Rating: 
Summary: An Absolutely Brilliant Adaptation Of Potter's Screenplay!
Review: I'm hesitant to call this a musical, though that's precisely what it is. Dennis Potter wrote several musicals over the years, using different eras of music. This one is, by far, the best! The music here is from the 1940s. The drama, however, is actually a contemporary one. A (failed?) mystery writer named Philip Marlowe is hospitalized with a severe case of psoriasis...more corrrectly, psoriatic arthropathy (which Potter also suffered from). He has this one great novel in his past, though..."The Singing Detective." Marlowe's illness is terribly severe, and throughout the film we join his delirium as he relives events from his childhood, falls into a fascinating fantasy based on his novel, and comes back (from time to time) to the events currently happening in the hospital. These three streams are brilliantly intertwined, and the resulting story is absolutely THE BEST THING *EVER* TO HIT TELEVISION! This is *not* hype or exaggeration! The other reviewers are completely correct in making this same claim. If you've never seen this one...well, it's your loss....Dennis Potter died a few years ago from pancreatic cancer. He was simply a GREAT writer. He wrote *many* screenplays...dramas for both TV and film, as well as the "musicals" noted above. He also wrote novels. His best, I think, are brilliantly detailed studies of a mind either gradually breaking down, or gradually coming back from some kind of breakdown. "The Singing Detective" falls into the latter category. That alone would be enough to recommend this video...but the fact that it's *also* a "musical" is what makes it utterly remarkable! I honestly don't think I have the words to be able to say just how it transcends to the level of something almost divinely inspired. At the risk of saying it one too many times, folks, this one is TRULY GREAT! If you're able to find it, there's an interview with Dennis Potter that was originally broadcast on the Bravo channel shortly before his death. He was quite sick at the time, and he took occasional sips from his flask of pain medication during the interview. He talks some therein of "The Singing Detective." Yes, Marlowe shares the diagnosis of psoriatic arthropathy...but, he's an entirely different personality than Potter himself. Based on truth...expanding into the realm of the literary. It's an interesting insight into the brilliance of Potter as a writer. Meanwhile, "The Singing Detective" is something you really *must* see! *VERY* HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Rating:
Summary: Dennis Potter's Masterpiece
Review: Simply the finest show I've ever seen on television. Levels upon levels. Contains the perfect epiphany-when Gambon's hallucinations, dreams, imaginings, and daydreams solve "Who Dun It?" at exactly the same moment the audience understands all. Who knew we were all of us detectives? That life is a mystery? Amazing how many people are ripping this off now. Equally amazing how few critics have the education to say so. Potter is the closest thing the small screen had to a Nabokov. The intricacies and verbal flourishes are real life. Not the skanky Hollywood version of life. Now if only some brave soul would release the 2nd thing on my best all-time tv list-"The Glittering Prizes." It seems to have fallen through the net because it appeared in 1976 before home taping.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely brilliant
Review: Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective is, quite simply, the greatestwork in film or television ever. Every scene is fascinating in itsown right, and as you see more of the series earlier moments take onnew significances as it is learned how they relate to the series as awhole. The Singing Detective deals with a hospital-bound mysterywriter who is suffering from a crippling skin disease. In addition tothe often horribly funny scenes involving his current plight, we seeflashbacks of his childhood, fantasies about his estranged wife, andepisodes from one of his novels. The stories all gradually start toconnect with each other.... Potter constantly alters chronology, andyet does so in such a masterful way that everything always makessense. And oh yes, there are musical numbers. Many aspects of thisseries have been appropriated by later films such as Pulp Fiction(with its time-shuffling) and Dancer in the Dark (with its imaginedmusical productions), but compared to The Singing Detective theseworks are crap. ...Do yourself a favor and buy it already.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing yet interesting!
Review: The first time thru I wondered what Dennis Potter was on. I liked the music, acting, scenery etc but could not follow the intended story. The next few viewings made more sense and I can now see why this movie has a cult following. It might have something to do with Joanne Whally in a nurses outfit but I ain't complaining. The music often seemed like 30's gendre with a 50's touch. I liked, it especially 'Ma Momma Dun Told Me'. If you don't like Potters story line, make your own up. The movie definitely worth a couple of viewings.
Rating:
Summary: Potter Was a Genius
Review: This was one of the most fascinating, well crafted works to appear on television or anywhere else for that matter. The seamless transitions from "reality" to "fantasy," the incredible weave of ordinary and poetic speech, the flawless acting and directing all make this an experience not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Television Mini-Series of All Time?
Review: Dennis Potter described himself as a "Christian socialist". You can feel both the pain and the redemption in this exhilarating neo-noir classic. If you saw the Steve Martin movie "Pennies From Heaven" (also written by Potter) you will know what to expect--but this British import is even better. Hair-raising and heart-breaking by turns, it gives "I, Claudius' a run for the title of best show ever to come out of the British Isles.
Rating:
Summary: A masterwork
Review: The executive summary - this is a classic, buy it! DennisPotter was a master whose genius is only now being fully appreciated,probably due to its "controversial nature" at the time (a sentiment seemingly common to those ahead of their time - as in Galileo daring to say that the earth isn't flat). What saddens me is that many Potter works are not available in the US, and those that are don't transcend to DVD, as they should surely do. Do check out Potter's last work "Cold Lazarus" - extreme genius. More generally, there are great UK titles unavailable at Amazon.com that are at Amazon.co.uk . . ., such as "Boys from the blackstuff", the nuclear "Edge of darkness" (same director as Goldeneye, and starring some actors from same) etc. etc . . .
Rating:
Summary: Another Masterpiece
Review: A wonderful experience. A joy for the eyes, the ears and the mind. A tour of a world full of harsh reality, sweet dreams, sites and sounds. Imagined and real. How powerful can a writer be to create a whole world out of blank sheet of paper and strange dark marks. Jon Amiel and his crew helped to translate the words and the sounds into an amazing symphony. If you admire "The Singing Detective" you must look for Edgar Reitz "Heimat" and "The Second Heimat" for another (bigger) dose of magic. Once you have seen them both you will understand what movies can aspire to (and achieve). Now all I need is to find them all on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Let's Start A Campaign to get Singing Detective on DVD!
Review: Now that indie film is red hot, it's time for the Singing Detective on DVD. It's got that edgy indie feeling, except it's better than just about all of them- and better than most mainstream film too. And it's wildly funny. Everyone who has seen Singing Detective knows how amazing it is. With a little marketing push, this thing could be a hot seller. Give us DVD!
Rating:
Summary: A Stunner! PLEASE release this on DVD!
Review: Just adding to the pile... easily the best thing I've even seen on a television. The day it is released on DVD I'll be right here with an order. Fans of this may also want to check out "Lipstick on Your Collar"... not quite as sophisticated but starring an as-usual great Ewan McGregor
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