The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 1
by Marc Evans; Jim Goddard; Mary McMurray; Alan Grint
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DVD details
Actor: Amanda Redman, Colin Firth, Eleanor David, Jane GurnettDirector: Marc Evans; Jim Goddard; Mary McMurray; Alan Grint
Brand: Acorn
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 463 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-02-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: ACORN MEDIA
DVD Reviews of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 1
DVD Review: Strong Suspense from a Mistress of the Genre
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Series 1," begins the long-awaited release on DVD of the popular British television psychological crime dramas based on the best-selling work of Ruth Rendell, surely one of the queens of current-day suspense/thrillers/mysteries/police procedurals. The series, which was made by the British TV firm Granada for Britain's Independent Television (ITV) debuted in Britain in 1987. It appeared in the United States in syndication on various public broadcasting stations in the late 1990's. The series at hand, a three-volume boxed set, gives us two full-length mysteries, and features Colin Firth in the first of them. They are:
1. "Master of the Moor." Since boyhood, Stephen Whalby (Colin Firth, Mamma Mia! The Movie ; Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition ) has taken refuge on the village of Vangmoor's wild, windy, spacious moor, a landscape of rocks, heather and bogs, in order to escape trouble at home. But, trouble follows him there in his adulthood, as a series of women turn up brutally murdered. Based upon his intimate knowledge of the landscape, he is naturally the prime suspect. Firth ably carries this full-length thriller.
2. "Vanity Dies Hard." In the town of Salstead, the happy marriage of wealthy, aging heiress Alice Fielding (Eleanor David, The Last Detective: Complete Collection), to a much younger man destroys the heiress's friendship with a local florist, Nesta Drage, whose business fails, and who then disappears. The bride goes looking for her old friend. Also features Peter Egan, (Perfect Spy (3pc) [VHS]) and Leslie Phillips, (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ). Full-length.
3. "The Secret House of Death." Susan Townsend (Amanda Redman, Suspicion), a newly divorced single mother and working writer, prefers to remain aloof from the gossipy housewives of her upper-crust suburban subdivision. But when she discovers the bodies of adulterous lovers next door, her quiet life vanishes. About an hour and a half long.
4. "The Double." A shorter production (less than an hour long) and a less powerful one. Lovely, naïve young Lisa (Camilla Power) believes the old superstition that if a person's double appears, it signals the person's coming death. And suddenly Zoe, her apparent double appears, to make a play for Lisa's boyfriend Peter Milton (Jason Flemyng, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ). What's going on, who is Zoe, and can Lisa survive?
The first three episodes are strong, and have staying power. I discover I've held them in passive memory since I saw them on a local PBS station. The last, "The Double," is sadly forgettable. But, finally, it wouldn't be me reviewing this boxed set if I didn't now give you the subtitle report. And, unfortunately there are none, while all of the author's well-bred characters speak softly. So some of us may have to struggle for comprehension. It's worth it though.
Description of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 1
The psychological crime dramas as seen on public televisionFrom cold, rock-strewn moors to comfortable suburban estates, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell explores the dark fissures between friends and family members that motivate murder. Talented casts bring Rendell?s unforgettable characters to life in four complex stories of suspense.
Master of the Moor?Since boyhood, Stephen Whalby (Colin Firth) has sought solitude on the wild, windy moor. But his taciturn ways and familiarity with the wilderness make him the prime suspect in a series of shocking murders. Approx. 154 min.
Vanity Dies Hard?After her best friend mysteriously disappears, Alice Fielding (Eleanor David) begins to suspect foul play, perhaps even murder. And the killer may have targeted Alice herself as the next victim. Approx. 155 min.
The Secret House of Death?Newly divorced Susan Townsend (Amanda Redman) makes a grisly discovery in her suburban neighborhood and soon becomes involved in a potentially deadly intrigue. Approx. 103 min.
The Double?Two women, identical in appearance but totally different in personality, compete for the affections of one man. Which will lose love and perhaps her life? Approx. 103 min.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Ruth Rendell biography and cast filmographies.
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