| PRODUCT DETAILS | | The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Set 1 |  | |
The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Set 1
From the "golden age" of the British mystery comes a hard-working Scotland Yard detective whose breeding and bearing give him unique access to the fashionable world in which these stories are set. Drawing on her love of theatre and art, New Zealand novelist Ngaio Marsh created elegant crime-puzzlers full of quirky characters with hidden agendas, all brought meticulously to life in this BBC series. The keen intelligence and subtle persistence of Chief Inspector Alleyn (Patrick Malahide, The Singing Detective) are complemented by the insights of his independent lady friend, artist Agatha Troy (Belinda Lang, To Serve Them All My Days), and the loyalty of his partner, Detective Inspector Fox (William Simons, Sergeant Cribb).
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
Price Range: $31.27 - $59.99
 The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Set 1
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| User Reviews |  | The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries
rating: 5
The box set was a great present to myself. I enjoyed the series and hope to see more when available.
Thanks for making this available.
Helen
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Worth every penny for cozy murder fans -- details follow
rating: 5
Rarely have I been so pleased with a set of British mystery DVDs. This compendium of mysteries is pure treasure for those who savour the genre!
Maybe excepting one or two volumes, I've read everything that Ngaio Marsh ever wrote and I liked her Inspector Alleyn series the best. I feel certain that she'd be quite proud of these four excellent renditions of her brilliant works.
There are four mysteries here, nicely packaged and on 4 separate DVDs. They are "Death at The Bar", "A Man Lay Dead", "The Nursing Home Murder", and, "Final Curtain". There's not a clinker in the bunch! I'll relate a little about each, listing my favorite first and prioritizing them down, (albeit, they are ALL just super).
"Death at the Bar" is poisoning mystery which mostly transpires in a small English coastal fishing village. A prominent attorney/prosecutor (a bit of a scoundrel) is somehow poisoned and he happens to have been a personal associate of Inspector Alleyn. Alleyn gets REALLY personally ticked off when the murderer also almost snuffs detective Fox, his venerable partner! The outdoor scenes and those in the old pub where the murder transpires are simply awesome.
"The Nursing Home Murder" has been dubbed with a title that is a little deceiving for those of us in the USA -- we would have called it "The Hospital Murder" because a philandering British Cabinet member dies unexpectedly after being rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery and the list of folks who wish him dead, (many of whom are hospital employees), is quite lengthy. This potboiler is truly one of the best mysteries you'll ever encounter and I seriously doubt that you'll guess who the murderer is.
"Final Curtain" involves the suspicious death of Sir Henry Ancred, a renowned stage actor. Alleyn's proto-girlfriend, Troy, is dragged into the mess as she is the renowned artist who has been employed by Ancred to render his portrait over a weekend at the ancestral mansion. As Alleyn investigates, along with Br'er (detective) Fox, he discovers among the suspects a houseful of Ancred's relatives, most of whom are nutcases and demented eccentrics.
"A Man Lay Dead" involves Inspector Alleyn in the investigation of a stabbing death of an aristocrat, again transpiring in an English mansion. The focus of the investigation is on the murder weapon, an ancient and valuable ceremonial dagger that is desired by many, both inside and outside the immediate household. And again, Alleyn's "almost girlfriend", Troy, is tied into this one as she is the niece of one of the chief suspects. A stereotypical swarthy German is one of the primary suspects, but Alleyn and Fox shrewdly detect others too.
Now, addressing all four films in general, the acting is really spot-on and the cinematography is superb (they are all rendered in 4:3 fullscreen which presents nicely on either a regular or widescreen TV -- I have the latter). No corners were cut on the sets either -- it's all just first class. This is film and not videotape like one sees on some British presentations. Each film lasts 98 minutes (plenty long enough for good story and character development), and the action is tight. These mysteries do not drag in the slightest!
The screenwriters have taken a few liberties with Marsh's original works, but of course this is common with any film derived from a book. They have been forced, by time, to snip a few subplots and in one instance, ("A Man Lay Dead") they changed a Russian villian into a German one. But these are all minor changes that certainly do not detract from the stories in any significant way.
I did see some reviews of this set where the reviewers were not so enthusiastic as I am about these particular mysteries. I think I see precisely where they're coming from, not to be presumptuous, but their preferences are clearly leaning away from the traditional cozy murder mysteries and more toward what I would call "reality" crime, (e.g., "Foyle's War" and "Inspector Lyndley Mysteries", for example). Those latter films are indeed quite excellent but the overall rendering of those particular detective stories are probably more suited for more modern tastes. To pin it down, if you're a fan of Mary Roberts Rinehart, Josephine Tey, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, or Ngaio Marsh, then you probably belong to the group who will be, like me, shouting the praises of this Inspector Alleyn DVD set. These films are 100% pure escapism, which was also the original author's intent.
In summary, these films are, for the most part, so much better than what we've seen in the past involving traditional British mysteries. Comparing this set to, say, the Agatha Christie (David Suchet) Hercule Poirot series, these are by far the superior choice.
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Inspector Alleyn Series
rating: 5
I have always loved the British PBS series. Inspector Alleyn is drama and some light heartedness combined within a frame of a murder. I enjoy the Enlish shows because they do not get gruesome in their murders. It focuses on assertaining who did the murder, and with Inspector Alleyn's cases, it's usually within the aristocracy, which he was born to as well. Very good entertainment for the whole family.
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A Comfortable Cozy
rating: 4
Been in a blue funk since Agatha Christe's TV tales dropped off the air? Now's the chance to grab a hunk of an oh-so-trendy 1940's British mystery. Inspector Alleyn can track a crook through a whole room full of blue bloods and spot a stray fingerprint right under their champagne fogged noses. No butler is left unexamined, no effete cousin goes unnoticed. Yes, it's time to gather in the drawing room to see who really done it.
Fans of a simpler, more elegant time will love this series. I know I do!
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Disappointing
rating: 3
A wonderful series, but a very poor quality transfer to DVD. The picture is grainy and rapid movement on screen is jerky.
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The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Set 1
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