Customer Reviews

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries - Well-Schooled in Murder / Payment in Blood / For the Sake of Elena / Missing Joseph [VHS]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been catching episodes of Mystery for well over a decade, and to be honest, most of the time it just bores me to tears. I was always attracted to Chandler, Hammett, and John D. MacDonald, when it came to reading mysteries. On the other hand, I've really enjoyed some Dorothy L. Sayers and some Conan Doyle efforts.

So the curious can see how I might have been turned off by the BBC's more quaint efforts, like the annoyingly effete Poirot, or even the overly-PC Heat of the Sun, or whatever it was called. The series just seems to try too hard sometimes. Then again, I was crazy about the Cadfael series. So I'm always willing to give take another chance.

And man, did I hit the jackpot when I caught the second half of 'A Great Deliverance' here in Boston a couple of years ago. I was astonished, but soon forgot about the project, thinking that it was over and done with. Then I caught part of 'For the Sake of Elena.' Again impressed. Finally, a few weeks ago, I happened to catch 'Playing for the Ashes,' and once again I was floored. I decided that I had to own them all. Immediately.

Here's the deal:
1) The shows are cast to perfection. Lynley and Havers are utterly believable in their roles, and manage to achieve that most impressive feat of acting-- conveying in a glance more than is actually said. The most emotionally intense moments are those where little is actually said.
2) The mysteries are solid. While they do make some use of 'trendy' issues (animal rights) and sometimes take another trip to the well of British stereotypes (the lovely hamlet with a dark secret, or the exclusive boys' school with... a dark secret), the stories are so sensitively handled, and so consistently avoid cliches (even in such familiar settings), that they never come across as exploitative or schlocky.
3) The inner lives of the detectives are handled brilliantly. As with the settings, they could easily be hackneyed, but always remain a cut or two above. Havers is a hard-bitten gal with a damn hard life and a grudge against the privileged, while Lynley's an upper-crusty type who always has to prove that he's not a corrupt glory-hound or a stuffed shirt-- and his personal struggle is every bit as intense as the personal crusades of Philip Marlowe. Then there's his rocky personal life, which is diametrically opposed to the classic 40's PI experience. Whew!

It all sounds like a mismatched cop buddy-movie, but the episodes are directed with such confidence, and with such a de-emphasis of these potential pitfalls, that we're able to experience the emotional impact without ever yawning at the premise.

Apart from all that, the Inspector Lynley Myesteries belie their TV roots every step of the way. The photography is stunning, the production design is outstanding, the stories are wonderfully complex, the dialogue is sharp (and in a nod to noir, missing a single line of dialogue can mean that you lose track of the narrative-- listen carefully, and rewind as necessary), and best of all the actors are talented and wonderfully suited to their roles.

I have a collection of about 200 DVDs, but these are the first TV offerings to grace my collection. And I continue to announce that fact with pride to any (fellow?) movie snobs I encounter.

One complaint-- the DVDs present the episodes in just the same format you would see on PBS. Same sponsor ads, minimal menu options (forget about extras-- I was particularly amused by the teaser of 'web access to the Mystery site' offering on the case, which is nothing more than an ad for pbs.org-- shame on you guys!), and a generally half-baked presentation. Nice packaging, though, and the picture quality of the videos is top-notch. Highly recommended.

Finally, I haven't read the books. And I'm not sure I want to at this point. This series has created such an intensely believable tableaux that I'm afraid the more detailed world of George's fiction would detract from my own interaction with the series. That's a first for me. I'm a 'book purist,' so I'm still fairly shocked myself.

I have been thoroughly enjoying this series based upon Ms. George's mysteries, and, frankly, I am surprised at those viewers who have expressed "disappointment" that the video versions have taken some liberties with, or have been edited from, the books upon which they are based. ALL video adaptations of books go through the requisite editing in order to conform to time constraints, but I feel that, in this case, the screenplays are well written, and, above all, well acted.

