|
Rating:  -
After a friend bought me Series 1 of Rumpole of the Bailey, a long-time favourite, I went online looking for Series 2. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that for around $5 extra, I could get the entire series. Since it arrived, I've been revelling in Rumpole, bewitched by the Bailey and laughing at the Law.
I'd recommend this series to anybody who likes their comedy a little more cerebral, a little gentler and freer from foul language than anything else on offer.
For sale: Series 1, slightly used!
Rating:  -
I remember watching this series on PBS years ago and really enjoying it, and I enjoyed seeing it again.
It's particularly enjoyable to watch the whole series and see how the characters developed. Leo McKern griped to people toward the end of his life that the only role he would be remembered for would be Rumpole, but it was his own fault. When an actor takes a character, makes it his own, and almost becomes it, then he has nobody except himself to blame.
There are some drawbacks though. As some others have mentioned, the audio is inconsistent. You constantly find yourself turning the sound up and down so you can hear the dialog.
Another drawback are the "Opening remarks" by John Mortimer tacked on to the beginning of each episode. He's more than difficult to understand. And, unlike some other DVD collections, the menu doesn't offer a selection that allows you to skip the opening credits and jump directly to the program.
As far as the stories are concerned- they are like most others. Some will keep you guessing until the very end and some others are given away seconds after the title appears.
Rating: -
Though that observation might seem self-contradictory, there's truth in it. Like Arthur Conan-Doyle, John Mortimer is less interested in the crime itself than what is going on /around/ the crime. However much fun it is to see Rumpole untangle the evidence and expose the true criminal, Mortimer is much more interested in the legal profession and the people who inhabit it -- most of whom lack Rumpole's integrity, and seem to be in it simply because of the status it brings. "Rumpole of the Bailey" is a comedy of manners about the law.
Mortimer portrays most of the legal profession as not only self-involved to the point where it affects their interpretation of the law, but as insufferably ignorant and stupid. Rumpole constantly quotes poets, and one can understand that not every line he spouts will be recognized, but when supposedly educated people don't recognize "Macbeth" -- or Rumpole's wife doesn't know the meaning of the word "compel" -- one can see what Mortimer thinks of the general intelligence of the English.
As someone who's dabbled in fiction, hearing Mortimer's clever dialog is depressing -- how could I ever write that well? Of course, Mortimer was helped by not having the turn out more than six episodes per season, giving him plenty of time to polish his work.
Watching these episodes is addictive. Unreservedly recommended.
PS: I should note that I purchased the megaset several weeks ago -- from Amazon -- when the price was half what it's currently going for. It might never come back to that price, but perhaps you should wait.
Rating: -
thanks for the mail - i returned the rumpole of the bailey dvd set as they are not viewable in ireland, as requested in the authorised return i sent to your address in lexington virginia, i'll be grateful if you will let me have a replacement set which can be viewed on this side of the atlantic.
happy christmas !
austin o briain
Rating: -
This series closely follows the feel and the sarcasm of the written stories. The stories are not in the same order as the book however each one stands alone. In a brief time there is posed a mystery or a problem and then some recognizable interaction with people that I am sure you can say you know someone like them. A little drama and it is finally wrapped up in short order. More than the stories that do not leave you hanging it are the comments that make the episode interesting to watch.
A note on the side you will recognize many of the actors from both Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers movies.
|
