Customer Reviews

Brother Cadfael: Set 3 (The Rose Rent / A Morbid Taste for Bones / The Raven in the Foregate)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 story lines themselves to the way the protagonists speak, to the necessities and limitations set by the new medium. But she eventually acquiesced and at one point promised that "the next one I write, I'll make sure it's easier for you all to film."

While the thirteen episodes that were eventually produced are, thus, not entirely true to the individual Chronicles they are based on, they are closer than many other movie or TV versions of famous works of literature. Most importantly, they maintain not only the core story lines but also the historical authenticity, atmosphere and spirit set by Ms. Peters's books in a marvelous fashion. And Sir Derek Jacobi brings both the wealth of his experience and skill and all of his own shrewdness, intelligence, sense of humor and empathy to the role of the medieval Benedictine sleuth and thus truly becomes Cadfael - for the thousands of new fans who are discovering the series through its enactment for TV just as much as for us who loved the books before they were ever transposed to a visual medium. A tremendous cast of supporting actors rounds out an overall excellent production; to mention just a few, Julian Firth as the ambitious and narrow-minded Brother Jerome, Terrence Hardiman as Abbot Radolfus and Eoin McCarthy as Under-Sheriff Hugh Beringar, who joins Cadfael in his investigations whenever, as is so often the case, these transcend the world of monastic life and require the administration of secular justice as well as clerical insight. Several episodes also feature noted guest stars, such as Kitty Aldridge as Judith Perle and Crispin Bonham-Carter as Miles Coliar in "The Rose Rent."

All thirteen Brother Cadfael episodes produced for TV were eventually released on video and are available either individually or in one initial four-video set and three sets of three videos each. The second and third sets and the episode "The Leper of St. Giles" from the first set are currently (as of April 2002) also available on DVD. They are not entirely in the same order as the books; however, as most of the cross-references between the books have been eliminated in the screen versions, this is no great harm (although the lacking cross-references are probably one of the things avid readers of the books will find missing). The DVDs also provide background information on Ellis Peters, Sir Derek Jacobi and a number of the individual episodes' other actors. This third collection features the following stories:

"A Morbid Taste for Bones" (the first Chronicle): The monks mount an expedition to Wales to retrieve the bones of a local saint after a young monk claims to have seen the saint in a vision in which she asked that her bones be brought to Shrewsbury. The mission runs into serious trouble when the local lord, who has opposed it, is found murdered.

"The Raven in the Foregate" (the twelfth Chronicle): Cadfael must solve the mystery behind two deaths; one of a young woman who (unsuccessfully) sought his spiritual advice, the other of the priest to whom Cadfael sent her: the new priest in Shrewsbury's foregate, an ambitious, power-hungry cleric in direct allegiance with King Stephen.

"The Rose Rent" (the thirteenth Chronicle): A young widow is caught between several suitors but refuses to marry either of them, unable to give up the memory of her husband's love. She deeds her house to the abbey, in return for the annual rent of one rose from the house's garden; but a gift of beauty turns bloody when the emissary delivering the rose, a young monk, is found murdered.

The other televised episodes are, in order of sets:
First set:
"One Corpse Too Many" (the second Chronicle);
"Monk's Hood" (the third Chronicle);
"The Leper of St. Giles" (the fifth Chronicle);
"The Sanctuary Sparrow" (the seventh Chronicle).

Second Set:
"St. Peter's Fair" (the fourth Chronicle);
"The Virgin in the Ice" (the sixth Chronicle);
"The Devil's Novice" (the eighth Chronicle).

Fourth Set:
"The Pilgrim of Hate" (the tenth Chronicle);
"The Potter's Field" (the seventeenth Chronicle);
"The Holy Thief" (the nineteenth Chronicle).

