Product Description

Cadfael, a Benedictine monk at an abbey in Middle Ages Shrewsbury, solves crimes and murders.
Genre: Mystery
Rating: NR
Release Date: 10-JUL-2001
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71391 in DVD
• Brand: JACOBI,DEREK
• Released on: 2001-07-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 78 minutes

Amazon.com
Americans have never seen a TV sleuth like Brother Cadfael, the medieval mystery-solving monk indelibly portrayed by Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius, Gladiator) in the wildly popular series of British films based on the books by Ellis Peters. This self-contained Cadfael mystery may be a bit of a muddle to novices not familiar with 12th-century English history, but mystery buffs will enjoy watching Cadfael in action. The former Crusader is, as one character describes, "an odd kind of monk." St. Peter's Fair promises a respite from the ongoing civil war between forces loyal to King Stephen and those to Empress Maud. But the festivities are quickly marred by the murder of a visiting merchant. When it is suggested the victim "must" have been murdered by a common thief, Cadfael replies, "We must always be wary of 'must.' Nothing is certain." Indeed, why would a common thief ransack the victim's cart and wares and leave all valuables behind? With one hot-headed villager falsely arrested, the answer may lie with the merchant's beautiful and feisty niece Emma, whom Cadfael takes under his wing. For Cadfael watchers, a highlight of this episode is a tense climactic standoff between the monk and his friend, undersheriff Hugh Beringar (Eoin McCarthy, replacing Sean Pertwee), who fleetingly lets greed get the better of him. --Donald Liebenson

From the Back Cover
Twelfth century Shrewsbury comes dramatically to life in Ellis Peters' story of Brother Cadfael - a good man in an evil world. Sir Derek Jacobi stars as Brother Cadfael, the intuitive crime-solving monk of medieval Shrewsbury, in this murderous tale from the popular PBS Mystery! series. Cadfael must investigate the murders of two visiting merchants who upset the festivities in Shrewsbury. Local tradesmen have plenty of motive for murder, but Cadfael suspects something more than just greed and jealousy at play. When the true cause of the violence is exposed, Cadfael finds himself at the wrong end of an old friend's sword. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE exclusive audio comments by Derek Jacobi, Ellis Peters biography and booklist, production scrapbook, captions for the hearing impaired and more.

Customer Reviews

An OK Cadfael movie, but not the best I've seen.
I was disappointed in this particular Cadfael video. I suppose if I hadn't read the book before seeing the video, I would have enjoyed the video more. But as it was, some of the better scenes in the book were either taken out from the movie or changed. The plotline is almost completely changed except for the villian remaining the same in both the book and the movie. The movie portrays a growing tension between Cadfael and his friend Hugh Beringar, which results in Cadfael at sword's point with the man who in the books was willing to be tolerant of Cadfael's assistance to people who chose the opposing cause in the civil war. The romance between the person Cadfael is trying to help, Emma Vernold, and the young man suspected of the murder of her uncle, Phillip Corviser, was also cut from the movie. In short, Cadfael is uncomfortably nosey, Emma's American accent is out of place, as is the tension between Cadfael and Hugh. However, this movie would probably be more appealing if you didn't know the original story.

Cadfael on Acorn Media a "bummer."
The video and audio qualities of this DVD are appalling! Yes, the main menu is crisp and compelling, but what follows will send you scrambling for your home-taped VHS copy of the production. I have noticed similar lapses of quality in other DVD copies of great British productions (e.g., Sherlock Holmes w/Jeremy Brett). A great performance deserves at the very least a good technical effort. (Note: The A&E issues of Poirot are excellent.)

Mixed feelings!
Perhaps if I had not read the book first, I wouldn't have been a little disappointed. Sir Derek Jacobi is wonderful as always as Cadfael, but I didn't like the lack of rapport between Hugh Beringar and Cadfael, the almost adversarial stance between them. I also didn't like the guy playing Hugh as well as I would have expected. They also took more liberties with the story than I liked. I really liked the book of this name, and so I was a little disappointed with it's treatment in film. It's still good and worth seeing, but it left out the romance, which is always a sweet little aspect of the novels, and didn't have as dramatic a climax to the story as the novel did. See this episode before you read the book, and you'll probably like it just fine.

It has a complex plot that keeps you guessing, starting with a dispute between the town and the abbey, and leading right into a whole series of murders, with a series of suspects that keep you guessing too. A fine story overall!