Customer Reviews

Rumpole of the Bailey, Set 1 - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 They are now in a plastic box with different photos so some of my comments are a little outdated].

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.

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.

By far, one of the more popular series that came over the Atlantic to our PBS television stations was the six-season "Rumpole of the Bailey" with Leo McKern as the craggy-faced barrister. Few of us realized that there was once a single Rumpole teleplay, "Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt," now available on an Acorn Media DVD (AMP-6684), that inspired the series and is a Must for fans of what followed.


While all six seasons have been long available on video tapes, about a year ago HBO finally came out on DVD with the first two seasons. After a wait for the rest, A&E has suddenly put out not only the first two seasons as a redone boxed set (AAE71659)but at the same time has given us seasons three and four (AAE71664). Added to the format are introductions to each episode by Rumpole's creator, John Mortimer; but I am afraid all he talks about is the plot and reveals too much of what follows. Better to skip them on first viewing.


So now we have the first 12 episodes with all the amusing characters, most of whom drive Rumpole up a wall, the leader being his wife "She Who Must Be Obeyed" Hilda Rumpole, played first by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, then by Marion Mathie. Most of his fellow lawyers are pretty incompetent chaps: Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles), Claude Erskine-Brown (Julian Curry), and "Soapy Sam" Ballard (Peter Blythe). Even worse than these are the judges-from-hell: Graves (Robin Bailey), Bullingham (Bill Fraser), and Oliphant (James Grout).


The professional women are far more competent: Elizabeth Probert (played first by Samantha Bond, later by Abigail McKern) and Rumpole's favorite "Portia," Phyllida Trant and later Mrs. Erskine-Brown (Patricia Hodge).


Other than the humor, the insight into the British legal system, the high quality acting, and the immortal family of villains, the Timsons, we have the double plots. Each episode develops a theme that is the basis of both the trial in question and of the events of the framing device. For example, the trial of a neo-fascist who wants a purely white England takes place after Hilda has commented on the number of non-white faces in London lately.


An added inducement to purchase the first boxed set of seasons 1 and 2 is the inclusion of the feature-length story "Rumpole's Return." Seeing him stretched out by a pool in Florida is worth the price alone.


Grab these and wait with me impatiently for seasons 5-6 to appear shortly.

Film and television has over the decades seen the appearance of a host of enormously talented character actors who have only rarely had opportunities to assuming lead or starring roles. Charles Laughton was the great exception, somehow managing a host of starring roles over the decades. But the great Bert Lahr, despite his considerable gifts, had a great stage career (including Samuel Beckett's landmark WAITING FOR GODOT) managed only one great film, as the Cowardly Lion in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Robert Newton managed a few good screen roles, including a turn as the greatest Long John Silver ever in the 1950s Disney version of TREASURE ISLAND, but for the most part cinema never found a way to incorporate his considerable but over-the-top skills. The fact is that many of our greatest character actors project a persona that is a bit too large for either film or TV. Bert Lahr had the gigantic personality of a Warner Brothers cartoon character, and there were simply very, very few film roles that could accommodate his talent.

Leo McKern is very much in this tradition of the great ham character actor whose personality outstrips all but a very few roles. No one who had previously seen him in films like RYAN'S DAUGHTER (as Ryan) or A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (as More's prosecutor) or the legendary TV series THE PRISONER (as the best Number Two on the show) could doubt his talent. But the force of his personality and the power of his voice, as well as his short, stout build and globular face (as well as having a glass left eye as the result of a childhood accident), made him in appropriate for almost all film and television roles. He wasn't merely bigger than life: he was bigger than the silver screen and television. Thankfully, near the end of his life he managed the role of a lifetime as Horace Rumpole in the serialization of John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey stories. The role is a perfect showcase for McKern's talents, and he clearly threw himself into it with all the gusto of which he was capable. It is almost impossible to imagine anyone else in this role so completely does he make it his own. To be honest, McKern is the only thing that makes these shows worth watching a quarter of a century after their first appearance. The stories are often fun, frequently clever, and the supporting cast is consistently superb, but the fact is that there have been dozens of excellent shows over the decades, and few lay legitimate claim for our attention. RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY does lay such claim, but almost entirely because of McKern's transcendently excellent performance as the title character. Obviously, the show's writers knew this at the time, for every second of the show is structured to give McKern as fine a platform as possible for the display of his particular virtues as an actor. Whether quoting English poetry, or cross-examining a witness during a trial, or wincing under the complaints of "she who must be obeyed," or reacting to some inane comment by some absurd English judge, every conceivable opportunity is provided for McKern to boom out in that marvelous voice of his Rumpole's words.