Also recommended:
A Rare Benedictine
A Morbid Taste for Bones: The First Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
One Corpse Too Many: The Second Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
Monk's Hood: The Third Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
Leper of Saint Giles (Brother Cadfael Mysteries)
The Virgin in the Ice (Brother Cadfael Mysteries)
Brother Cadfael's Penance (Brother Cadfael Mysteries)
The Cadfael Collection
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury

Overall, I liked Series 3 better than Series 2. The writing (I felt) was better, the productions were nicely done, and the casting was very apt. Also, while the same actor plays Hugh in both series, he's given better lines in this one, although he still can't act his way out of a paper bag. (E.g., in one episode a suspect is captured by vigilantes, beaten to a bloody pulp, and rescued by Hugh just moments away from a horrible death. Hugh questions him, determines that he's innocent, then dismisses him with a deadpan, cop-who's-decided-not-to-ticket-you-after-all "You are free to go" -- which had me rolling on the floor laughing.)
The best of the series, to my mind, was "The Rose Rent": The writers couldn't resist multiplying red herrings, and the lovely Judith is far too Pre-Raphaelite for 12th-century tastes. On the other hand, the characters (even minor ones) come across vividly, and in the kidnapping scenes the crucial issue of "who was where, when, and with whom" is very easy to follow. "A Morbid Taste for Bones" is well done too, with a handsome group of young lovers and an attractive setting, and the fundamental ironies in the original book come through unaltered. (The fact that it's mostly a Hugh-free zone also helps -- heh!)
As for "The Raven in the Forecourt," it could probably be best described as "a riff on Ellis Peters." Although the writers retained the book's basic theme -- the priest's narrow-minded morality and the various people who are harmed by it -- they added a love story and a great deal of gratuitious (if not entirely irrelevant) gore and mayhem. And Brother Cadfael's role is mostly reduced from sleuthing to bleating at the various characters in distress. Still, the plot keeps you interested, and the "confession" near the end is well done and satisfying. (I felt that the book itself was weak compared to the rest of the series, so I certainly don't fault the script writers for trying to improve on it!)
Again, Derek Jacobi does an excellent rendition of the title character, and the "regulars" in the supporting cast are a pleasure to watch (especially when that self-righteous prig Brother Jerome finally stumbles). Overally, a good evening's entertainment.

When I viewed the first set in this series I was drawn in by the wonderful acting, sets, costumes, music, and more. I immediately ordered the rest the sets and the third set showed up before the second. I couldn't wait to watch it and so I watched it out of order. It really doesn't matter I think what order you watch them in other than some of the background, whose King, politics, etc. might be clearer if watched in order.

Be sure to read the review "Successful TV dramatization and the role of Sir Derek's life" by themis_athena from Santa Monica, CA, USA. An excellent review and I dare anyone would have a hard time doing better. My only additional comment is I like Sheriff Hugh Beringar in the first series a little better. Eoin McCarthy in this series does not have quite the depth of Sean Pertwee.

This set includes the standard extras found in this series. Quite honestly these sets are a bargain for this price.

Unfortunately the producers of this series took a bad turn when they produced these three titles. They chose to not follow the books at all. All of the titles are much darker than the books which are very positive about human nature. The bad guys have been made evil and the entire production is more sinister than Ellis Peters intended. Her message was always that people were basically good and redeemable where these movies emphasize the evil and downplay or even omit the good. Even Cadfael is portrayed as more violent and angry then he ever is in the books. I own all of the series and love the first 7 which were much more positive. These combine characters and sometimes even change the characters from angelic to demonic. There was no excuse for this. The stories Ellis Peters wrote were excellent these renditions are lame to bad. Perhaps, had they stay true to the original author's intent, they could have made the other 7 books too.

The show quality is good, both sound and visual, but the stories make it so that I can't highly recommend them.

These are some of my favorite BBC television shows. The setting is wonderful and the acting superb. Some purist have rightly stated that the video quality could be much better but I have enjoyed these programs and will
soon be sending them to a friend. I have VHS copies but plan on getting the DVDs. Highly reccommended.

I've loved and admired Derek Jacobi as an actor since his terrific turn as Claudius in "I Claudius." In the Cadfael series, Jacobi is Brother Cadfael, a smart Welsh priest in Medieval times. He's also a healer and sleuth with a mysterious past. In "A Morbid Taste for Bones," which is one of my favorites, a delusional Brother has visions and is simply a nutcase. However this is the days of old so the visions have meaning, especially to a self-serving church that needs money. Based on a wrong interpretation of one of these visions, the priests decide that a young Welsh saint lies uneasy in her grave and set out to dig her up and take her bones to the church. Of course they have ulterior motives because relics such as bones bring the churches favor and money. I don't want to give away any of the great plot, so I'll only state that a murder occurs. Brother Cadfael must bring peace between the Welsh people who have the saint buried in their town and the priests who greedily want her bones removed and taken for their own sake. He must also solve the murder so an innocent is not executed. There are delicious twists to the story and a wonderful ending that has everyone happy......and deceived. Only Brother Cadfael and two others know the truth. This series is so unusual in it's time setting and characters that it is one of a kind. It's also beautifully done. Ellis Peters would be very proud of how they interpreted her books to film.

