Customer Reviews

Raffles (2 Volume Set)

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

 

 

The second collection of the BBC show "Raffles" is every bit as wonderful as the first, and well worth buying for fans of the BBC and period dramas in particular. The very appealing Anthony Valentine one again stars as A.J. Raffles: Good-natured cricket star by day, crawling up the Duke's drainpipes by night. He's a thief, a good one, and with best friend Bunny Manders in tow he robs from the rich to give to the poor, the poor being him and Bunny of course.

Set II contains the following episodes:
"To Catch a Thief": Raffles battles a copycat thief, teaching us all the lesson that you never cheat a cheater.
"A Bad Night ": Bunny takes center stage to rob a Dutch family in Raffles' absence, coming across a slight hitch when the youngest daughter turns out to be a sharp shooter.
"Mr. Justice Raffles": A personal favorite, where Raffles defends the honor of the criminal world against a truly heinous moneylender. He also learns the value of womankind from the awesome Lady Camilla, his match in every way.
"Home Affairs": Delightful installment has Raffles shutting down a pompous Lord by making off with his wife's diamond necklace. The entire plot hinges on Raffles' ability to charm a coat-check girl.
"The Gift of the Emperor": Raffles teams up with the British Government (!) to steal a priceless pearl from the Germans. Both the Germans and the British Government prove no match for A.J.
"An Old Flame": Raffles sees his whole pleasant existence go down in flames when an old girlfriend comes to town and refuses to take no for an answer. The lengths some men go to escape a persistent woman!


The original stories by E.W. Hornung, who was brother-in-law to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, at one time outsold even Sherlock Holmes and are still well known in England to this day. If you've never seen them please please take the time to check them out. Both Volume 1 and 2 are excellent. You won't be disappointed!

GRADE: A

A Sherlock Holmes turn of the century series from the 1960s but a gentlemanly pair with a twist - Raffles is the gentleman thief and Bunny, his sidekick, is the bumbling accomplice.

Lovely sets, wry humour, Anthony Valentine at his best - he IS Raffles.

I waited many years for this to come out on DVD and my only complaint is that this 2 volume set does not have all the episodes of the Raffles saga - but only 6 episodes! And episodes seemingly chosen at random!

We await the full set of this series.

Item was purchased for a friend. Timely receipt and in condition marked. Since it was a gift, I don't know about the content :)