Product Details

• Actors: Anthony Green (II), Sir Derek Jacobi
• Directors: Sebastian Graham Jones, Graham Theakston
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Acorn Media
• VHS Release Date: September 11, 1999
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1569382484
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,687 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Brother Cadfael, the Sherlock Holmes of the medieval world, discovers a corpse among the parade of the infirm and diseased taking refuge in the abbey on "Cripples Day." Thieves and con men ply their trades among the pilgrims so there is no shortage of suspects, but a few personalities leap from the crowd, namely a bitter young man accompanied by his pickpocket sister, and a dying pilgrim making the trek barefoot while his pious brother pushes him along. The struggle between faith and dogma that rings through all of the Cadfael mysteries takes center stage in this story. The piety of the more judgmental Brothers of the Order comes across as hypocritical in their dealings with the unwashed peasants (who are, much to the monks' dismay, detained within the abbey walls during the investigation), but even their intolerance pales next to Cadfael's terrible discovery in the murder.

The DVD features a brief audio interview with Derek Jacobi, production notes, stills, filmographies, and an Ellis Peters biography and booklist. --Sean Axmaker

From the Back Cover

Cripples Day at Shrewsbury brings a hoard of disabled pilgrims to the abbey. Within a short while, a body is found in a leather sack amid the visitors. Cadfael boils down the man's body to inspect the bones and uncovers two possible explanations for his death. But in the excitement of the day's festivities, the bones of the deceased are stolen. Then, the chief robbery suspect escapes, leaving Cadfael to delve deeper into the mystery of the bones' disappearance and the reasons for the victim's death. Twelfth century Shrewsbury comes dramatically to life in Ellis Peters' story of Brother Cadfael - a good man in an evil world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ellis Peters would turn in her grave!, March 24, 2003

By 

Lily14 (Leicestershire, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother Cadfael - The Pilgrim of Hate (DVD)

For those of us who love the Ellis Peters books, this was an insult and an affront. Quite simply, the story was mutilated beyond all recognition. In fact, only the character names were consistent. Changing a few details for dramatisation is one thing, changing good characters into bad ones, and changing the whole crime is quite another. If the directors had wished to write a NEW sinister story, then they could have done exactly that. There was no need to ruin one of Peters' wonderful stories in the process.

Frankly, the delightful and gentle quality of the Peters' stories provides their unique charm. This engineered dark, brutal atmosphere is totally alien to the original works, and as such has no place in this series.

If you love the original books, do not buy this DVD. It will leave you irritated and annoyed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, provided one hasn't already read the book., July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brother Cadfael: The Pilgrim of Hate [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video has all the atmosphere one expects from a Brother Cadfael mystery. Unfortunately, it is completely unlike the book. While it manages to tell its own story well enough, the book was far superior, and it's a shame that the person responsible for adapting the book for television didn't treat it with more respect. Many characters are completely, wildly different than in the book, as is the plot. Some minor, inconsequential details were kept, and as far as I can tell, they are the only connection with the original story. In addition, anyone who is a fan of Hugh Beringar could just as well avoid this video, too, since he is hardly present--and when he is present, he is one-dimensional and has no rapport with Cadfael. Overall, a very disappointing adaptation.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment in an otherwise excellent series., January 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brother Cadfael: The Pilgrim of Hate [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Although translation from book to film usually involves some changes to the story, "The Pilgrim of Hate" comes nowhere near Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novel of the same name. It appears that the script's writer not only did not read the book; he must have derived his story from a hasty verbal summary delivered to him by an acquaintance who had glanced at the book a few years before! A couple of the characters manage to have the same name from one version to the other; but the crime, the victim, the perpetrator, the motive and the method are all changed -- perhaps to allow the grisly visuals which following Ellis Peters' version would not have provided. Two of the featured characters have personalities 180 degrees different from their print counterparts, and one important person from this novel and the series in general doesn't appear at all. Miss Peters must be spinning in her grave. In addition to being completely original, this version of the story is badly written, with one-dimensional characters (even the regulars) and gaping holes in the plot. The excellent actors do their best with the script, but there are limits to what is possible. I hate to suggest that one leave a gap in a collection, but if you collect Brother Cadfael mysteries as written by Ellis Peters and interpreted for the screen, skip this one. It is not "The Pilgrim of Hate" but an ugly imposter.