Nathaniel Parker comes to the series with very impressive credentials, from previous sterling portrayals of historic and biblical figures, and of characters from classic literature. In this series, he once again proves his versatility, with top-notch performances as Inspector Lynley.

Sharon Small is an absolute delight as Sgt. Havers -- the polar opposite of Lynley, in upbringing and in attitude. The developing rapport, humorous banter, and verbal sparring between the two characters provides added interest and enjoyment to the plot.

I do not interpret their relationship as "romantic," but there is certainly a developing closeness, sensitivity, and mutual respect which they exhibit toward one another, and which is not uncommon between partners working together daily in a stressful profession. He naturally feels empathy toward her, in her trials and tribulations of caring for her mentally and physically handicapped elderly parents -- he would rightly be termed a "cad," if he turned a blind eye to her suffering -- and she is sensitive toward his feelings of hurt and betrayal, in his unhappy and unsatisfying relationships with the opposite sex, even going so far as to "make herself scarce" when they unexpectedly come across the object of his affection --i.e., "Helen" -- in one episode of the series.

I look forward to future episodes in this series, and highly recommend them to anyone seeking quality entertainment. (My favorite episode thus far is, "Well-Schooled in Murder" -- EXCELLENT performances by all).

First off, TV is a very different medium than books. Obviously you can't capture the detail of an entire book in hour and a half episodes such as these. And anyone who would go into watching them thinking otherwise is simply deluding themselves. You must accept each medium for what it is and then if you want to judge it, judge it in comparison to others from the same medium. And that is where these mysteries truly shine. The great thing about every one of these episodes is that you, the viewer, solve the case at the same time as Lynley and Havers. In comparison, if you've ever watched other TV series such as Miss Marple or Poirot, they always solve it by using some clues and information that never got presented to the audience. It is so refreshing to watch these and learn EVERYTHING that the detectives do so you are lead up to the same solution at the same time versus the miraculous deductions of Poirot and Marple where they always have to explain to everyone else how they solved the case! And lastly, compared to other mystery series, the acting here is far better overall - it isn't over-the-top like is so common in many mysteries on TV and even the bit-part characters do an excellent job and are believable.

As a fan of mysteries in all forms, I continue to be amazed by the excellence of the TV adaptations of Elizabeth George's books. Usually I like reading the book first and then watching the TV version. Most often one gets thoroughly disappointed or even disgusted by the liberties the directors took with the material. Not in the case of "Inspector Lynley Mysteries.".

It would be unrealistic to expect all the book details to be included, especially with books like George's, which sometimes stretch the patience of even those most liking thorough characterizations. I read her first book after watching the TV adaptation, and at first I was shocked by the appearance of several people essential for the story as told in the book. Quickly I realized, however, that it would have been impossible to include them and keep any semblance of coherence within the time limit of the TV format, and second, that they were not essential for the mystery part of the story. The title of the series is "Inspector Lynley Mysteries," after all. Some of the soap-opera parts of the books are better left ignored.

I would call the TV adaptations perfect, if it were not for one huge flaw: Helen Clyde. The TV person is a total antithesis of the elegant and witty Lady Helen of the books. The TV Helen is described as a brilliant profiler, but so far has not shown any brain at all. The producers would do best to send this neurotic person permanently to a psychiatric couch and get rid of her for good.

I found this series to be delightful. I loved the books, but did not care that this series did not stick word for word with the books, or were as long as the books. This series is an adaptaion and was never hyped as anything but.
As to the sexual tension, I got that from the books, too. Tommy was conflicted at times. But the series also kept to his love of Helen Clyde.
I learned very early on that any book adapted for screen usually is not as goodas the book itself. So, as I don't expect them to be, I can enjoy them for what they are--really good mysteries BASED on Elizabeth George's works.
I am glad I watched on PBS and that I spent the money to buy them to view again and again.

