Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: Wgbh / Pbs
• VHS Release Date: September 2, 2003
• Run Time: 240 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008YLTH
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,967 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Diana Riggs glides through The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries like a true grand dame. Set in 1920s England, this mystery series wallows in swank cars, jaunty tunes, well-cut clothes, and extravagant hats--and every so often, Riggs turns to the camera and delivers sardonic observations with a wicked purr. Aided by her chauffer George Moody (Neil Dudgeon), scandalous divorcée Mrs. Bradley (Riggs) solves murders with her keen observations and psychological insight (along with a little pickpocketing and genteel extortion).

Saucy storylines abound: Death at the Opera mixes lesbianism at a girls' school with a bread-slicing machine; The Rising of the Moon features knife-throwers, dwarves, and a hall of mirrors; in Laurels are Poison, ghosts kill with poison-tipped arrows; and in The Worsted Viper, the revival of an ancient virgin-sacrificing cult threatens Moody's own daughter. The mysteries are more stylish than fair in their presentation of clues; anyone looking for a puzzle to solve will be frustrated as crucial information is withheld until after Mrs. Bradley has brought the villain to justice. But the heart of the show is the delightful rapport between Rigg and Dudgeon, which will win over any fan of British mysteries. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Emmy® Award-winner Diana Rigg (Rebecca, The Avengers) portrays the glamorous and outspoken Mrs. Adela Bradley, a well-traveled, well-appointed, oft-liaisoned divorcée who dabbles in psychoanalysis, toxicology, pre-feminism, and murder investigations. Assisted by her devoted chauffeur and confidant George Moody (Neil Dudgeon), Mrs. Bradley solves the most complicated crimes with a sly combination of charm, intelligence, and wit. In this set of four scintillating mysteries, she gets the lowdown on the upper crust—much to the bemusement of Police Inspector Christmas (Peter Davison). Based on the novels by Gladys Mitchell, The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries take you back to high-mannered 1920s England, complete with the glamorous costumes, lavish cars, and hot jazz music of the Roaring Twenties. Death at the Opera While visiting her alma mater, Mrs. Bradley unravels the murder of a teacher and discovers that the foundation of this finishing school for young ladies is as improper as it is secretive. Rising of the Moon A traveling circus comes to town—but not to everyone's delight. When the knife-thrower's assistant is found murdered, Mrs. Bradley must win the cooperation of the troupe and the locals before another victim goes to the big top in the sky. Laurels Are Poison Mrs. Bradley visits an old friend living in a supposedly haunted house where the tragedies of war have left nearly everyone haunted by ghosts of the past—even George, her chauffeur. The Worsted Viper While visiting a quaint coastal resort town, Mrs. Bradley attends the wedding of George's daughter. But after a series of ritualistic murders, she finds herself strangely reminded of her very first case.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With a Wink and a Nod, December 23, 2003

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Death at the Opera / The Rising of the Moon / Laurels Are Poison / The Worsted Viper (DVD)

I was going to give this DVD four stars but I enjoyed it enough for five. Sometimes perfection has to give away to pure verve.

Ok, let's get this out of the way-- the extras aren't particularly interesting. Somewhere there is an unwritten rule that DVD's have to have extra features but these are a bit of a snooze.

However, no one needs any other reason to watch this DVD than Diana Rigg's portrayal of Adele Bradley, psychoanalyst and sleuth. The art deco era portrayed here-- 1929 is the date mentioned in the first of the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries (available separately)-- was a tough one for clothes. Horizontal stripes, low waists and severe hats that might have doubled as moderne sculpture are not forgiving of figure flaws, but Ms. Rigg carries them off with aplomb. She is the anti-Jane Marple. Fashonable, wordly, very up to date on all the banned literature. She does not view world as a village in macrocosm, she brings a breath of the world to the narrow confines of a her old finishing school, a suspicious village where a traveling show has ended in murder and a country house where it seems the gardner has the upper hand. One waits for the arched eyebrow, the aside to the audience, the flat out rudeness at times.

And let's not forget her chauffeur, George Moody. He wonders in and out of her room at all hours without raising a lot of eyebrows. In the first of the series on this DVD he gives his all to keep Mrs. Bradley from being discovered at her sleuthing, running interference and bringing her information from the servant's hall.

Don't expect complete authenticity do expect a lot of fun.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Mrs Peel" at her campy best!, October 15, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Death at the Opera / The Rising of the Moon / Laurels Are Poison / The Worsted Viper [VHS] (VHS Tape)

These are a series of stories that are part mystery and part "camp". Some of the dialog is tongue-in-cheek and humorous....especially when she turns to the camera in an aside and offers up a usually sarcastic comment about the present company. Very good mysteries if you don't take them too seriously and don't expect them to be a "Poirot" or a "Midsomer". Ex "Mrs Peel" at her best!!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Miscasting? I Don't Think So!, November 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Death at the Opera / The Rising of the Moon / Laurels Are Poison / The Worsted Viper (DVD)

A previous reviewer refers to the choice of Diana Rigg to play Mrs. Adela Bradley as miscasting, due to age and a bizarre reference to Rigg being "overweight." Yeah, Dame Diana Rigg is 65, but that's hardly "elderly" unless one is 12. And if Rigg is "overweight" (which she's not!) then Americans are overweight/obese at a rate much higher than 50-60% that experts currently claim.

The character of Adela Bradley has a married son who is at least 25 (appears in first episdoe to be more in the early 30s range), so I hardly think Adela Bradley would be a 40 year old woman. She's "liberated" for the era, but hardly a flapper. Quite the opposite, as flappers were the 20's version of Jessica Simpson--ditzy airheads who live for the moment.

The writing often isn't very good, I'll agree, but that's not the fault of the actors, who ALL do a superb job conveying the essence of the characters they portray. The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries are fun and funny--great entertainment, with British sensibilities--to THIS American Gen-X'er (lest anyone reading assumes I must be "elderly.') Unfortunately, there won't be more in the future, as the BBC chose not to continue the "series."