The Capone Investment [DVD]

I really enjoyed this, and bought it knowing little about it other than it was made by Southern TV in 1973/74 and the cover had John Thaw upon it. It is a whodunnit centred around a £60,000,000 investment made in the 1920s and those who will murder to get their hand on it. John Thaw is good in it, but the person who really shines in Peter Sallis, best known in these enlightened times as Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine. His performance here is quite outstanding and makes one wonder why he spent the mid 70s onwards in a Mac with a flat cap, when he was capable of such wonderful acting. Money, I guess. Anyway, filmed in the Hampshire area (with some shots of Kensington), and also starring Glyn Owen, who plays a wonderfully grumpy DCI. Someone should have told Peter Sallis how to pronounce Capone, but that aside, this is a great bit of viewing, and comes highly recommended. More like this please.

I enjoy 70s British Dramas & Thrillers, mainly from the ITV stable...some are hit & miss and some are classics due to the acting, pacing of the stories & filming style. When I bought this, I had read the reviews on this....I felt that I wanted to find out for myself, and I'm glad I did...It's an enjoyable, unusual but well produced mini-series, made in 1974 by Southern Television (made famous for making Children's programmes RUNAROUND & WORZEL GUMMIDGE). Starring Peter Sallis (Summer Wine) & John Thaw (Sweeney), the story centers around a vast amount of money that was kept hidden safe in the UK by gangster Al CAPONE, which he raised during the Prohibition period of the 1930's. After two americans are found shot in a small village in England (HAYDOCK to be precise..!!) the police investigate. Also, why they have links to a wealthy businessman, his son and certain friends/associates he knows...?? In each episode, the local police try to link each clue together, but as they do so, more murders take place, and with the help of a mysterious MI5 agent who knows more than he reveals, they piece each link to the whereabouts of the Capone Investment & who is killing off those who are entitled to it's share...! YES, it's dated.....fashions and cars show this, along with, and other reviewers have pointed this out, about the use of 'bue screen' back projection for scenes where actors are in a car with background moving scenes....this doesn't put me off from the great acting, specially in the last episode (NO SPOILERS...!!!), so if you're expecting CGI for 1970s TV drama, you're dreaming....!!! As stated, it's well acted, some 'very light' humour mixed in, some great action scenes & twists & turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.....! Violence is graphic but shown briefly...must have been shown after the watershead, but adds to the tension and overall feel of the series. A must for fans of cult 70s British TV drama. No extras, but if you watch individual eps. 2-6, footage of a caption & voiceover of announcer of storyline summary is included before the episodes which is a nice touch..! TV Dramas & Thrillers of the 70s aren't made like this anymore, and never will be...!

Southern Colour Productions presents "THE CAPONE INVESTMENT" (July 1974) (149 mins/Color) --- Six full episodes has us on the edge of our seats with character building drama --- Locations and some fine acting give this release some teeth which dialogue plays an important part --- First rate production with some of the best British actors during that time, good show!

Check out the Amazon's Editorial Reviews and Product Description for further info.

Under the production staff of:
Alan Gibson [Director]
James Gatward [Director/Producer]
Ian Kennedy Martin [Screenwriter]
Alexander Faris [Original Music]
Mike Womersley [Production Design]
John Dilly [Production Design]
Sid Squires [Sound]
Dick Bayley Camera Dept.]

BIOS:
Peter Sallis
Date of Birth: 1 February 1921 - Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK
Date of Death: Still Living

Glyn Owen
Date of Birth: 6 March 1928 - Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK
Date of Death: 10 September 2004 - Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Isobel Black
Date of Birth: 15 December 1943 - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Date of Death: Still Living

John Thaw
Date of Birth: 3 January 1942 - West Gorton, Manchester, England, UK
Date of Death: 21 February 2002 - Luckington, Wiltshire, England, UK

the cast includes:
Peter Sallis ... Wheatfield
Glyn Owen ... Reaygo
Isobel Black ... Fran
John Thaw ... Tom
Roland Curram ... Bunty
Jill Dixon ... Abigail
Richard Coleman ... Duncan Hall
John Bown ... Metcalfe
Richard Shaw ... Greener

Special footnote, actor John Thaw had great success as Detective Inspector Regan in "The Sweeney" (1975) - also with "Inspector Morse" (1987), Thaw was yet again cast as a policeman, but this time a more cultured character than Regan --- Morse was Thaw's most popular and long-running project --- It established him as British television's most bankable actor, and during the 1990s he had many other starring vehicles --- Thaw was a favorite of film director Richard Attenborough, who cast him in "Cry Freedom" (1987) and "Chaplin" (1992).

Under some good direction and an outstanding cast with a copy that is good for viewing --- Check out "The British Are Coming" is the three minute sum and pieces of various British Films coming attractions to view on VCI, other than that no other bonus or extras --- Highly recommend for all the collectors of "British Films" from the early '70s with good drama characterization --- Take note of the hair styles and clothing that is clearly the '60s and '70s, and made casual living the uniform of the day from then on.

Total Time: 149 min on DVD ~ VCI Home Video #8497 ~ (8/31/2010)