Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drama as it should be, 8 Sep 2007
I saw this when it first came out and remembered it as being outstanding so in the absence of any decent modern TV I bought it. I watched it yesterday and felt compelled to write this review. Films & TV appear to have gone backwards in terms of quality. Whilst watching this I kept imagining how the same drama would be presented today and was saddened to realize how awful modern film techniques have become. It was a joy to follow the plot with no time-zone jumping, without endless over-complicated, fast frame-rate shots and without that annoyingly loud continuous sound track of pointless music that producers seem bent on inflicting on the viewer. This drama dates back to a time when viewers had longer attention spans and the need to constantly bombard the audiences brains with visual and audio information in order to prevent them from switching off was not an issue, thus allowing the actors to act and the plot to develop in a natural and chronological order, wonderful. Most modern dramas leave me with the impression that hoards of adolescent technicians have been endlessly tinkering with camera shots, lighting, sound effects and sound editing to such an extent as to render the actual production unwatchable by all but the most inattentive schoolchild. Prime Suspect requires none of this modern superficiality to hold your attention, it does it by employing careful execution of plot line and wonderfully realistic acting. It is like all good dramas should be, nitty-gritty and very realistic with believable characterization and thought provoking, twisting plot line. Very Hitchcockian. I will most certainly be investing in more episodes and I am sure that anyone who buys this will be doing the same. I cannot understand why modern film makers praise films of this nature and hold directors like Hitchcock in such high regard and yet go out and totally ignore what they should have learned and churn out the same old cliched garbage that everyone else is producing. When will they come to their senses and return to creating compelling dramas such as this which people can watch and be engulfed in without having to endure the bombardment of distractions of what has become modern film production techniques. Give yourself a treat, buy this.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Viewing, 25 Aug 2007
When this series first aired on telly, it was compulsive viewing, the sort of programme you talked about in the office on Monday morning... even in 1991 it was hard hitting, dealing with the murders of prostitutes, graphic details, dead bodies on the mortuary slab, corrupt coppers et al. We rooted for DCI Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) as she fought like a dog to overcome the 'old boys' network and bring the case to a watertight conclusion.
Now, in 2007, you wonder whether if it's still as good as you remember it to be? The answer is an unequivocal YES. Time has not diluted the brilliance of the acting and script, it doesn't feel 'dated', the issues are still current. A superb slice of TV drama at its best, and better still on DVD without the annoying commercial breaks. At this price from Amazon, it's a steal. Recommended emphatically!!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The original, and, the best!, 5 Jan 2008
Having read the previous reviews, I must, first of all, declare an interest here, and, that interest is this:
I was fortunate enough, in my time at Granada, to work on this, and, a few other top-quality programmes, so, there's not a lot I can add, except to say, that, in its day, Granada hired the best writers, the best directors, the best designers, and, used the best production staff. "Brideshead Revisited", "Jewel in the Crown", "Sherlock Holmes", "Prime Suspect", "Cracker". The list is endless, and, the results speak for themselves.
Nowadays, unfortunately, mediocrity seems to be the name-of-the-game, and, an ever-increasing plethora of television channels, and, a cottage-industry of production companies, seems to have done nothing to increase programming values. Quite the reverse, in fact.
Thank God you can still get the good stuff on DVD.
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