Product Details

• Actors: Derek Jacobi, Michael Culver, Julian Firth, Terrence Hardiman, Mark Charnock
• Directors: Herbert Wise, Malcolm Mowbray, Richard Stroud, Sebastian Graham Jones
• Writers: Christopher Russell, Edith Pargeter, Russell Lewis
• Producers: Neville C. Thompson
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 3
• Studio: Acorn Media
• VHS Release Date: September 11, 1999
• Run Time: 225 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303969631
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,322 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Never tell Brother Cadfael, the medieval mystery-solving monk, your theory of how a crime "must" have been committed. "We must always be wary of 'must,'" he states. "Nothing is certain." And so attest these three divine mysteries based on the books by Ellis Peters and originally broadcast in the U.S. on the PBS series Mystery! Each feature-length episode in this boxed set is self-contained but plays against the backdrop of England's civil war between forces loyal to King Stephen and those to Empress Maud. Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius, Gladiator) stars as Cadfael, who at one point is aptly described as "an odd kind of monk." The former "soldier, sailor, sinner, and Crusader" has his faith tested by crimes of royal intrigue and baffling murders that seem to plague the neutral ground of 12th-century Shrewsbury. The best of the three, "The Virgin in the Ice," is a good introduction for Cadfael initiates. This story of "violence and cruelty" involves the near-fatal beating of a young monk, the murder of a nun, and the disappearance of two children. Viewers' advisory: one of the chapters in the scene selection menu on the DVD contains a major spoiler. The "strange difficulties" continue in "The Devil's Novice," in which Cadfael's suspicions about a recently arrived novice are heightened by the murder of the bishop's chaplain. Finally, the local merchants are revolting, and the murder of two tradesmen further mar the festivities in "St. Peter's Fair." All three episodes costar Eoin McCarthy as local undersheriff Hugh Beringar, who relies on Cadfael when murder subverts his efforts to keep the peace. A tense standoff between these two friends heightens the climax of "St. Peter's Fair." Americans have never seen a sleuth such as Cadfael, a fascinating character who is at once a man of God, of science, and even of action. You'll find few Benedictine monks so skilled at using a quarterstaff. --Donald Liebenson

From the Back Cover

"Jacobi blends a cherub's benign charm with a sly spirit of divine intuition as crime-solving Brother Cadfael." - USA Today. "Enchanting!...medieval England comes marvelously to life." - The Washington Post. Sir Derek Jacobi is back for a second riveting series as the 12th century crime-solving monk in Ellis Peters' stories of Brother Cadfael. A wise and decent soul in a dark and brutal time, Cadfael is far from an ordinary monk. Once a soldier who fought in the Crusades, he has lived - and loved. A shrewd and intuitive detective, he relies on his skills in medicine and botany to foil treachery and solve medieval mysteries. Includes St. Peter's Fair, The Virgin in the Ice and The Devil's Novice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So what if this Hugh isn't the *real* Hugh (Sean Pertwee)?, February 19, 2003

By 

AvidHiker (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother Cadfael: Set 2 (The Virgin in the Ice / The Devil's Novice / St. Peter's Fair) (DVD)

... Brother Cadfael is *still* the most unique, complex, fascinating detective out there. Add to that the endlessly treacherous and intriguing setting, and you've found a winner.

The production standard is incredible; visually, it's an impressive effort and very realistic. It manages to be grand and gritty at once.

The acting is likewise superb. I could never have pictured a better Cadfael than the sterling Sir Derek Jacobi.

The only reason I gave this set four stars rather than five is that this particular Cadfael series is not my favorite of the four. All of them are worth owning, however.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacobi does it again!, August 18, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Brother Cadfael Series 2 Box Set: The Devil's Novice,St. Peter's Fair and The Virgin in the Ice [VHS] (VHS Tape)

These videos are extremely well done. I learned more about the post crusade era in the Catholic Church then I would have in any history class. Derek Jacobi is a superb actor, and his talents are highlighted in these entertaining and educational videos. I would recommend these to anyone with an interest in religion, history, or science, or to any one who loves a good mystery.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cadfael my Son, March 1, 2004

By 

C. A. Luster "The Rook" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Brother Cadfael: Set 2 (The Virgin in the Ice / The Devil's Novice / St. Peter's Fair) (DVD)

This is one of the best sets in the series. Although I think Sean Pertwee in the first set was a better sheriff, this group of stories is incredible. We see consoling, love, intrigue, lechery, murder, highway bandits, rape, kidnapping, and a host of other acts of love and violence. Some true chivalry, an evil monk but not the one that is accused, and mysterious disappearances of people make this set great to watch. The set contains many sub stories in each story that makes them all the more interesting. We find out a piece of the puzzle in Cadfael's love life while he was on the Crusades. The set does not contain much as far as extra's but the series alone is well worth the price. The quality is comparable with the rest in the series and quite adequate.