Customer Reviews

Brother Cadfael - The Virgin in the Ice [VHS]

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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."

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?

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!

The story line is great, but the way the actors' and horses' breath steam in the air, and the haunting medieval chants and the remarkable artistry of the girl frozen inside the block of ice are just incredible. I don't want to ruin the plot, but the exchange between the young warrior and Cadfael at the end will bring tears to your eyes and take your breath away. Fantastic!

Can you imagine Oswin caught up in the arms of a woman? Picture him kissing her softly then flying into a rage wherebye he rapes and kills her. To make matters worse, she is a nun and her body is found frozen in a pond just a mile away where she and Oswain were sleeping together. Sound incredulous? Poor Oswin confesses his vile sin when ravaged by fever. Cadfael has a challenging mystery to solve in clearing the name of a man whom he holds dear in his heart. Brother Oswin has always been like a son to Cadfael. Although he has broken numerous pots and stumbled and bumbled his way through Cadfael's hut, he still remained Cadfael's favorite among all the monks of Shrewsbury. Once again trouble hits the area of the monastery. Two children have been lost and their uncle, an enemy of King stephen, has dispatched an emissary to find and return them. Oswin gets involved by helping the nun and her two charges. Their separation during the storm brings upon more troubles than can be imagined.

You will love Derek Jacobi's performance in the best of Ellis Peter's tales of our wiley monk Cadfael. He must fight with Prior Robert and Brother Jerome as they immediately condemn Oswin for his vile "sins". As he ventures to clear Oswain's name he comes across this emissary who has a very special relationship to Cadfael in addition to being a Crusader. Reminise with Cadfael as he thinks of the woman and son he left behind in Jerusalem as a crusader. In this series, you will encounter another side of Cadfael never shown in previous tapes. I loved the action, suspense, tenderness and thrills of this movie. Give yourself a treat in watching two sons return home.

Although the video doen't precisely follow the book, the visual presentation is a stunning feast for the eyes! The depiction of 12th century England in the depths of a pre-Christmas storm awes the viewer with the contrast between the beautifully stark, harsh
snow-covered countryside and the simple, life-saving, warmth of Shrewsbury's Benedictine monastary; it is an island of life in a white sea of death.

An excellent presentation of English drama: a great story done by great actors and filmed by a great cinema crew.

A must-have video for Christmas!

I would recommend this movie to anyone loves a good mystery, especially one starring Derek Jacobi as the midevil crusader-turned-monk, Brother Cadfael. The story begins when Cadfael's much-loved but clumsy novice, Oswin, is found close to death and hysterically babbling that he has raped a nun. When the nun is found dead, her body discarded in a brook, the monks at the abbey believe Oswin is to blame. Cadfael sets out to prove him innocent, while at the same time searching for two lost children. Little does Cadfael know that the squire sent to find the children is the son he never knew he had.