Cadfael - The Complete Collection [DVD]

Presented here are all thirteen episodes of `Cadfael', starring Derek Jacobi. Based on Ellis Peter's popular series of novels, they tell the tale of Brother Cadfael, Soldier, sailor and sinner, now a Brother in Shrewsbury abbey at the height of the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud, in the late 12th century. The location and time were well chosen by Peters, as the civil war and Shrewsbury's position close to the sensitive Welsh border provides rich territory for plotting and bloody murder. Bodies keep popping up all over the place, and it falls to the worldly Cadfael, with his knowledge of pathology gained from the battle field and his knowledge of men gained from many years in the world, to solve the crimes and see justice is served.

The productions are quite well done, evoking the medieval period very nicely. The pace is usually quite leisurely, with the occasional burst of excitement. Jacobi is perfectly cast in the central role, bringing forward the various facets of the character (his devotion to god and spiritualism, his worldliness and, finally his willingness to act in the face of all authority in order to see what he thinks is justice served) very well. He is ably supported by Sean Pertwee and latterly Eoin McCarthy as Cadfael's friend Hugh Beringar, under sherriff of Shrewsbury. Michael Culver as the ambitious Prior Robert, Julian Firth as the officious and sneaky Brother Jerome and Mark Charnock as Cadfael's other worldly, yet loyal and brave assistant Oswin form most of the regular supporting cast, and all do very well at providing memorable characters. The attention to period detail is good throughout, and while not totally faithful to the books I think the spirit has been captured very well, and the best possible job of bringing them to the screen has been done. It is visually engaging and full of atmosphere.

The thirteen episodes (75 min each) are presented on 5 discs. Each is in 4.3 aspect ratio, with a stereo soundtrack. The picture quality is pretty good, as you would expect from something recorded in the mid to late `90s. English subtitles only. The extras are limited, with some audio interviews with Jacobi, filmographies for principle cast members and some details of Ellis Peter's life and a complete list of the Cadfael novels. These are mostly pretty disposable, and do not really add to the set. The five discs come in a double width DVD case, and there are no liner notes or booklet.

For the price being asked, this is an excellent set, one that I highly recommend to all fans of well done and thoughtful drama.

Well filmed, well acted, medieval who-dunnits in the vein of the equally superb 'Name of the Rose'. Each episode is loosely based on one of Ellis Peter's original Brother Cadfael books. As no doubt everyone reading this knows, English/Welsh Cadfael is the worldly wise 12th century Benedictine monk who solves murder mysteries while providing herbal remedies and medicines (so he knows his poisons). Having been on the Crusades and been disappointed in love, Cadfael is far more down to Earth and sensible than his `stay at home' snooty & spiritual monk superiors who often find him an irritation. Being Derek Jacobi he is also very nice, in a totally ruthless Miss Marple 'Nemesis' sort of way. The books and episodes are also fairly accurate historically, and include real event's like the siege of Shrewsbury by Stephen in 1138 that forms the setting for One Corpse Too Many. Like-wise all love interest is strictly between those of the same class.

The series is set in Shrewsbury Abbey, Shropshire, near the volatile Welsh border. The stories are set between about 1135 and 1145, during the civil war between the forces of King Stephen and the Empress Maud - they eventually agreed a peace where Stephen remained king with Maud (Matilda)'s son being recognised as heir to the throne (but that's not important). The thirteen episodes on the five DVDs are, most recent first: The Holy thief, The Potter Field, Pilgrim of Hate, The Rose Rent, St Peter's fair, The Raven in the Foregate, The Virgin in the ice, The Devils Novice, A morbid taste for bones, One Corpse too many, The Sanctuary Sparrow, The Leper of St Giles, and Monks Hood. This is all the seasons, one to four, that were first shown between 1994 to 1998, total run time 983 minutes and audio is English only. My favourite is `A morbid taste for bones', based around a search for St Winefride's body in Wales.

This new complete Cadfael collection is an identical release to the previous all four Cadfael seasons (brown-coloured) boxed set with an updated (Blue-coloured) cover. Now that the older 'brown' set has been obsolete for a while, it's generally this new Cadfael 'blue' set that's the cheapest to buy new. Both these 'all four season' sets offer identical extras: audio comments by Sir Derek discussing the episodes, a selection of stills, and cast filmographies. Likewise both offer: English only audio [Dolby stereo], subtitles in English [hard of hearing] only, PAL region 2, aspect ratio standard 4:3, except 'The Potter's field' that's 4:3 letterbox, and the age rating is 15. The box for this new blue set is only 2.2cm wide though, compared to the older sets bulkier 6.2cm width [as it had four full-size DVD cases in a thin slip-box].

I read that each episode cost a packet to produce (and it shows) so the whole series in one box set is very good value for the viewer. The original twenty 'Ellis Peters' Cadfael books are also a good read and add a lot more background info on Cadfael and the period (the author Edith Pargeter has now sadly died). My wife, a fan of the books and Derek Jacobi, loves both to bits. The series broadly follows the feel of the books, but some episodes have changes to the book plot to reduce the size of the speaking cast, the running time, and the need for expensive special effects. However, one episode made after the author's death, 'The Pilgrim of Hate', bears almost no resemblance to the book save a few of the characters sharing the same names. Plus Cadfael doesn't speak any Welsh the TV series, and his on-screen relationship with Sheriff Hugh Beringar seems less intimate (Cadfael is Godfather to Hugh's son). But it's a great atmospheric TV show none the less. If you like this, also have a look at Richard E Grants 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' and the Sharpe with Wellies `Horatio Hornblower' 18th/19th century TV series with Ioan Gruffudd.

A long time passed between seeing the original four series and buying the DVD box set late in 2004. I was reminded strongly how excellent the series was, how little it had dated and how well it had got the feel of the main characters, especially Derek Jacobi's protrayal of Cadfael. I was also struck by how few of the books had been turned into film, particularly given the enduring popularity of the books - just check any good bookshop! If you enjoy this genre and well plotted, well scripted and beautifully acted medieaval murder mysteries you would do far worse than buy this series - truly excellent.