I don't want to imply that McKern is the only good thing in the show. The scripts, largely adapted from stories by writer and sometimes barrister John Mortimer, are consistently interesting and contain a host of marvelous moments. The series is also enriched by a large and highly talented cast, including Peter Bowles as Guthrie Featherstone, head of chambers for much of the series, though his ambition takes him to many new roles; Patricia Hodge as Phyllida Erkine-Brown nee Trant, whom Rumpole dubs their chambers' "Portia; Julian Curry as Claude Erskine-Brown, whose interests in "the Law" run as counter to Rumpole's as possible; and, of course, the Peggy Thorpe-Bates, the first of two actresses to portray Hilda, "she who must be obeyed."

This is not among the greatest shows ever made, but it is certainly one of the most enjoyable and contains what is unquestionably one of the great characters in the history of TV. The cable TV network Bravo recently compiled a list of the 100 Greatest Television Characters, which was very poorly named, since it considered only American television characters. Had English shows been included, there is little question that Horace Rumpole would have occupied a prominent place on the list.

Without doubt, real people have written "Horace Rumpole" pleading with him to take their case. The late Leo McKern's portrayal of Rumpole is that vivid and that satisfying.

The BBC series (13 episodes offered here) closely based on the beloved stories by John Mortimer, revolves around the personal and professional life of the brusque, cynical, yet affectionate barrister. He's one of those rare individuals who has so found his proper element that it's impossible to imagine that he could have become anything else. There's a symbiosis between Rumpole being so comfortable in his own skin and McKern's absorption into the role that's fascinating.

McKern's Rumpole is surrounded by an array of eccentric, lovable (and not so lovable) characters who are all the more real because they are never hackneyed or one dimentional. Rumpole's villians and heroes, his compeers and his co-workers are all admixtures of flattering and unflattering characteristics. That's what makes the portrayals so attractive and memorable. The same is true of Rumpole. The 'Old Bailey Hack' wins spectacularly at times, and truly is a genuis of sorts, a fact only grudgingly recognized by those around him since he oft' times loses his cases, and is not without human foibles. Indeed, his greatest victories seem to have been in years long past. Rumpole is constantly reminding his detractors that he won the famous "Penge Bungalow" murder case "alone and without a leader".

Although the series is ostensibly in the crime/mystery genre, it deftly and humorously touches on many subjects; unrequited love, class prejudice, the regrets of old age, the nature of friendship and of marital happiness, just to mention a few. The mystery element stands on its own to be sure, but you remember the characters and the relationships long after you've forgotten the plot lines. Mentioning just a few, there's the distinguished Head of Chambers Guthrie Fetherston, at times pompous, even unctuous, whom Rumpole regards with disguised affection; George Frobisher, Rumpole's dear old friend who's such a poor barrister that "he can't even ask for court costs without writing it down in advance". Then there's "She who must be obeyed", Rumpole's overbearing and long suffering wife, not, as it turns out, his first choice as a mate. Rumpole loves them as much for their short-commings as for their better qualities.

If you enjoy television without large doses of violence or crudity, and maybe read a poem every now and then (Rumpole is often described as 'poetry spouting') this series is definately for you. It's wise, but never heavy-laden or preachy; quite humorous but not mean-spirited. I highly recommend it!

