Customer Reviews

Inspector Morse - Dead on Time [VHS]

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How could any Inspector Morse fan resist this one for the ultimate in romantic poignancy? It begins with a startled look on Morse's face when he realizes the dead body belongs to the husband of his lover who broke his heart (and ruined his university career) by leaving him many years ago. It ends with Sergeant Lewis protecting his partner with a touching loyalty expressed through subtly phrased lines. Susan Fallon (Joanna David) is the lovely, accomplished blonde with whom we would imagine Morse falling in love (and surely never completely out of love.) Despite Morse's usual ill temper and irritation with the world, we forgive him his faults in those scenes when his blue eyes soften and tear with the pain of loving this woman. (Haven't we all loved and lost?) The script skillfully balances the dark side of human nature and its need for revenge with the hope that no matter how much we lose, love can still endure. This is a special episode to be savored many times for its intimate glimpses into our favorite detective's heart. And, yes, he wears it on his sleeve with a resonance only the late John Thaw could deliver.

This one, penned by the always reliable Daniel Boyle (who also wrote "Second Time Around" and "Deadly Slumber" among others), has to be one of the best Morse episodes. True, it would most certainly make Morse purists shudder because its plot developments are inconsistent with the Morse character as he is developed in the novels (in the novel "The Riddle of the Third Mile," which was later adapted for television as "The Last Enemy," refers to a character named Wendy who was Morse's lost love back at school; in "Dead on Time" this lost love of Morse's is named Susan). And true, the plot developments are at times illogical. But, this film's plot is only secondary; what is of primary importance is the character of Morse and the kind of sensitivity John Thaw gives this character when he is confronted with this, perhaps his most emotionally charged case. The plot: Morse is called to investigate the apparant suicide of Oxford don Henry Fallon. To make things complicated, the investigation leads Morse to suspect that the suicide was indeed murder set up to look like suicide. To make things more complicated, Henry Fallon was the husband of Susan Fallon, the woman Morse was engaged to so many years ago. To top off all these complications, there is a reemergence of feeling on the part of Morse, a rekindling of this love that he once had. You throw into the mix a bit of Shubert, some hard detective work by Lewis, an uneaten chocolate digestive in Strange's dest, and what you have is vintage Morse. Kudos to John Thaw, as always. He's a marvel and a skilled actor, capable of portraying a Morse that is both angry and tender. Buy this already.

In what may be John Thaw's most powerfully acted episode in the Inspector Morse series, Inspector Morse (John Thaw) investigates the alleged suicide of Henry Fallon, an Oxford don who has been suffering from a fatal neurological illness. Morse soon discovers that the man's widow is Susan Fallon (Joanna David), his former fiancée, the woman who jilted him and left him unable to love anyone else.

Several issues arise during the investigation, one of which involves the Dignity Society, a group which believes in suicide as a dignified death when there is no hope left. Morse, however, believes that this was no suicide, and as he investigates what he believes is a murder, he focuses on Susan Fallon's son-in-law, a young man who owed Henry Fallon a great deal of money and who was responsible for the car crash which killed the Fallons' only daughter and grandson.

The drama here is largely internal, as Morse becomes more and more involved with Susan and less and less objective about the case. Sgt. Lewis (Kevin Whately), sympathetic to what he is discovering about his usually taciturn boss, tries to keep the case on track without interfering with Morse's renewed feelings for Susan.

As always, the acting is superb, but here there are powerful confrontations involving Morse and those around him, and much more attention is paid to the personal aspects of Morse's life. The conclusion, involving Sgt. Lewis, highlights Lewis's sensitivity and empathy toward Morse. A powerful, dramatic insight into the inner life of Inspector Morse, and arguably the best acted episode of this outstanding series. n Mary Whipple

A dead man, an inquest ruling suicide, case closed! That may be all right for the average mystery, but not for Morse - his cases never are; that's part of the attraction of this series. Upon further probing we learn this is really a murder or is it? With a Dignity Society involved and several potential suspects, this case could go in several directions. Plenty of twists and turns before this one is over. For icing from the personal Morse we usually find something intellectual or cultural, but this time we are given romance. It seems Morse was heavily involved with the deceased's wife, prior to her marriage when Morse was at University - involved to the extent that they were engaged to be married. Now that she is no longer committed, the old spark is re-kindled mutually. This involvement affects Morse's objectivity in handling the case causing Lewis to engage himself more than usual in the investigation; he learns some details which he is reluctant to reveal to Morse because of his respect and fondness for his superior. How the mystery and the romance play out and how Lewis handles his dilemma are all revealed in the video. Certainly the most melancholy of the entire series. This is first rate stuff and belongs near the top of any list of Morse episodes.

Fans of the close to three dozen Chief Inspector Morse TV series are very familiar with the plot methodology that Morse usually misreads the events and the personalities involved, but finally gets it right. He also usually mocks his assistant Sergeant Lewis who has his own misreading of the events and persons. This tale seems different. It raises the question: will Lewis get it right while Morse does not, and will the police be able to punish the person or persons who killed people?

Morse, in this case, is called to an apparent suicide of a man who he knew as a very competent professor, who was suffering from a disabling disease. The man's wife is a beautiful woman who Morse loved, still loves, was engaged to, and still wants to marry. A doctor who is involved with assisted suicides reveals that the man was so disabled that it was impossible for him to shoot himself in the head.

