell.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Remember catching this the first time around on TV.(16 yrs ago!!). This time watched all 3 "episodes" in one sitting & still found it a really gripping drama. Have to admit a slight hidden agenda in my attraction to Saira Todd. However in all seriousness it is Douglas Hodge who really steals the show with his wonderfully sensitive & haunted performance. A shame we now see so little of him on TV.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Barbara Vine - three BBC TV adaptations
I bought this set (excellent value at the price)to view again 'A Fatal Inversion', which I hadn't seen since its original transmission in the early nineties. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Mancunian
great to watch again
I remember a long time ago watching "a fatal inversion" and found it totally fascinating. I bought the box especially for this dvd, but don't mind watching the rest. Read more
Published 5 months ago by dcl
2 out of 3 aint bad
Having read all 3 novels, I found the TV versions of Gallowglass and A Fatal Inversion excellent. A Dark Adapted eye work less well however; there was an inevitable tendency to... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Benny
A book brought to life
I re-read gallowglass and remembered that there was a film/drama made of it. On to Amazon and there it was. I bought it and couldn't wait to see it. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Freddie Flintstone
review of Barbara Vine DVD
I'd just re-read "A Dark Adapted Eye", it was my book group's monthly choice, and I vaguely remembered seeing a TV version years ago... Read more
Published 24 months ago by B. Holmes
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