8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A CHILLING MYSTERY AND MURDER, March 27, 1999
This review is from: Brother Cadfael - The Virgin in the Ice [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Christmas is coming, but the Abbey of St. Peter and Paul isn't merry at all. With King Stephen and Empress Maud warring over who is the rightful ruler of Englad, two orphans are sent to Shrewsbury by their guardian for safekeeping. When the youngsters and their chaperone Sister Hilaria turn up missing, Cadfael is enlisted by Hugh Beringar, Shropshire's undersheriff, to locate Ermina and Yves Hugonin and the nun. Beringar coldly refuses to let the nobleman's search party enter the shire. The children's uncle is a recently returned crusader but he sides with Maud and Beringar supports Stephen.
In the weaving of this tale, the threads become tangled when Brother Oswin, Cadfael's engaging but inept assistant, is brought to the Abbey unconscious, barely alive. While on a mission of mercy, Oswin met up with the siblings and Sister. Another fiber is woven into the fabric when Cadfael, out looking for the orphans, finds the nun frozen in a stream, murdered. The evidence points to the novice monk, with whom Sister Hilaria was last seen as they and others fled a raid upon Ermina's fiance's manor. After finding Yves, Cadfael ventures forth in search of Ermina and to prove, or disprove, Oswin's innocence, or guilt.
Shrewsbury's forest bristles with bandits, and there is a mysterious stranger from the Far East named Olivier de Bretagne. The exotic gentleman came to serve with Ermina and Yves' uncle in Jerusalem and followed him back to England, homeland of the father he never knew. The soldier secretly stays in Shrewsbury, despite the danger and peril, to complete his mission - tracking down and securing the two Hugonins' safety. When Cadfael and Olivier meet, the two bond immediately for some mysterious reason.
Ermina is finally found. Yves becomes lost once more but is rescued by Cadfael, Olivier, the undersheriff and his men, and Oswin. Oswin? It seems the lamb-like lad has the heart of a lion after all!
Justice prevails against those who pillage and plunder. The cold, hard truth is revealed as love conquers as itswarmth melts more than one heart.
It is the Christmas season after all, and as the tapestry-like tale is completed, there is a surprise for Cadfael, one he never dreamed of in all his years within and without the Abbey's walls.
"The Virgin in the Ice" is stuffed with subplots and scurrilous suspects. Foreshadowing of Foregate events and Shrewbury surroundings are intricately interlaced throughout the story, making viewing most intriguing.
This particular episode isn't perfect though: the falling snow resembles pieces of floating styrofoam and the wintry groundcover resembles the gooey glop with which modern day suburbanites spray their windows at Yuletide. Other than these blemishes, "The Virgin in the Ice" is faultless.
Sir Derek Jacobi brings to the role of Cadfael the best blend of Benedictine brotherhood and worldly yet warm wisdom. Eion McCarthy (Hugh Beringar) gives another persuasive performance. Mark Charnock (Brother Oswin) meets the challenge of acting up a storm even when unconscious. Amelia Curtis (Ermina Hugonin) is radiantly charming and ebullient. William Mannering (Yves Hugonin) captures the essence of adolescent angst. Robert Cavanah (Olivier de Bretagne) is strong, sensitive, and a sigh-t to see. Roman Vibert (La Gaucher) is the baddest of bandits; you can almost smell his rancid breath and his rotting teeth are totally repulsive.
Russell Lewis adapted the Ellis Peters novel for the screen and deserves the highest praise for his work. Stephen Smallwood produced "The Virgin in the Ice."
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Was it change for the sake of change?, August 4, 2000
This review is from: Brother Cadfael - The Virgin in the Ice [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The Virgin in the Ice is one the the many Ellis Peters books that I have read and enjoyed over the last twelve+ years. Why then, when there is a more than adequate story line, and very clear descriptions of the characters, do the film writers have to alter details. Surely there was no need to distort the details to such an extent that Brother Oswin, who had nothing to do with the disappearance of Yves and Ermina Hugonin in the book, should suddenly be so closely involved? Or is it just that the script writers could not make the plot fit any better? Why also is the Hugh Beringar of this film so unlike his description in the books - tall, solid and fair rather than slight and dark? Perhaps I'm being picky but why change for the sake of change?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This one is actually better than the book!, February 2, 1999
This review is from: Brother Cadfael - The Virgin in the Ice [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I have read almost all of the books and seen almost all of the videos and this one really stands out as being better than the book. I really empathize with Brother Oswin in all of the videos so it feels right that he should be the focus of this story. "The Virgin in the Ice" is also one of the best acted, by all of the cast. Derek Jacobi and the other monks are always flawless, (even Julian Firth as Brother Jerome who we all love to hate) but in this one, even the children do an exceptional job. If you have never seen a Brother Cadfael mystery, I highly recommend that you start with "The Virgin in the Ice". And if you want a wonderful book to start with, try "The Confession of Brother Haluin" by Ellis Peters. Bravo to a video masterpiece!
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