Love is a wonderful, many-splendoured thing... but it also can lead to murder, sin and hate. "Brother Cadfael, Set 3 (The Rose Rent, A Morbid Taste for Bones, The Raven in the Foregate)" shows off the darker side of love and desire, whether it involves a saint's bones or a girl who just, uh, loves too much and too often. The only downside is some religiously-questionable actions Cadfael takes at one point.

Beautiful widow Judith Perle gives the Abbey a piece of her property, with the stipulation that they must pay a single "Rose Rent" from the rose bushes there. But then Brother Eluric -- who had confessed his desire for Judith -- is found dead, and the widow herself is kidnapped. As a wealthy woman, she has quite a few suitors, and Cadfael must unravel what cold greed -- or a twisted love -- has led to murder.

Then in "A Morbid Taste for Bones," a young monk named Columbanus has an epileptic seizure, which he claims gave him a vision of the Welsh saint Winifred. Prior Robert insists on leading an expedition deep into the Welsh countryside, and returning with Winifred's holy bones. But the Welsh village of Gwytherin is reluctant to give up their saint -- and even more so when a prominent landowner is found dead. Of course, the monks are the main suspects, and Cadfael has to figure out who did it and why.

Finally, "The Raven in the Foregate" is Father Ailnoth, a cruel, greedy and unforgiving priest who manages to alienate EVERYONE he meets in Shrewsbury. But the townsfolk are truly enraged when his nastiness drives a single pregnant girl to suicide, and shortly afterwards, he's found dead in a water wheel. So a guilt-ridden Cadfael must work out who murdered Ailnoth, and whether the girl truly committed suicide.

For the most part, these three novels are a solid adaptation of Ellis Peters' novels -- every mystery has lots of suspects, moral dilemmas, religious strife, a murder that only Cadfael can solve, and a bit of romance. And it has all the blood, grime and sweat of the 12th century, and accurately depicts the strong presence of religion and medieval life. The politics is given a backseat in this one, though.

Derek Jacobi remains absolutely perfect as Cadfael -- he depicts the herbalist monk as a man of faith, strength, paternal kindness and a formidable intellect. We also get to see him spending time in his native land of Wales, but he's the most richly developed in "Raven in the Foregate," when the poor guy is wracked with guilt over his inadvertent part in the pregnant girl's death.

There are also great performances by Terrence Hardiman as the kind but stern Abbot Radulfus, Julian Firth as the fussy Brother Jerome (who is even implicated in a murder), Michael Culver as the haughty snob Prior Robert, and Mark Charnock as the oft-abused but gentle Brother Oswin (who continues to provide some comic relief, such as when he almost gets left behind in the Wales trip).

So what is the downside of this collection? Well, for SOME inexplicable reason, the writers added a scene where Cadfael takes actions that are at odds with his piety and his duties as a monk -- namely, possible euthanasia. It's just shoehorned in for no reason, and it doesn't fit.

If you fast-forward that scene, "Brother Cadfael, Set 3 (The Rose Rent, A Morbid Taste for Bones, The Raven in the Foregate)" is a strong trio of rich, powerfully-written medieval mysteries. All you need is love... and death!

This is one of the most brilliant book-to-screen adaptations I've ever seen. Jacobi is the quintessential Cadfael. Recommended to all fans of historical mysteries, the Middle Ages, or Medieval mysteries. Edith Pargeter/Ellis Peters did massive amounts of research to make these books true to life, and the television producers/directors continued her noble tradition.

This was purchased as a gift. The person was unfamiliar with the contents. Upon receiving it he watched all of the contents twice. He was very pleased with it. Now I know what to get him (the other in the series)in the future.

Of course, it's better to read the book, BUT, if you haven't, know that this video of "A Morbid Taste For Bones" is the next best thing. The attention to historical detail, the music, the quality of the performances, etc. make this a movie I can watch over and over. Follows the book exceedingly well, which is sometimes done so badly. Just as Jeremy Brett IS Holmes, Derek Jacobi IS Cadfael. If you can only own a handful of Cadfaels, make sure you own this one!