Product Details

• Actors: George Baker, Christopher Ravenscroft, Paola Dionisotti, Camille Coduri, Ian Fitzgibbon
• Directors: Bill Hays, Jan Sargent, Mary McMurray
• Writers: Geoffrey Case, John Davies, Roger Marshall, Ruth Rendell, Trevor Preston
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, 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: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acorn Media
• DVD Release Date: June 24, 2008
• Run Time: 460 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0013XS88E
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,484 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Set 3" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

RUTH RENDELL MYSTERIES SET 3 - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Rendell Suspense, June 26, 2008

By 

Tom S. "filmfan3" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Set 3 (DVD)

This is Volume 3 of the British TV anthology series devoted to the one and only Ruth Rendell, and it's a mixed bag. The first 2 volumes covered the early 1990s seasons in the series, and they were very good--well-directed, well-acted adaptations of her books and short stories, with familiar British actors and a fine sense of atmosphere. Volume 3 covers 1997-2000, and it's not as strong as the earlier entries.

There are 3 novels and 2 short stories here, and not one of them really stands out. The Wexford mystery, "Harm Done," is probably the best of the lot, with George Baker (Wexford) and Christopher Ravenscroft (Burden) solving a connected series of domestic abuse mysteries in Kingsmarkham. The dramatization of Rendell's award-winning novel, "The Lake of Darkness," is also okay-but-unremarkable, as are the 2 short stories here, "The Fallen Curtain" and "You Can't Be Too Careful." But then there's the long (3-part, nearly 3-hour) adaptation of one of her weakest novels, "Going Wrong," and it is an appropriate title. This shrill, unpleasant story of romantic obsession and murder just goes on and on, and nothing about it is distinguished.

These later seasons of THE RUTH RENDELL MYSTERIES didn't seem to have the great actors and directors of the earlier ones, and I wonder why. At any rate, Rendell fanatics like me will want to complete their collections with this box, but newcomers should first check out the superior Volumes 1 and 2. Semi-Recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unsettling, Twisted Suspense, August 9, 2008

By 

Stephanie DePue (Carolina Beach, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Set 3 (DVD)

"The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 3,"is the latest installment of the popular British mystery television series, based on the work of Rendell, an English master of the twisted suspense thriller. It presents us five new psychological crime dramas based on the author's best-selling, bounteous, award-winning fiction, including one based on her Harm Done - An Inspector Wexford Mystery. The series, made by Granada TV for Britain's Independent Television (ITV), was broadcast here, in syndication, on public television in the late 1990s. But a warning note: there are no subtitles, and Rendell's well-bred characters speak softly.

The episodes are:

"Going Wrong."Guy (James Callis--Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5;Bridget Jones's Diary); and Leonora (Josephine Butler) are wild teenagers, and she makes promises. But life doesn't work that way, does it, and handsome Guy, who's made himself rich in the interval, just can't accept it. He goes too far. The longest of the episodes, at nearly three hours, and slow on its feet.

"Harm Done." Detective Chief Inspector Wexford (George Baker), a man of few words, has his hands brim-full. A pedophile has returned to town (from prison) to live with his-- the pedophile's -- daughter, on a roiled-up council estate. Also,there's an odd series of abductions of teenagers, returned unharmed. And a wealthy couple's toddler daughter has disappeared from her bedroom. About an hour and a half long.

"The Fallen Curtain." Based on an Edgar-award winning short story. Teenager Richard Clayton (Ben Brazier) remains strangely haunted by a few unaccounted-for hours when he went missing as a boy. Barbara Ewing costars as his mother, whose hysterical reaction is no help. A bit less than an hour long.

"The Lake of Darkness." The book on which it's based (The Lake of Darkness)won an Arts Council National Book Award. This is the most fully-realized of the episodes, at a bit more than an hour and a half long, and it's value-packed. Good acting, shocking turns of plot. Boring bisexual accountant Martin Urban (Jerome Flynn) can't believe his luck: he's won the lottery, and met the beautiful, mysterious Francesca (Sadie Frost, An Ideal Husband) at virtually the same time. But luck always turns, doesn't it, especially in Ruth Rendell's work.

"You Can't Be Too Careful." A rather light-weight, short, two-character study. A security-obsessed woman (Serena Evans) takes on a new flatmate (Jane Hazlegrove) from the office. She shouldn't have: these are two women who were never meant to live together.

By and large, Rendell's works are unsettling; she knows how to ratchet up suspense, and they end up in places you never expected. Furthermore, these scripts appear to be fairly faithful to their origins. The author's work is, perhaps, an acquired taste; but one that lots of readers and viewers have acquired.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why so few Wexford?, August 11, 2008

By 

A. Paton (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Set 3 (DVD)

There is no doubt that the Ruth Rendell psychological stories are excellent. The problem is that the best of her stories feature Inspector Wexford, and, so far, only three, of the 26 or so stories, are available on DVD. Why? It can't be lack of sales as all Ruth Rendell's stuff sells well. Whoever has the mastertapes, lets have some more Wexford.