Product Description

Today’s legal minds could take a lesson or two from Horace Rumpole, one of the most colorful characters ever to approach the bench. Rumpole also maneuvers behind the scenes, using his brilliant mind and sly sense of humor to make his case. Stylishly played by Leo McKern, he throws the courtroom into an uproar for twenty episodes that seamlessly blend comedy, mystery, and drama.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40938 in DVD
• Brand: A&E
• Released on: 2004-12-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 600 minutes

Amazon.com
Before there was Quincy and The Practice, there was Rumpole. Rumpole of the Bailey is, quite simply, one of the finest television series, and it has served as a model for all law dramas that followed it. Edgy and satirical, Rumpole is based on John Mortimer's books of the same name. A determined and committed criminal defense barrister (whose clients have included three generations of the Timson family, among others) at the Old Bailey (criminal court), esteemed actor Leo McKern portrays the antihero Rumpole. As champion of the downtrodden, the self-righteous Rumpole loves to get in trouble with his wife Hilda, his peers, the head of chambers, and judges, to name but a few. A connoisseur of Wordsworth, cigars, and cheap liquor, McKern's usually disheveled Rumpole belies the character's dry sense of humor and astute skill as a barrister. The upwardly mobile Hilda is played by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, known for her Miss Toliver in Alcatraz Island, and Justice Sir Guthrie Fetherston is played by Peter Bowles, known for his Richard DeVere in TV's To the Manor Born.

Each volume features two episodes. Included in this set are "Rumpole and the Younger Generation," "Rumpole and the Honourable Member," "Rumpole and the Married Lady," "Rumpole and the Learned Friends," "Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade," "Rumpole and the Man of God," "Rumpole and the Case of Identity," "Rumpole and the Show Folk," "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast," "Rumpole and the Age for Retirement," "Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim," and "Rumpole and the Barrow Boy."

Typical of British drama, production values are low while the caliber of scriptwriting and acting is unsurpassed. A rare example of a television serial that is as appealing and engaging on its 10th viewing as it was on its first. --Erik Macki

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Collection
HBO Home Video has done a nice job of presenting the first two Rumpole series in this initial DVD collection. The set contains twelve one-hour episodes (six per series) and the two-hour film, "Rumpole's Return". The picture is sharp overall, particularly in the indoor scenes originally recorded on studio videotape, while the outdoor scenes done on 16 mm film are as well as can be expected (the production values of the Rumpole episodes improved considerably over time. These episodes are from the late 1970s). The DVD menus are good and provide about six scene selections per episode. There are also a few extras, such as bios of John Mortimer and Leo McKern, and some information about the British legal system. I have looked forward to seeing Rumpole on DVD for several years and am pleased with this set overall. Presumably, there will be two more sets like it to complete the Rumpole collection, and I would certainly buy them too. If I could have made a suggestion or two to the people in charge of the packaging, I would have liked to have seen the collection in a hard case rather than a paper one, and I would have tried to find more flattering photos of Rumpole than those used on the outside of the box. Also, the photo used to illustrate the episode "Rumpole and the Younger Generation" is from another episode in which Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown appeared (she was not in the Younger Generation). Otherwise, a good job and I hope to see the other two sets soon. [A&E has changed the packaging on these DVDs since I wrote this review. They are now in a plastic box with different photos so some of my comments are a little outdated].

Rumpole Videos
I like to collect Rumpole videos. Unfortunately, that isn't made any easier when the video does not have the titles of the episodes. I have several Rumpole videos, but there are several sources for them, each with its own "volume" number on it. I don't want to buy videos I already own. How about a list of the episodes? If you include that, you will probably sell a lot more videos to people like me who are only hesitant because we may have them already.

O Frabjous day!
As someone else here noted, a Rumpole fan needs no urging to buy this set. For the uninitiated, however, be aware this may well be an acquired taste -- all the best things in life are.

Here's a litmus test: see if you find this story amusing. A judge had before him an elderly con who's been convicted so many times they are on a first name basis. He sentences him to 20 years and the man looks up and says "But, your honor, I'm a very old man and don't have too many years left. I don't know that I can do 20 years." "Well," says the judge, "you just do as much as you can."

That's one of the stories that Rumpole loves to tell, and it's typical of the kinds of scenerios this barrister finds himself facing. One of the best things about having these episodes on DVD is you can quickly skip back and reply scenes -- every single reviewing will reward you with new treats.

Leo played a part written especially for him, and it's almost impossible to tell where he leaves off and Rumpole begins. The Rumpole series has never been collected in this organized a fashion before (previous releases came in a bewildering array of assorted sets that mixed years willy-nilly) and this is a perfect place to get aquainted with the most erudite and witty barrister the other side of the Big Pond. Nothing can replace Mr. McKern, but this set at least preserves his best performances for all time.