Product Details

• Actors: John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Colin Dexter, James Grout, Peter Woodthorpe
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Bfs Entertainment/Mu
• VHS Release Date: August 18, 1993
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302901707
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,938 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Real ale buff Inspector Morse is in his element in Sins of the Fathers, when he investigates foul play at a family-run brewery. The old-fashioned Radford Brewery is the subject of an unwelcome takeover bid by a huge multi-national, when a member of the current board dies suspiciously. Lionel Jeffries and Isabel Dean play the elderly parents of the murder victim and the cast also includes Lisa Harrow, Kim Thomson, Paul Shelley, Simon Slater and Alex Jennings.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars greed personified, September 27, 2004

By 

Pamela Williams (Saginaw, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inspector Morse - Sins of the Fathers (DVD)

As Morse has commented on several occasions, the motivation for criminal activity usually involves sex, money, or both. In this particular mystery, the driving forces are much more pecuniary in nature rather than carnal. This entry in the series focuses on a family owned brewery which has fallen on hard times due to family mismanagement; consequently, a large corporation has bid to take over the brewery--- but at a price which (on the surface) seems unrealistically low. The mystery opens with the murder of the brewery manager, who was a member of the family and who was inclined to accept the takeover bid. Morse has to consider whether his murder was related to the takeover bid (since the family is divided over the issue) or to some other matter. No clear suspect emerges, although Morse has to consider the possibility that the dead man's brother (who frequently argued with the victim and was having an affair with his wife) might have committed the deed. Shortly afterwards, however, the brother, himself, is found murdered at the brewery. Eventually, one more murder victim is added to the mix for a total of three different homicides. Elements such as blackmail, financial fraud, preservation of family reputation and status, and revenge related to inheritance claims figure prominently among the factors which motivated the actions of the principal characters. It is fascinating to observe the dynamics of the family which owns the failing brewery, as they seem to be less affected by human loss (the murder of two sons) than they are by the prospect of financial ruin. Only at the end of the story do we learn the identity of the character who committed the final murder; moreover, I must admit I was surprised by this plot twist. Had I been more astute and attentive, I might have reached a correct conclusion earlier. In any event, Morse succeeds in solving crimes by attention to details (documents from the 19th century and the choice of words during a phone conversation) which might have easily been overlooked by a less imaginative detective. The performances are generally very good, with Isabel Dean delivering an excellent portrayal of the resolute family matriarch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars La Traviata, December 6, 2006

By 

William J. Thor (Vero Beach) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inspector Morse - Sins of the Fathers [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The first half of this episode is quite average, no intellectual Morse, no surprises or twists. However our patience rewards us as the two major soprano arias from the first act of La Traviata run regularly through the last half and our interest is peeked by the appearance of model trains two or three times. A major surprise relative to the owners of the Brewery really picks up the plot and just as we are settling in and adjusting to it, a couple of plot twists are thrown in to finish off splendidly what we believed at the start, would only be an average Morse. Pick this up, have patience and reap your reward.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars unrealistic plot, September 8, 2006

By 

it (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inspector Morse - Sins of the Fathers (DVD)

This episode has some illogical aspects. Once you view it ask yourself about the legal aspects of abandoned property. If a family does not claim ownership of some property for 150 years and does not pay death duties on it as it passes between generations of the family, do they have a legal claim on the property?

This is just as preposterous as if the Oxford CID used Ouija boards for solving crimes or used beatings with rubber hoses to "interview" suspects.