Yes, the first episode was longer and really fleshed out the characters, etc. But this is made for tv. Unless you're willing to pony up the money for longer adaptations, why don't you either stick to the books, or focus on what these episodes have to offer. I have really enjoyed the books and these episodes. The books give you nice insights and wit. These adaptations keep much of the intelligence and wit. The actors who play Lynley and Havers are spot on and a real joy to watch. If you're capable of distinguishing apples from oranges, you'll enjoy these tv episodes. I hope they make more of them!

I'm coming rather late to this series. As they say, "better late than never". I've completely fallen in love with this Murder/Mystery series. Besides being a superbly presented and acted Murder/Mystery, it has the additional appeal of having the two principle characters being of different backgrounds (classes). Nathaniel Parker is superb as the Oxford educated detective Lynley (in other words "Upper Class".) and Sharon Small is wonderful as the working class cop Havers. Their differences of perception of each case adds just the right amount of "spice" to each case and they end up requiring each others input in order to solve each case.
In light of the above, I look forward to purchasing the other episodes in the series!

As a longtime fan of mystery, I am a huge fan of the Elizabeth George "Inspector Lynley" series. (I own all 11).I was more than pleased when I watched the adaptation of the books in this series. People who want the exact duplication of what is in the books to reach the screen often forget that censors won't allow certain "themes" to be carried over. (As a writer, I know what I am talking about). So, if you just want to watch a wonderful series, you can't get much better than this. If you are looking for a word for word translation, just move along. But you will get your money's worth on purchasing this set. I'm anxiously waiting for the next series to come out on DVD.

In their apparently never-ending quest to frustrate fans of famous mystery authors, we now have the mangling of the Elizabeth George mysteries. If you are not a EG fan, or if you can shut the books out of your mind while you watch television, you may enjoy these. Friends of mine who have never read Elizabeth George liked them a lot.

I am well aware that visual media are completely different from written media and that a book may require significant adaptation and simplification. EG's characters often spend a lot of time musing, and that just can't transfer to film very well.

What is annoying is that the spirit is lost. The characters seem to bear little resemblance to their written counterparts in ways that completely throw off their personalities. It's not so bad that Lynley doesn't look at all as described, the characterization could still work. Barbara Havers, on the other hand, is struggling with being an irredeemably homely and dowdy woman, she's not a cute little pixie who goes in for a casual look. It's a major part of her personality, her whole worldview and her interactions with other people are affected by her self-image. And as for Helen, I kept thinking that I must be mishearing the name.

I can't bear to watch.

"We live by codes, Lynley thought. We call them our morals, our standards, our values, our ethics, as if they were part of our genetic make up. But they are only behaviours that we have learned from our society, and there are times to act in defiance of them, to fly in the face of their conventions because it is right to do so."

- Inspector Lynley (Well Schooled in Murder)

The setting of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries is England and this story is set at a private boys school called Bredgar Chambers School. The code of silence may be reminiscent of the military; but it is alive and well at this boys school where a murder of a 13 year old boy takes place. Why was a boy from a working class family murdered and who was culpable is the case that Inspector Thomas (Tommy) Lynley of Scotland Yard is called by his former boyhood friend to solve. Lynley is played by Nathanial Parker; and is a rather posh inspector who is also an earl. His sidekick is played by Sharon Small (Sergeant Havers) and she is from a diametrically opposed background from a working class family. She is not terribly good with authority and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder.

Some of the same actors from The History Boys are cast in some of the roles and the acting is very well done.

Though only boys, there is the grim undercurrent of rules being broken and bad behavior being covered up leading to the ultimate cover up - a murder of a 13 year old boy.

The cover ups unravel and more than one death occurs in the sinister image conscious environment of this upper class English boarding school; possibly more concerned with its image, reputation and funding versus uncovering the cause of death of one of its students; who as it turned out marched to a different drummer and followed his principles and conscience; because these were his standards and his personal codes.

Interesting character study of Lynley created by American mystery writer Elizabeth George.

Recommended B+

Bentley 2008