Customer Reviews

Midsomer Murders: Set 10

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife, mother, and I followed these when they aired on a couple cable networks. We were all sorely disappointed when they did not continue to air them. I had already bought several sets on DVD for my mother when they ceased televising them. I am just very happy they are putting all the sets on DVD. I just ordered sets 9 and 10 for my mom's birthday. I do wish they put them in seasons rather than sets, because you end up buying sets that you aren't sure what season they were. All the sets are available in the UK, but haven't been released as Region 1 in the US. If you enjoy detective series, this is one of the best out there. I am a fan of police shows, and the change to the British countryside and culture has a nice feel to it. The stories, acting, directing, sets, and scenery are great. Each set contains four mysteries. I highly recommend this series. The DVD quality is first class and they have excellent replayability. The set is the slim case type. - C. Luster

Violent death comes frequently to the unfortunate residents of all those pretty Midsomer County villages and small towns. It makes one wonder if the gorgeous scenery, picturesque homes and carefully tended gardens compensate for the fear that must make at least some of the inhabitants quail every time they hear a knock on the door or see a shadow on a path.

With set ten of Midsomer Murders, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) is in fine form. He's a shrewd, experienced, unflappable man with a dry sense of humor. He's going to need all his wits to deal with what the murderers, and the series writers, have come up with. Let's see...one person gets it by being staked to the ground, with a miniature trebuchet used to hurl bottles of wine down on him. Another is crushed by jars of Plummer's Piquant Sauce and then run through the sterilizer. My favorite is the person on a speeding motorcycle late at night. An encounter with a wire strung between two trees sends the man and his machine continuing in one direction and his head flying in another. Fortunately, the camera cuts away at the most gruesome moments and we're only left with our imagination. That means we wind up shuddering and smiling at the same time. As for the living, we and Barnaby encounter a marriage gone so loveless that you wouldn't wish it on a New York trophy wife. And at least two killers are so cold-blooded one would think jellied consommé must run in their veins, not blood. It may be that the writers are beginning to strain a little to keep our interest up, but I'm not complaining.

The four 100-minute mysteries that make up set ten are, in my opinion, among the more interesting we've had in this long series. The plots are often complicated, but if you pay attention they make sense. One word of warning. In Midsomer Rhapsody there are so many characters related in one way or another that a pad of paper to make notes on will be helpful. Without exception the acting is first-rate. It was good to see such experienced actors as Oliver Ford Davies, Annette Crosbie and Frank Middlemass have major roles. Middlemass, 85 when he appeared in Midsomer Rhapsody, died a year later. He has always been a favorite of mine since I saw him as the headmaster in To Serve Them All My Days.

Something also needs to be said about Jim Parker. He's the man who composed Midsomer Murders' theme music. It's a moody and distinctive melody that does a fine job of getting us ready for Tom Barnaby and his inimitable corpses.

The DVD transfer is first-rate, with clean, vibrant colors

Consistently well-written, filmed, acted, and produced, this series is a constant delight to those of who want mysteries with snappy dialogue, beautiful scenery, and the chance to try to solve the mystery before the police. They manage (somehow) to tell a story without a great deal of swearing, gore, or unecessary violence. Thank goodness the BBC keeps issuing them for purchase since we have little here in the States other than reality shows to watch. When the Biography Channel in its infinite wisdom (not!) decided to cease running this show I dashed off a letter of protest.

John Nettles is a delight in the main character of Barnaby, walking a fine line of police authority with charm and humor that show his acting ability is top notch. His wife and daughter in the series are always incorporated into the mysteries in ways that make perfect sense, and his sidekicks (all 3 that have been in the series) are well written and possess different strengths and weaknesses that keep the viewer rooting for them in their dealings with Barnaby. What really shines is the ability of so many different writers maintaining such a high level of consistency.