There are interesting characters beside the wife. The doctor's wife was having an affair with the dead man's son-in-law. The wife and child of the son-in-law were killed in a strange automobile accident at 3 AM some years before the apparent suicide. There is abundant evidence that the son-in-law killed the apparent suicide. But did he?

I am a fan of the Inspector Morse series and have been re-viewing it of late. This episode is far and away the best of the series. Not only does it have a great plot, but it also reveals important background about Morse himself, and adds a new depth to Lewis. I cannot agree with the reviews that say the plot is flawed. Sorry, but these reviewers did not look closely enough as the answers to their questions are obvious from the show itself.

This is another stellar episode in the Inspector Morse series of crime dramas. In Dead on Time, Chief Inspector Morse (John Thaw) and DS Lewis (Kevin Whately) get called in to an apparent suicide. The dead man, Henry Fallon, turns out to be the crippled husband of Susan Fallon (Joanna David) who was the love of Morse's life at one point in time. Just as the detectives wrap up the case and the coroner's inquiry turns in a verdict of suicide, Henry Fallon's physician, Dr. John Marriatt calls them in and voices his suspicion that the death may not be due to suicide at all, given Fallon's physical limitations.

The detectives then turn on to the obvious suspect, Fallon's son-in-law, who had been in debt to Fallon. But is it really as simple as that? Things get complicated by Morse's obvious partiality to Susan, and it becomes evident to Lewis that Morse is letting his feelings for Susan affect his thinking and handling of the case. This episode tugged at my heart particularly because Morse shows his true feelings for a woman here. Susan is still very much the love of Morse's life, and even though he clearly wishes for them to be together, things are not so simple on Susan's part, and her feelings are a bit more ambivalent. It is rather sad to watch Morse get thwarted in love, especially knowing what a good man he is and deserving of happiness. This is a rather bleak episode in the series but makes for an engaging watch nevertheless.

Enjoyable though this episode was, there are a number of flaws in the plot which undermine its credibility. Firstly, how likely is it that Mrs Fallon is going to be in a fit state to drive to London and give a lecture hours after blowing her husband's brains out? I've experienced some confused lectures in my time but it's hard to see how this one would have been anything other than a mess. Also, a lecture at 8pm? Most of the students I knew from my time at uni, would have been down the union bar at this time!

Secondly, why didn't Morse or Lewis check for whether the chief suspect's fingerprints were actually on the murder weapon? Why didn't the latter immediately demand they check for prints the moment they charged him? Either he or a half decent solicitor would have raised this immediately and destroyed the police case at once. If he was suspected to have used gloves, where were these? If he used the dead man's revolver, how did he know that the weapon was going to be at hand?

Moreover, the rekindled romance between Mrs Fallon and Morse stretched credulity: Ok, she was using him to get him to overlook the possibility that she might have been involved in the death of her husband, but how likely was it that she was going to go to bed with Morse within days of the death of her beloved husband? Finally, why did she end up taking her own life when the case against her son in law had yet to go to court? Surely, she would have known that her suicide would make it more likely that the police would have finally woken up to the fact that a suicide pact was on their hands?

Having made the case for the prosecution, I have to say that none of this matters the first time you watch this; but you will be disturbed by some fairly elemental blunders in police procedure and psychological verisimilitude when you reflect on this episode.

Good english acting and stories are good also
will watch over and over
had seen it before and loved the Inspector Morse settings
a very good movie
chfancier

As others have pointed out, especially reviewer "Panjandrum", the plot in this story has a lot of bugs, though not so evident on the first viewing, but when you get familiar with the story after a 3rd or 4th look, one begins to see the flaws. But one could say, without these bugs, the the latter part of the movie could not continue. The second half of the film requires these flaws. But this is a crazy way to produce a film, no?

Yes, the shortcomings mentioned by "Panjandrum" in his Jan 29, 2011 posting are all there which detracts from the enjoyment of repeat playings. One must suppose the script writers think the customer is not interested in a coherent storyline, that emotionalism surrounding Insp. Morse and Sgt Lewis is more than enough to enthrall the viewer and make him content with the purchase. A pitiful way to do business I would say.

This is, quite naturally, the same strategy utilized in the production of the all-too-frequent sex-drenched, violence-soaked flicks of more recent times. Just appeal to emotionalism, the lowest common denominator of the human animal, and all is well. Collect your booty and head for the bank.

No, I'm not suggesting prospective customers not buy this film. It's worth the money, especially if you pick up a used one for just a few bucks. But the plot does have errors. However, as others have said, the acting quality on the part of Morse, Lewis and the supporting cast is quite good. That helps.

And at the end, as usual for a Morse film, the viewer is left to fill in the blanks. This is not a Chief Inspector Japp and Mr. Poirot movie where all gray areas are colored in.

After the first viewing, watching Morse and Lewis walk away together, headed off to breakfast, with Lewis buying cuz Morse didn't have any money, I was quite undecided whether the dead man actually killed himself or not. Leaves you a bit up in the air until you have time to explore the matter with subsequent viewings.

Others have posted this is one of the best or even THEEE best Morse film they've seen. I would not get anywhere close to that sort of assessment. Sorry, but it's still worth the purchase, especially when one considers what's on teevee these days and in the sickly movie houses.