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. English/Welsh Cadfael is a 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 - author Edith Pargeter has sadly died. The first Cadfael book was published in 1977, three years before 'The name of the rose'. 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 in this 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.

When the decision was made to produce for TV several episodes from her mystery series about Brother Cadfael, that 12th century crusader turned monk turned detective who has been, ever since his creation, one of the most compassionate and unusual sleuths of literary history, novelist Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) was not entirely happy. In fact, as the series' star, Sir Derek Jacobi, explains in the extra footage provided on the now-released DVDs, Ms. Peters had very mixed feelings about giving up her brain child and entrusting it to other people who went about cutting and adjusting everything, from the storylines themselves to the way the protagonists speak and even the Chronicles' sequence, to the necessities and limitations set by the new medium. But she eventually acquiesced and at one point promised that "the next one I write, I'll make sure it's easier for you all to film."

While the thirteen episodes that were eventually produced are, thus, not entirely true to the individual Chronicles they are based on, they are closer than many other movie or TV versions of famous works of literature. Most importantly, they maintain not only the core story lines but also the historical authenticity, atmosphere and spirit set by Ms. Peters's books in a marvelous fashion. And Sir Derek Jacobi brings both the wealth of his experience and skill and all of his own shrewdness, intelligence, sense of humor and empathy to the role of the medieval Benedictine sleuth and thus truly becomes Cadfael -- for the thousands of new fans who are discovering the series through its enactment for TV just as much as for us who loved the books before they were ever transposed to a visual medium. A tremendous cast of supporting actors rounds out an overall excellent production; to mention just a few, Julian Firth as the ambitious and narrow-minded Brother Jerome, Terrence Hardiman as Abbot Radolfus and Sean Pertwee (and later Eoin McCarthy) as Under-Sheriff Hugh Beringar, who joins Cadfael in his investigations whenever, as is so often the case, these transcend the world of monastic life and require the administration of secular justice as well as clerical insight. Several episodes also feature noted guest stars.

The episodes are not entirely in the same order as the books; however, as most of the cross-references between the books have been eliminated in the screen versions, this is no great harm (although the lacking cross-references are probably one of the things avid readers of the books will find missing). The DVDs also provide background information on Ellis Peters, Sir Derek Jacobi and a number of the individual episodes' other actors.

Summary of the individual episodes:

"One Corpse Too Many" (second Chronicle): King Stephen lays siege to Shrewsbury Castle and, finally victorious, orders the surviving defenders to be executed. But then there's an extra corpse, who clearly wasn't executed. Whodunnit -- and why?

"Monk's Hood" (third Chronicle): Cadfael's and Shrewsbury Abbey's honor is at stake when a guest is found poisoned by Cadfael's own potions ... and the sheriff's sergeant over-eagerly jumps to the wrong conclusions.

"The Leper of St. Giles" (fifth Chronicle): A leper's grim fate is unexpectedly intertwined with the story of an orphaned heiress, due to be wedded for money's sake to a despicable old baron, and her lover; who is everybody's favorite suspect when the groom turns up dead.

"The Sanctuary Sparrow" (seventh Chronicle): A young singer is accused of robbery and murder and, hunted by a mob, seeks shelter in the Abbey.

"St. Peter's Fair" (fourth Chronicle): While traders arrive from near and far, townsfolk claim a share of the Abbey's dues from the annual fair. Then a merchant is found murdered -- but there's more to this than meets the eye!

"The Virgin in the Ice" (sixth Chronicle): After the sack of Worcester by Empress Maud, a nun, a young nobleman and his sister get lost in the Marshes. Cadfael rushes to the rescue -- and meets a messenger from his own past!

"The Devil's Novice" (eighth Chronicle): The Abbey accepts a novice with a troubling zeal for monastic life (but not its virtues), who may or may not be connected to the death of a cleric traveling through his home village.

"A Morbid Taste for Bones" (first Chronicle): The monks mount an expedition to Wales to retrieve the bones of a local saint after a young monk claims to have seen the saint in a vision in which she asked that her bones be brought to Shrewsbury. The mission runs into serious trouble when the local lord, who has opposed it, is found murdered.

"The Raven in the Foregate" (twelfth Chronicle): Cadfael must solve the mystery behind two deaths; one of a young woman who (unsuccessfully) sought his spiritual advice, the other of the priest to whom Cadfael sent her: the new priest in Shrewsbury's foregate, an ambitious, power-hungry cleric in direct allegiance with King Stephen.

"The Rose Rent" (thirteenth Chronicle): A grieving young widow, beset by suitors, gives her house to the abbey for a single rose's annual rent. But her gift of beauty turns bloody when the emissary delivering the rose, a young monk, is found murdered.

"The Pilgrim of Hate" (tenth Chronicle): A cripple, his sister and two brothers on a painful pilgrimage meet at the Abbey during the annual feast of St. Winifred. Soon, the question arises whether religion is primarily penance or faith in God's love of mankind.

"The Potter's Field" (seventeenth Chronicle): The discovery of the bones of a woman in a field once belonging to a potter turned monk leads Cadfael to unveil a harrowing tale of love, loss and a deadly wager.

"The Holy Thief" (nineteenth Chronicle): Competitors for the possession of St. Winifred's relics show up in Shrewsbury! Then the holy bones disappear, a monk is found murdered -- and a tonsured troubadour finds his lady love.