For those of you who enjoy STORY and CHARACTERS along with a good plot rather than predictable science or gore, this series is for you. This particular collection has an outstanding variety of mysteries that will give anyone a good sense of the doings in Midsomer. I can't wait until March when it comes out. Each show runs approximately an hour and a half. Please BBC keep them coming!! If you release them, I promise we will BUY!!

My English husband and I lived in England from 1990 to 1998 and retired to England. When we discovered the Midsomer Murders series we were delighted to recognize some of the scenery of our favorite places in Merry Olde. Henley on Thames (the scene of the famous Henley Regatta) was featured in a past episode, and right at the beginning of the episode called "Last Year's Model" was a glimpse of the town hall and some shops of Henley on Thames. John Nettles shines in the fine tradition of English understated acting, and the scripts are well crafted. Direction of each series is shared by a few experts led by Brian True May and the end result is one that can be viewed by the entire family without embarassment. Our only regret is that the U.S. cable station broadcasting in our Florida area dropped the show. Bad decision. We hope they reconsider. The release of these shows on DVD is too slow for our taste.

This droll series just gets better and better. Beware, because it can become an addiction!

I've come to appreciate Inspector Barnaby's (John Nettles) mature and calm presence and the sometimes conflicting cocksure brash attitude of his assistant Scott (John Hopkins). I still miss Troy (Daniel Casey) but the killings in the deceptively lush stately settings have not let up -- thank goodness.

I guess the thing that holds my attention is the juxtaposition of the madness being investigated with the patient tolerance Barnaby has for his family and private life. Sometimes the humor is dark. It's the ordinariness of a middle-class life up against the gruesome murders and bloodletting that makes it relatable. Barnaby copes and brings us closure. And that is very reassuring.

These four fine episodes (see product description) seem to be culled from the fuller and lengthier season as broadcast in the UK. I wonder if that is just a marketing ploy for US sales? In any event, this great old-fashioned whudunit set delivers cozy English village murder mysteries at the highest level. I especially relished the delicious "Sauce For The Goose" episode. A tasty treat indeed.

If you are new to the series. By all means take a look at the now available first 18 titles in a special set.

I don't know where the series is shot, but I have spent time in Buckinghamshire and it strikes me as similar to the fictional Midsomer environs. I don't mean to disparage the denizens, but there is a lurking inbred madness just beyond the finely manicured landscape that is inescapable to the observant eye. And "Midsomer Murders" perfectly captures the ambience of the middle-class innocent and guilty in an evocative and colorfully accurate manner. The eccentric battiness of the likely suspects -- and sometimes victims -- is what makes this show timeless.

Actor John nettles is a staid presence of sanity amidst the madness. He and the series are superb.

Highly recommended.

I am certainly one that doesnt look forward to the day when
Barnaby retires! All os these episodes are good but worth the
price alone is the one: Midsomer Rhapsody. The music by Jim
Parker is gorgeous and a drama finely written and acted.

We were so disappointed when BBCA stopped showing the Midsomer Murders that we decided to collect them all - slowly. These are so well done and without commercial breaks are even better to watch.

My husband and I watch Midsomer Murders when there is nothing on TV. We watch them over and over.

Nobody can do detective or ghost stories like the British!
These series are great! No extreme graphic violence & great work in every possible way.
The characters are always likeable. Though I must say "Troy" was my favorite!

The sights in these series are breathtaking!
England is so beautiful.
And if you like Victorian houses , estates, or castles these series have plenty of the most beautiful in the world.
That's another thing nobody can build houses like the British . Absolutely beautiful works of art!

As a British fan I recommend these series. Each & every single one of these series is absolutely perfectly done.

In the fictional county of Midsomer, murder rates per capita are higher than Chicago, Detroit, and New Orleans combined - but not by much!

The pluses for this series are: this is fiction, the scenery is much better, there is a lot of tongue-in-cheek British humor, and John Nettles is an excellent actor and humorist. Jane Wymark, as Barnaby's wife, also does a great job along with Laura Howard and Jason Hughes.

If you like multiple who-dun-its woven within one story, this series is for you.