I totally agree with Mr. Houseman of Naples Fla. I don't want to keep buying the same items. For instance, the "gift boxed set of Rumpole". I know there are six videos, in a a set. Which ones? What's the titles?? You can really help us out by posting the titles. I have a goodly collection of Rumpole, I just don't want to buy doubles.... thanks for 'listening'

My husband certainly has, uh, eclectic viewing tastes, so I usually treat his enthusiastic ravings about old television shows and movies with a roll of the eye. I had never heard of this Rumpole series that he kept going on about, but when my planned Christmas gift fell through, I scoured Amazon.com for an alternative. I held my breath before choosing to purchase because I knew that buying this DVD set would mean that *I'd* have to watch it with him. Well, I am writing to say, one, that my husband LOVED this gift and, two, that (surprisingly) so did I. The lead actor's characterization is superb, the episodes presents *very* diverse scenarios (not like my favorite Law & Order by any respect), yet there are relationships that carry enough interest to be carried forward into each episode (though not in a soap opera kind of way). The humor is very, very dry but there are some knee-slapping, laugh-aloud moments. I liked this series enough to actually agree to purchase the others for him when they come out. It certainly helps that it is a well-designed, well-packaged set. I am happy to recommend this to others who are considering it as a gift for Rumpole fans.

This wonderful DVD collection has four DVDs containing thirteen episodes of Rumpole of the Bailey. These episodes are: 1) Rumpole and the Younger Generation, 2) Rumpole and the Alternative Society, 3) Rumpole and the Honourable Member, 4) Rumpole and the Married Lady (a personal favorite), 5) Rumpole and the Learned Friends, 6) Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade, 7) Rumpole and the Man of God, 8) Rumpole and the Case of Identity, 9) Rumpole and the Show Folk, 10) Rumpole and the Fascist Beast, 11) Rumpole and the Course of True Love, 12) Rumpole and the Age For Retirement, and 13) Rumpole's Return. The first twelve episodes in the DVD collection are all one-hour long, while the thirteenth (Rumpole's Return) is a wonderful two-hour special.

For those of you who are not familiar with Rumpole: Horace Rumpole (expertly played by Leo McKern) is an old-fashioned English Barrister. Standing against those (on the Left *and* on the Right) who would trample the rights of the common man, Rumpole uses his wits and eloquence to free his clients and protect those who are targeted. The stories are humorous and yet intellectually stimulating, and the characters are ably played by a group of expert actors who make the story come alive!

I would highly recommend this DVD collection to the already committed Rumpole fan, and to those who simply like good British drama. The shows are wonderful, and the DVD contains so much that I am surprised that it costs so little. You must buy this DVD!

This note assumes that the reader is interested in McKern's performances as Rumpole but is rather confused about the arrangement of video tapes. Well, the early shows were done in 1978 and 1979 and are based on the short stories in the first two books but they appear in no particular order in Volumes 11-16. The performances done in 1983, 1987, 1988 and 1991 are found in Volumes 1-10. All other performances are found in Vol.17-21. Rumpole's Return is usually listed seperately. It was the only novel that Mortimer wrote and deals with Rumpole's return to the courts from retirement. It was performed in 1980. You should avoid the last three volumes but the first sixteen or seventeen are all well done. Each volume contains two episodes. Usually when the buyer would like to see further shows, the package offers become more interesting. Originally the offered volumes 1-4 in a package,then they later put out another package with Volumes 5-8, and then they offered a small package with Volumes 9&10. In later years as the series proved more popular they offered one large package with volumes 1-10. The six volume package includes volumes 11-16 which deal with the early shows from 1978 and 1979. What package you purchase depends upon what volumes are already in your possession or whether you prefer to see the early shows with Guthrie Featherstone as head of chambers, or the ones with his successor, Soapy Sam, from the mid-80's to 1991 &1992. If you would like to buy a handful for a sampling then you might buy individual volumes 2,9 and 14. If you're just interested in a single tape then choose volume 9 and read the short stories before you make another pick.