Customer Reviews

Do you believe in God, brother Cadfael??? - By: A. Alba, 14 Sep 2008
And once again, little old Jacobi is back to the charge with the promise of
more yuks & huyuks than everin the rip-roaring, funtastic,
abso-bloody-lutely awesome series, Cadfael -- well, not really.

And I might as well say "well" with the good ole Jacobian emphasis (try
WE-e-E-elll), as we'rein for more Jacobian smirks than ever, ranging from the
sad, beady eyes of a French bulldog to the glittery expression of a Lutheran
heretic centuries before his time.

So, may we say that Cadfael ranks among the greatest British series of all
time? Let's have a closer look...

I - Elementary, my dear Oswin...

I somewhere heard someone comparing Cadfael to Sherlock Holmes -- God
forbid! Upon reading the Sherlock Holmes novels, one may very well reach the
following "intelligence pyramid", ranking from:

ape (random, no reasoning) -----> Lestrade (similar to reader; some reasoning,
nothing outstanding)-------> Holmes (complex reasoning structures)

Well,in Cadfael, the antagonist (most often, Sergeant Boromir) has an "ape"
level of intelligence, whereas Cadfael has a "Lestrade" level at best. Still an
edge over the antagonist, butin order to camouflage the transparency of the
case, the scriptwriter deliberately camouflages evidence, witholds clues, and
comes up with some unexpected "Deus ex machina", often involving a plant,
which everyone seems to be carrying around ("I'm going to a
bring-your-own-clover party") just so Cadfael may use his rudimentary
botanical knowledge, which more often than not involves some four
substances/species at which Lucrecia Borgia would laugh (the holy trinity:
Hemlock, Monk's Hood, & Poppy Juice. Praised be our lord!)

The solution of the crime often involves one of few, poorly-acted adolescent
characters, who seem to be as bland as the soppy, poorly-acting adolescent
actors who represent them.

II - Bless me, brother

Is Cadfael a deist? Is Cadfael a protestant? Is Cadfael an agnostic? Is Cadfael
a cathar? In any case, it would seem safe to assert that he is no catholic. How
brother Cadfael has managed to grow so old without being burned at the stake
in Shrewsbury Square boggles the mind. From semi-lutheran maxims to the
most "American way of life" relativism, Cadfael often sounds like some
half-baked 21st century postmodern intellectual rather than a benedictine
monk.

The crassest possibilism mixed with sentences at which his XIIth century
contemporaries would have fainted ("Relics? It's just BONES!") make Cadfael
an anachronistic character, trappedin a world he never made.

One of the most astounding clichés would be the following situation:
Some fellow: "Yes, brother Cadfael, I ripped his guts out, I smashedin his
teeth, I popped his head open like a ripe watermelon, feasted on his entrails,
raped his wife, burned his house, & ate his pets.
Cadfael: "WeEeEell, Oswald Whatshisface didn't die because of that! He was
poisoned -- you are actually INNOCENT!" (I wonder how he doesn't laugh
with these ludicrous lines)

Let's not forget that he attributes all mystic experiences to the influence of
drugs! (see brother Drogadictus, constantly swigging the Poppy Juice Cadfael
gave him. Tweet! Tweet!)

And all these frailties are gingerly excused with the slightly worrying phrase:
"weEeEell, I wasn't ALWAYS a monk, you know!" (I don't want to know,
brother)

Relativism, thy name is Cadfael.

III - "Shroosbree" reloaded

Now, a note on the portrayal of medieval England.

Firstly, although the Hungarian landscapes are promising, Shrewsbury, rather
than a XIIth century fortified city, looks like the touristic headquarters of a
re-enactment company.

The people, the costumes, & the accessories, confirm this, being more
"re-enactment" level than "film level" ("re-enactment" involves middle-aged,
overwheight fellows with two kids who would rather spend the family money
on historical suits & strut & swagger with their peers than on clothes and
toys for their children). From there, it's all dominatrix-leather cuirasses, wollen
chainmail & a character who looks just like J.K. Rowling make this series
little better-looking than the old Richard Greene "The adventures of Robin
Hood" -- but at least Robin Hood was fun to watch.

