And once again, little old Jacobi is back to the charge with the promise of
more yuks and huyuks than ever in the rip-roaring, funtastic,
abso-bloody-lutely awesome series, Cadfael -- well, not really.
And I might as well say "well" with the good ole Jacobian emphasis (try
WE-e-E-elll), as we're in for more Jacobian smirks than ever, ranging from the
sad, beady eyes of a French bulldog to the glittery expression of a Lutheran
heretic centuries before his time.
So, may we say that Cadfael ranks among the greatest British series of all
time? Let's have a closer look...
"The Virgin in the Ice" is by far the most exciting and engrossing of all Ellis Peters' Cadfael Chronicles, with its double twist in the plot and unexpected developments. But to be enjoyed fully it has to be watched after "A Morbid Taste For Bones" which comes at the start of the Chronicles. If "The Virgin in the Ice" is the most engrossing, then "A Morbid Taste For Bones" is definitely the funniest, although with Roman Catholic sensibilities may not entirely agree. "The Devil's Novice" is weaker than the other two tales on thsi disc.
The best thing is to read all the books first, in the correct order, then watch the DVDs for light relief when feeling lazy. The books are much, much, better tham the DVD, but the DVD is still well worth borrowing ... Read More:
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"Between friends there is no owing."
Once again there is a mystery with many threads overlapping. Father Cadfael uses intuition and a great deal of forensics to sort out what really happened.
You guest it; Sister Hilaria is found in the ice and the last time she was seen was with Brother Oswain of who is delirious from an encounter with bandits. Two kids are missing and a mysterious woodsman (with a sward) is creeping around. Things only get more complicated. In the process of sorting this out Father Cadfael leaves words of wisdom as "There is no shame in tears when they are worth shedding."
The identity of the mysterious woodsman holds great significance.
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Excellent series of course. But this DVD (bought January 2008) would not play on my system, which is fairly modern, has the correct regional code etc. Amazon will replace it but I wonder if more people have this problem.
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When the decision was made to produce for TV several episodes from her mystery series about Brother Cadfael, that 12th century crusader turned monk turned detective who has been, ever since his creation, one of the most compassionate and unusual sleuths of literary history, novelist Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) was not entirely happy. In fact, as the series' star, Sir Derek Jacobi, explains in the extra footage provided on the now-released DVDs, Ms. Peters had very mixed feelings about giving up her brain child and entrusting it to other people who went about cutting and adjusting everything, from the storylines themselves to the way the protagonists speak and even the Chronicles' sequence, to the necessities and limitations set by the new medium. But she eventually ... Read More:
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This tape is also part of Brother Cadfael Series 2 Box Set: The Devil's Novice, St. Peter's Fair and The Virgin in the Ice (1996)
You know this is going to be a good one when it starts out with a bloody face staring at you. Later there is the bragging priest and you know if he is not the one to die that he should be. And what is with the soon to be bride playing on both sides of the fence? A new novice that speaks strangely in his sleep, a missing king's chaplain who should have staid in the cars or rather not go out alone, and a mystery wild man is just the right mix for a murder mystery.
Once again Cadfael uses forensics, logic and intuition (with a little last minute information) to smoke out the truth and bring the culprit/s to justice. ... Read More:
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This tape is also part of Brother Cadfael Series 2 Box Set: The Devil's Novice, St. Peter's Fair and The Virgin in the Ice (1996)
You know this is going to be a good one when it starts out with a bloody face staring at you. Later there is the bragging priest and you know if he is not the one to die that he should be. And what is with the soon to be bride playing on both sides of the fence? A new novice that speaks strangely in his sleep, a missing king's chaplain who should have staid in the cars or rather not go out alone, and a mystery wild man is just the right mix for a murder mystery.
Once again Cadfael uses forensics, logic and intuition (with a little last minute information) to smoke out the truth and bring the culprit/s to justice. ... Read More:
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This tape is also part of Brother Cadfael Series 2 Box Set: The Devil's Novice, St. Peter's Fair and The Virgin in the Ice (1996)
You know this is going to be a good one when it starts out with a bloody face staring at you. Later there is the bragging priest and you know if he is not the one to die that he should be. And what is with the soon to be bride playing on both sides of the fence? A new novice that speaks strangely in his sleep, a missing king's chaplain who should have staid in the cars or rather not go out alone, and a mystery wild man is just the right mix for a murder mystery.
Once again Cadfael uses forensics, logic and intuition (with a little last minute information) to smoke out the truth and bring the culprit/s to justice. ... Read More:
>>More Details
This tape is also part of Brother Cadfael Series 2 Box Set: The Devil's Novice, St. Peter's Fair and The Virgin in the Ice (1996)
You know this is going to be a good one when it starts out with a bloody face staring at you. Later there is the bragging priest and you know if he is not the one to die that he should be. And what is with the soon to be bride playing on both sides of the fence? A new novice that speaks strangely in his sleep, a missing king's chaplain who should have staid in the cars or rather not go out alone, and a mystery wild man is just the right mix for a murder mystery.
Once again Cadfael uses forensics, logic and intuition (with a little last minute information) to smoke out the truth and bring the culprit/s to justice. ... Read More:
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I really enjoyed reading the Holy Thief but the television show varied considerably from the book. It had a completely different ending and turned a very likable character from the book into a villian. Overall I like the series especially Derek Jacobi as Cadfael. I didn't like this one as well because it didn't capture the book at all. If you didn't read the book you'll probably enjoy this episode more than I did. If you did read the book you'd know that the relics in question are that of St. Winifrid not St. Matilda.
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