Customer Reviews
would not play - By: J. van der Vaart, 10 Jan 2008 
Excellent series of course. But this DVD (bought January 2008) would not play on my system, which is fairly modern, has the correct regional code etc. Amazon will replace it but I wonder if more people have this problem.
Sir Derek and the Chronicles of a Truly Rare Benedictine. - By: Themis-Athena, 08 Sep 2006 
When the decision was made to produce for TV several episodes from her mystery series about Brother Cadfael, that 12th century crusader turned monk turned detective who has been, ever since his creation, one of the most compassionate & unusual sleuths of literary history, novelist Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) was not entirely happy. In fact, as the series' star, Sir Derek Jacobi, explainsin the extra footage provided on the now-released DVDs, Ms. Peters had very mixed feelings about giving up her brain child & entrusting it to other people who went about cutting & adjusting everything, from the storylines themselves to the way the protagonists speak & even the Chronicles' sequence, to the necessities & limitations set by the new medium. But she eventually acquiesced & at one point promised that "the next one I write, I'll make sure it's easier for you all to film."
While the thirteen episodes that were eventually produced are, thus, not entirely true to the individual Chronicles they are based on, they are closer than many other movie or TV versions of famous works of literature. Most importantly, they maintain not only the core story lines but also the historical authenticity, atmosphere & spirit set by Ms. Peters's booksin a marvelous fashion. And Sir Derek Jacobi brings both the wealth of his experience & skill & all of his own shrewdness, intelligence, sense of humor & empathy to the role of the medieval Benedictine sleuth & thus truly becomes Cadfael -- for the thousands of new fans who are discovering the series through its enactment for TV just as much as for us who loved the books before they were ever transposed to a visual medium. A tremendous cast of supporting actors rounds out an overall excellent production; to mention just a few, Julian Firth as the ambitious & narrow-minded Brother Jerome, Terrence Hardiman as Abbot Radolfus & Sean Pertwee (and later Eoin McCarthy) as Under-Sheriff Hugh Beringar, who joins Cadfaelin his investigations whenever, as is so often the case, these transcend the world of monastic life & require the administration of secular justice as well as clerical insight. Several episodes also feature noted guest stars.
The episodes are not entirelyin the same order as the books; however, as most of the cross-references between the books have been eliminatedin the screen versions, this is no great harm (although the lacking cross-references are probably one of the things avid readers of the books will find missing). The DVDs also provide background information on Ellis Peters, Sir Derek Jacobi & a number of the individual episodes' other actors.
Summary of the episodes containedin this set:
"The Pilgrim of Hate" (the tenth Chronicle): A cripple, his sister & two brothers on a painful pilgrimage meet at the Abbey during the annual feast of St. Winifred. Soon, the question arises whether religion is primarily penance or faithin God's love of mankind.
"The Potter's Field" (the seventeenth Chronicle): The discovery of the bones of a womanin a field once belonging to a potter turned monk leads Cadfael to unveil a harrowing tale of love, loss & a deadly wager.
"The Holy Thief" (the nineteenth Chronicle): Competitors for the possession of St. Winifred's relics show upin Shrewsbury! Then the holy bones disappear, a monk is found murdered -- & a tonsured troubadour finds his lady love.
Episodes containedin other sets:
First set:
"One Corpse Too Many" (the second Chronicle).
"Monk's Hood" (the third Chronicle).
"The Leper of St. Giles" (the fifth Chronicle).
"The Sanctuary Sparrow" (the seventh Chronicle).
Second Set:
"A Morbid Taste for Bones" (the first Chronicle);
"The Virginin the Ice" (the sixth Chronicle);
"The Devil's Novice" (the eighth Chronicle).
Third Set:
"St. Peter's Fair" (the fourth Chronicle);
"The Ravenin the Foregate" (the twelfth Chronicle);
"The Rose Rent" (the thirteenth Chronicle).
Brother Cadfael, Set 4 - By: B. Chandler, 12 Feb 2006 The Pilgrim of Hate
Your prayers are enough
Once again many things are not what they seem & it is up to Brother Cadfael to bring then to light. If you do not compare to the book it is a good film & well balanced. (Do not forget that the first two chapters of the book are revealedin detailin "A Morbid Taste for Bones" & "One Corpse Too Many")This story takes place years later.
From the back cover:
Cripples Day at Shrewsbury brings a hoard of disabled pilgrims to the abbey. Within a short while, a body is foundin a leather sack amongst the visitors. Cadfael boils down the man's body to inspect the bones & uncovers two possible explanations for his death.
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The Potter's Field
Guilt is something we have to live with,
So much mystery, so many solutions, & you guest wrong. Yet Brother Cadfael stays with it until all is revealed. In the process we all must think & learn something of our selves.
From the back cover:
A woman's skeleton is discoveredin a local potter's field, since the potter Ruald, left his family to answer a calling form God, everyone concludes that the body belongs to his wife, & that Ruald murdered her when she tried to prevent him from taking the tonsure.
This may not be the book but the film has depthin its own right.
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The Holy Thief
Everyone belongsin the house of God
This Cadfael story are said to be darkerin character & not as much as lighter earlier mysteries. This is not my favorite Hugh Beringar (Anthony Green.) I prefer Eoin McCarthy. However he works wellin this Cadfael. In The Holy Thief while most people were using trial by water to catch the guilty, Cadfael (Derek Jacobi) uses forensics to track down the murder.
The abbeyin Ramsey is bunt down by rebel soldiers. You may recall the time of the civil war between King Stephen & Queen Maude. As is the custom they clam the loan of St. Winifred’s holy relics, to help build their monastery. You may also recallin “A Morbid Taste for Bones” the trouble Shrewsbury had obtaining St. Winifred. Soin stead Brother Cadfael & Abbot Radulfus offer precious gems.
A stormy night comes up &in the disarray Winifred is pinched. In the process there is a murder. Only the balance & counter balance of Cadfael & Beringar can solve this, if any one can.
