Customer Reviews

Kavanagh QC, Set 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This entire series has given me endless pleasure from start to finish. Each episode presents a different perspective on the British (and very occasionally the American) legal system. You will also find changing perspectives on British culture and British life. The acting is superb, as is the music. Highly recommended to those who like gripping and well constructed courtroom dramas.

"Nothing But the Truth" features a very young and long haired, Ewan McGregor in a role that leaves everyone guessing to the very end. Did he or didn't he? Who's telling the truth? Who is the real victim? One of the series from Kavanagh QC (Queen's Counsel), the superior storyline evidence the high caliber of British drama that Americans rarely find on regular mundane weekly television except PBS Masterpiece Theater. In the title role is the late versatile character actor, John Thaw as James Kavanagh a champion for equal justice in and out of the court. He is harried with an enormous case load, and faces the shaky possibility of loosing his unhappy marriage, as well as his spoiled yuppie puppy offspring at home. Adding to his problems is the case of the Crown versus David Armstrong (Ewan McGregor).

McGregor's character is a young Cambridge student accused of raping an older woman who is the client of a construction company where David works as a summer laborer. The son of an industrial captain, David has wealth, and the good reputation of a gentleman. He is candid and forthright making him a perfect client. Kavanagh is confident and assured of David's innocence. The alleged rape victim (Alison Steadman) is a forty-something housewife. She has an unfaithful husband and her failing marriage leaves her lonely and vulnerable. Not so old that she is unattractive, Kavanagh argues she is not the kind of woman a rich and hot Cambridge boy would have an interest. He asserts the accuser enticed David into her home for a little 'afternoon delight'.

At the crux of the episode is the prejudice that rape is the fault of the victim. Who do we believe -- adorable and respectable David, or a troubled housewife with an itch for firm young flesh? As lawyers spar and examine the incident, the prejudices that surround issues of older women/younger man, class, status, and rape in today's society becomes all the more raw, exposed, and incendiary.

I have been watching courtroom dramas (and comedies) for many years. As an American, the only British courtroom show I ever saw was Rumpole of the Bailey, and I came across Kavanagh while searching for something similar. It is, if you will, the dramatic Rumpole. John Thaw is a great actor and the stories are gripping. I hope that additional episodes will be brought to DVD.

Actor John Thaw, who as Inspector Morse made that series one of the most popular TV mystery series ever filmed, began work in the Kavanagh QC series immediately upon finishing the Morse series. Kavanagh ran from 1995 - 2001, with Thaw filming Morse specials (1995 - 2000) between episodes and seasons of Kavanagh. Barrister James Kavanagh is a much less brittle character than Morse, a family man whose wife has had an unfortunate affair which they have managed to put behind them, their affection for each other obvious throughout this first season. Their daughter, who is about to start college, has her own baggage and creates the usual kinds of family stress--primarily associated with an arrogant boyfriend whom she wants to have overnight in the Kavanagh household. Their son, a younger teen, is less motivated to study than his father would like.

Each of the four episodes in this set resembles a modern Perry Mason courtroom drama, with Kavanagh defending characters accused of rape, a murder disguised as a traffic accident, a child custody/abuse case, and the murder of a businessman by a prostitute. In all these cases, the situation is established in the first half of the program, as the viewer becomes familiar with the characters, along with Morse's current home problems. The second half features very civilized court proceedings as Morse defends the client while his colleagues conduct the prosecution. Unlike the Perry Mason series, however, justice is not always served in these more realistic dramas, even if Kavanagh wins.

"Kavanagh" director Colin Gregg directed some of the Morse series, and cinematographer Nigel Walters, though not part of the Morse "family," shows the same skill with unusual angles, the use of windows to show inside and outside action, and the use of contrast (especially with the black and white of the courtroom). Here he also excels in the filming of domestic scenes, missing from the Morse series, capturing facial expressions and small gestures that reveal emotions.

The first episode, "Nothing But the Truth," has some sound problems, with conversations difficult to hear when filmed along a busy street, for example, and the fast patter, some of it with atypical accents, make understanding the first 20 - 30 minutes of this episode a bit difficult for an American. These problems were corrected in later episodes. Overall, this is a terrific series, certain to appeal to lovers of Morse and equally certain to attract new viewers. The courtroom dramas are extremely well done--dramatic, beautifully photographed, filled with both spontaneous and controlled emotion, and thoughtful--as Kavanagh tries to serve justice while defending his clients. n Mary Whipple

Begin seeing this series, now! Go to your Wish List and your Cart, and fill it with some of the "Kavanagh Q.C." discs, now! For some now-unbelievable reason, I had waited about a year between first learning of this British television series, and finally watching any episode. The disc for Set 1, Disc 1, includes two episodes: "Nothing But the Truth" and "Heartland." Also, this disc includes these special features: "John Thaw: A Tribute" and "The Birth of a Series" and "Kavanagh Q.C. Trivia" and "Quotations on Law and Justice" along with "Cast Profiles." The topics are presented in large print, spread across a series of screens. There were no `talking heads' getting in the way of the information. The producers of the discs made the right choice; it is well worth spending the few minutes involved in reading the special features, especially if you are not already familiar with the information. Last year, I had read through the biography which John Thaw's wife had written, so I was already familiar with some of the material. [The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw. by Sheila Hancock. New York: Bloomsbury, 2005]

Over the years I've come to love the late John Thaw but I didn't really fall for him in the Inspector Morse series. It wasn't until after I caught the Kavanagh QC episodes that I began to realize his depth and excellence as an actor and I also realized that the Morse character was part of his act...I thought he wasn't acting so I disliked his irascibleness. I know different now.

He is without a doubt one of the finest British actors that I have ever seen and he is a jewel set amidst the Crowned Jewels of the acting empire because most of the best are British.

Any way I am gradually collecting the entire Kavanagh series (29 episodes I believe and I'm about half-way there).

If you like or even dislike lawyer movies, I guarantee you will grow to love this great British Barrister!

There has been talk of awarding him a posthumous knighthood. They should've done it while he was still alive and he doubly deserves it now. He has left a great legacy of visual literature. God bless you, John!

For those who have run through every episode of Morse and want more, check out Kavanagh Q.C. In this series, shot before the Morse saga had run its course, John Thaw plays a barrister who chops, dices, cuts, eviscerates and wins. Sporting world-class shirtings (as the British say) and cuff links, ties to die for and Savile Row suits, Thaw looks every bit the part. This is L.A. Law done with far greater class and skill. The cast includes major British actors in recurring roles, with guest shots from the British pantheon. This is real courtroom drama and in many ways it transcends the Perry Mason standard, since the ceremonious nature of the British court is a thin veneer over a system that feels far more urgent and far more violent. A large portion of each episode is devoted to the maneuverings of the lawyers, the pounding and hounding of witnesses, admonitions from the bench and twitches from the defendant in the dock. The reaction shots (when points are scored) are marvelous. Thaw is not playing Morse with a wig; Kavanagh is a wholly independent creation, but Thaw nails him (as he nails Morse). The look, feel, pace and ethos of the two series are quite different, but each is excellent. Highly recommended.

He's just as much of a carmudgeon as Inspector Morse - but even dressed in a barrister's wig John Thaw enchants with his fine performance....

many british dvd's are very difficult to understand because of the accents. John thaw speaks so well that he is quite easy to understand. This makes watching this series pleasant. After seeing this one, I bought three more series and enjoy them almost a good as foyle's war.

This would have to be one of the best TV / DVD series of all time I'm am so happy that you made it available for sale. Many Thanks.