Product Details

• Actors: Leo McKern, Peggy Thorpe-Bates, Peter Bowles, Joanna Van Gyseghem, Julian Curry
• Directors: Brian Farnham, Derek Bennett, Donald McWhinnie, Graham Evans, Herbert Wise
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: December 28, 2004
• Run Time: 600 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00061QJGC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,842 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Rumpole of the Bailey, Set 1 - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 08/28/2007

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Collection, August 30, 2002

By 

Paul N. Walton (SF Bay Area, California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rumpole of the Bailey: Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons (DVD)

HBO Home Video has done a nice job of presenting the first two Rumpole series in this initial DVD collection. The set contains twelve one-hour episodes (six per series) and the two-hour film, "Rumpole's Return". The picture is sharp overall, particularly in the indoor scenes originally recorded on studio videotape, while the outdoor scenes done on 16 mm film are as well as can be expected (the production values of the Rumpole episodes improved considerably over time. These episodes are from the late 1970s). The DVD menus are good and provide about six scene selections per episode. There are also a few extras, such as bios of John Mortimer and Leo McKern, and some information about the British legal system. I have looked forward to seeing Rumpole on DVD for several years and am pleased with this set overall. Presumably, there will be two more sets like it to complete the Rumpole collection, and I would certainly buy them too. If I could have made a suggestion or two to the people in charge of the packaging, I would have liked to have seen the collection in a hard case rather than a paper one, and I would have tried to find more flattering photos of Rumpole than those used on the outside of the box. Also, the photo used to illustrate the episode "Rumpole and the Younger Generation" is from another episode in which Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown appeared (she was not in the Younger Generation). Otherwise, a good job and I hope to see the other two sets soon. [A&E has changed the packaging on these DVDs since I wrote this review. They are now in a plastic box with different photos so some of my comments are a little outdated].

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars O Frabjous day!, February 13, 2003

By 

Michael D. Kelley "Ex-Genius" (Leesburg, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rumpole of the Bailey: Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons (DVD)

As someone else here noted, a Rumpole fan needs no urging to buy this set. For the uninitiated, however, be aware this may well be an acquired taste -- all the best things in life are.

Here's a litmus test: see if you find this story amusing. A judge had before him an elderly con who's been convicted so many times they are on a first name basis. He sentences him to 20 years and the man looks up and says "But, your honor, I'm a very old man and don't have too many years left. I don't know that I can do 20 years." "Well," says the judge, "you just do as much as you can."

That's one of the stories that Rumpole loves to tell, and it's typical of the kinds of scenerios this barrister finds himself facing. One of the best things about having these episodes on DVD is you can quickly skip back and reply scenes -- every single reviewing will reward you with new treats.

Leo played a part written especially for him, and it's almost impossible to tell where he leaves off and Rumpole begins. The Rumpole series has never been collected in this organized a fashion before (previous releases came in a bewildering array of assorted sets that mixed years willy-nilly) and this is a perfect place to get aquainted with the most erudite and witty barrister the other side of the Big Pond. Nothing can replace Mr. McKern, but this set at least preserves his best performances for all time.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rumpole Videos, January 23, 2001

By 

Damian Housman (Las Vegas, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rumpole of the Bailey, Six Volume Gift Set [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I like to collect Rumpole videos. Unfortunately, that isn't made any easier when the video does not have the titles of the episodes. I have several Rumpole videos, but there are several sources for them, each with its own "volume" number on it. I don't want to buy videos I already own. How about a list of the episodes? If you include that, you will probably sell a lot more videos to people like me who are only hesitant because we may have them already.