Product Description

The psychological crime dramas as seen on public television

From cold, rock-strewn moors to comfortable suburban estates, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell explores the dark fissures between friends and family members that motivate murder. Talented casts bring Rendell’s unforgettable characters to life in four complex stories of suspense.

Master of the Moor—Since boyhood, Stephen Whalby (Colin Firth) has sought solitude on the wild, windy moor. But his taciturn ways and familiarity with the wilderness make him the prime suspect in a series of shocking murders. Approx. 154 min.

Vanity Dies Hard—After her best friend mysteriously disappears, Alice Fielding (Eleanor David) begins to suspect foul play, perhaps even murder. And the killer may have targeted Alice herself as the next victim. Approx. 155 min.

The Secret House of Death—Newly divorced Susan Townsend (Amanda Redman) makes a grisly discovery in her suburban neighborhood and soon becomes involved in a potentially deadly intrigue. Approx. 103 min.

The Double—Two women, identical in appearance but totally different in personality, compete for the affections of one man. Which will lose love and perhaps her life? Approx. 103 min.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Ruth Rendell biography and cast filmographies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23159 in DVD
• Brand: FIRTH,COLIN
• Released on: 2007-02-20
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .60 pounds
• Running time: 463 minutes

Amazon.com
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Volume 1 include four adaptations of Rendell's brand of psychological mystery, tales of relative or questionable guilt, stories of truth-seekers who had long been obtuse, thrillers in which murder suspects are in the spotlight because of previously, under-the-radar neurotic tendencies. Volume 1 begins with the fascinating "Master of the Moor," starring Colin Firth as Stephen, a man who has found, since his troubled childhood, great comfort in the moor near his longtime village home. That is, until the presence of murdered women for whom Firth's character comes under suspicion, a situation not helped by some unusual quirks in Stephen's background and personality. An intriguing class drama, "Vanity Dies Hard" concerns two, longtime friends, wealthy Alice (Eleanor David) and struggling Nesta (Jane Gurnett), who come to a crossroads in their relationship when Alice marries a young, hunky teacher, Andrew (Mark Frankel). A square peg in Alice's world of refinement and gossip, Andrew begins tying Alice to their home, a situation she must reject when she suspects Nesta has disappeared--and Andrew might have something to do with it.

"The Secret House of Death" finds newly divorced mother Susan (Amanda Redman) trying to avoid the culture of gossip that consumes other women in her suburban neighborhood. But when Susan discovers the bodies of an adulterous neighbor and his lover in her neighbor's house, she begins putting the pieces together and not coincidentally puts her life at risk. Finally, "The Double" is a mind-bender about a fellow, Peter (Jason Flemyng), who becomes involved with a woman who is the apparent double of his girlfriend. A prediction of death and questions about who this mystery double really is make this a captivating drama. --Tom Keogh

Bergen Record, February 19, 2007
This series is at its best when Colin Firth is solving crimes.

Deseret Morning News, February 26, 2007
Great fun for mystery fans.

Customer Reviews

Mediocre Adaptations
I saw three of these productions on TV about ten years ago, and as adaptations of Rendell's novels they're disappointing. I expect any film version to take some liberties with the plot of a book, but in the ones I saw (I haven't seen "The Double") they changed characters and plot points for no apparent reason.

The films are OK considered on their own merits, but are generally below the level of most British TV imports, with a cheesiness you don't see in BBC productions.

Still, this set offers four films at a reasonable price, and if you don't know the books, you may find them enjoyable. If you're a Rendell fan, however, you'll want to wait for the three Barbara Vine adaptations (A Dark Adapted Eye, Gallowglass, A Fatal Inversion) which are so far the best adapatations of Rendell's work I've seen. There's a set on Region 2 DVD; hopefully it will be available on Region 1 at some point.

There are a couple of good Wexford adapatations on DVD (Simisola and Road Rage), with George Baker as the stalwart Inspector. Also, the French film Alias Betty is "The Tree of Hands", moved to France. Claude Chabrol's "The Bridesmaid" is another excellent French adaptation of a Rendell novel.

Good writing and strong acting, but you'll need to deal with ambiguity and with characters who don't warm the heart
All to often the term "psychological mystery" can mean characters who are hard to like or at least easy to lose patience with, especially when their stories go on for two or three hours. There's also the ambiguity factor; you may need a high tolerance for ambiguity as the stories play out with interior conflicts, guilt-ridden angst or strange doings that may not be well clarified...was a murder committed after all, was that strange person real or imagined, are the tortured emotions justified or not? Three of the four mysteries in the Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Set 1 have ample quantities of ambiguity and quite a few hard-to-like characters. One, "The Secret House of Death," is a fine, disturbing story which, for me, has an unsatisfying conclusion. Getting there, however, was a nice excursion into the world of red herrings and false assumptions. "Vanity Dies Hard" is straight-forward...but, oh, those characters. They're all of the privileged class or from the class which serves them. The homes are gracious and the manners well-bred (and occasionally arrogant). What saves this story is that the motivations are satisfyingly nasty...jealousy, envy and sublimated love. The other two stories -- "Master of the Moor" and "The Double" -- are simply unsatisfying, with conclusions which are, in my view, nothing more than contrivances. "Master of the Moor," in particular, takes a long, long time to get to the resolution, and then it seems so unfair to one of the major characters.

On the plus side, and what makes these mysteries worth having, or at least renting, is that the writing is excellent and the acting is of a high standard. In particular. Colin Firth in "Master of the Moor" and Eleanor David in "Vanity Dies Hard" just about carry the whole dramatic weight of their two stories. Amanda Redman in "The Secret House of Death" not only plays one of the few really likable characters in the series, she is the mechanism by which we at last realize we all have been taken for a ride.

The DVD transfers look very good. The four stories are on three discs. Master and Vanity run slightly over two-and-a-half hours each; Secret House runs nearly two hours; The Double, not quite an hour. Extras include a Ruth Rendell biography and cast filmographies for a few of the actors.

4 by Rendell
As a lifelong fan of Ruth Rendell's books, I agree with some of the other reviewers here--these 4 TV adaptations are a mixed bag. The best by far is MASTER OF THE MOOR, with (chubby!) Colin Firth's chilling portrayal of the weird central character, and a lot of good location filming on actual Yorkshire moors. 2 of the others, VANITY DIES HARD and THE SECRET HOUSE OF DEATH, are okay, though nowhere nearly as good as the books on which they're based. And the last, THE DOUBLE, is a very odd, rather pointless entry based on one of Rendell's less effective short stories, made even odder by weak casting in the crucial double role at the center of the story. The girl is pretty, but not much of an actress. Still, these are a good intro to the wonderful world of Ruth Rendell, and the best they can do is make you read her books. You won't regret it.