Brother Cadfael Set 4 (2002)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Ben Rostul, Richard Stoneman, and Christopher Russell, based upon the books by Ellis Peters
Directed by Ken Grieve & Mary McMurray
Starring Derek Jacobi

Features:

• Ellis Peters biography and booklist
  
• Filmographies
  
• Audio commentary from Derek Jacobi
  
• Production scrapbooks
  
• Some historical background notes
  

Released by: Acorn Media

Rating: NR
Region: 1

Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Buy it.

This boxed set brings us three more tales of our brilliant, beloved Brother Cadfael (Jacobi), monk, herbalist, and former soldier, whose adventures are based upon the best-selling books by Ellis Peters.

In The Pilgrim of Hate, it is “Cripples’ Day,” a day when lame penitents flock to Shrewsbury Abbey to see the procession of St. Winifred’s bones and hope for a cure. Amid this throng, a broken body is found in a leather sack, and it is up to Cadfael to determine to whom this sack, and the crime of murder, belong. Along the way, he unravels two cases of brotherly deception, hopeful love, and human greed.

In The Holy Thief, the peace of Shrewsbury is threatened by the arrival of monks from Ramsey Abbey, which has been robbed and burned by soldiers involved in the political unrest of England of the time. The Ramsey monks claim to have been led by a holy vision to retrieve the relics of St. Winifred, but it is not only these bones that disappear, as a night of storms seems to release all the most violent and greedy impulses of man.

Lastly, in The Potter’s Field, a plowman unearths a skeleton with long thick hair hastily buried in a field recently donated to Shrewsbury. A new monk, Brother Ruald, is the former owner of this land, and the wife whom he abandoned to take vows has been missing since shortly after he entered the abbey. It’s up to Cadfael to determine the identity of this poor dead woman, as well as the nature of her death.

For a more in-depth look at The Potter’s Field, you are invited to see my separate review for that title.

The plotting on all three episodes leaves nothing to be desired. The novels by Peters are justifiably famous and provide a solid, interesting, and often intricate plot as a basis for the teleplays. The small screen versions are of course somewhat abbreviated versions, but they were scripted with an appreciation for Peters’ work and an understanding of Cadfael and his medieval world.

The character of Cadfael, soldier-turned-monk/herbalist, is fascinating to say the least, and the difficult job of bringing such a complex character to the screen is performed ably by Derek Jacobi. Cadfael is never irritatingly precocious, and even his occasional mild sarcasm never hurts anyone. Jacobi’s Cadfael is a monk of love, but never a single-minded or simplistic character. Cadfael is definitely not a "goody-goody".

The features on the discs are nice enough. On each disc, there is a biography of Ellis Peters, separate audio commentary by Jacobi, filmographies, and production stills. More in the way of historical context would have been nice, but what we have is ample for a set of TV movies and quite nice.

The audio quality is quite good, but the video is a bit dark, as you would expect from a medieval mystery, which was made for TV to boot. It would have been nice had these films been brightened a bit digitally for this release, but as it is, they’re plenty good to watch and enjoy.

Anyone who is a fan of anything medieval will love these mysteries, as well as the other sets in the Cadfael sequence. If you loved Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose or even more modern forensic mysteries, then you’ll love Cadfael. His character alone, even without the fascinating setting, will entice most viewers. Definitely a must-see collection.