Society is an absolute shambles -- there's a war on, but even so, a merchant's
fair just pops up & sleeps outside the town walls. Surprising, considering
thatin times of war, soldiers would probably have eaten all their food, drunk
all their ale & requisitioned half their horses...

King Stephen (alias Burger King) appears only once, & thank God for that.
He's just one of so many woesome characters, such as the wizardly "Father
Ailnoth" who seems to have walked right out of "Prince of Persia".

IV -- And... hemlock.

With this sentence, by far the most pronounced in the series ("Camel Lights,
and... hemlock" or "Bombay gin, and... hemlock") we shall make a few parting
notes on the series.

Hemlock,in the first place, is preferable to watching its whopping 75 minutes
per episode, although mandragora might seem less drastic. Out of these 75
minutes, 45 are nothing but absurd plot developments, Jacobian smirks and
other sine substantia filling material. I firmly believe that the mysteries could
have been crammed into half an hour, or at most 50 minutes like Jeremy Brett's
Sherlock Holmes.

And the fine photography is near-useless, if you're just going to film Cadfael shocked & astounded at the comments of some Arwen elf-girl (let the little girls come unto me, sayeth Cadfael)

Uninteresting, slightly pretentious, & distinctly retrograde: Cadfael,in all its
glory.

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Be warned! - By: Raffles, 25 Jul 2008
As television, these medieval whodunits are ok, but as faithful reproductions of Ellis Peter's novels they are a disaster. If you are a fan of the books, think very very carefully before you watch. Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? Is there anything at hand that could harm the tv if flung at it? Are the children likely to be woken by your shrieks of fury? You will certainly find yourself shouting some of the following comments at the screen: "Do you really think the Severn at Shrewsbury is anything like that mid-European trickle?" "Hugh Beringar? Never!" "Have you ever actually been to Shropshire?" But the worst insult of all is choosing Jacobi to play Cadfael. I can forgive the muddy little stream pretending to be the Severn, I can forgive Hugh Beringar having several different heads, but to ignore Cadfael's Welshness is equivalent to ignoring the fact that Agatha Christie's Poirot is Belgian! Taking away the fact that Cadfael looks Welsh, speaks Welsh & has a character firmly based on a Welsh attitude to justice rather than an English, is to take away more than half of the books' impact. Take the Welsh themes out of the books & frankly there isn't that much left. If you would be quite happy to watch Sherlock Holmes adaptationsin which Holmes is no longer a drug addicted genius then watch these Cadfael adaptations. If not, don't.

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I Really Want to Give 5 Stars ... but I Just Can't - By: Kendra, 13 Jun 2008
This series should have been a great success except for the dreary settings, weak supporting cast, & slow plotting. Derek Jacobi is a phenomenal actor & extremely watchable but he can't carry this series alone. I have not read any of the Cadfael books.

In I Claudius he was a stunning success. Unfortunately, as this Medieval detective he just doesn't shine as brightly. Playing the former warrior, now a monk, Jacobi has much more sense of the world outside his village than do almost all of the other villagers. Others come to him for advice & guidance and, of course, when murders occur he is right there with his logical mind & insightful reasoning.

But the series falls short as the political intrigues & personal conflicts seem overly petty & excessivein their results. I understand that the Middle Ages were probably not very much fun, but it's difficult to sit through plodding episodes just to watch Jacobi do his thing. He's a wonderfully talented actor, but the writing & plotting just aren't up to snuff. My husband & I joked that this was a medieval "Murder She Wrote".

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12th Century Sleuthing - By: David Lusher, 10 Oct 2007
This is a wonderful boxed set that features the whole Brother Cadfael series (1 to 4). Picture & sound quality are excellent. These stories about a 12th century monk who is a bit of a detective are really entertaining. Beautifully filmed with Derek Jacobi splendidin the lead role. All this comes at a bargain price too!

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Brilliant - By: Dodster, 25 Sep 2007
Gentle BBC period drama at its best. The acting quality is fabulous, & the plot lines, which by today's standards can hardly be called fast moving, manage to involve the viewer & retain your attention throughout.
A must buy for period drama/who dunnit fans & at the current Amazon price this series is a bargain.