P.D. James - Death of an Expert Witness

Rating:
Summary: The one that made P.D. James famous
Review: Death of an Expert Witness was, I believe, the first Adam Dalgliesh book adapted for television. The novel, which appeared in 1976, made James famous in Great Britain and well known in the U.S. There are good reasons why this one, of them all, should have had such success: the brooding atmosphere of the Lab and the Fen country; the plot, complex but not ridiculously so; the essential care and fairness towards each character. Later mysteries often feature extended social statements and preaching by James, with Dalgliesh acting like the Angel of Judgment. This shows an earlier, more empathetic side of both author and detective. For those of you familiar with more recent P.D. James mysteries, this one bears some resemblance to "Devices and Desires", which I think of as a companion story. Please note that the editorial review contains a spoiler, so don't go back and reread it!

Now to the DVD-- At 295 minutes it is leisurely enough to do justice to the book. It features a rather long set up- it is nearly an hour and a quarter before murder strikes- but it rewards the wait. Filmed in 1983, it is sufficiently old that I have never seen it on American television. The video techniques are a bit more primitive than today's, but I was pleasantly surprised, after reading the editorial review above, at how good everything looked. The strong lighting and pale features of the cast tend to make all the characters look blotchy and not quite well-- but that's how people can look in real life as well. The performances are good. The success of this video led to all the subsequent Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, and one can see why.
The combination of length and age mean that you are unlikely to find "Death of an Expert Witness" on television, or at the library, or at your local vidoe rental. This makes it a perfect dvd for you to buy, own, and view at your leisure. It can, of course, be purchased as part of an omnibus set including many, but not all, of the other P.D. James mysteries. One caveat: the back of the dvd case simply fell apart the day after I received it and is now held together with rubber bands. Be very gentle!

Rating:
Summary: Good story--but a little long
Review: First off-I'm a great fan of British detective stories. While this is not the "best"--it is a good story and despite it's length-nearly 5 hours--it remains interesting. Roy Marsden portrays Scotland Yard's Adam Dalgliesh-a rather droll investigator-not quite as likeable as John Nettles portrayal of Inspector Barnaby in Midsomer Murders but more pleasant than John Thaw's "Inspector Morse"-and this story involves his investigation into the murder of a Laboratory supervisor--that nearly everyone has reason to dislike and possibly wish dead. His unpopularity alone makes nearly everyone suspect--and at various times almost everyone seems like the likely killer.
I recommend this dvd strongly--although considering the cost-I would recommend "The Essential P. D. James" instead--this is a 12 disc set that contains all 7 of the Dalgliesh storys-and costs roughly the equivelant of two of the longer storys bought individually

Rating:
Summary: Good story--but a little long
Review: First off-I'm a great fan of British detective stories. While this is not the "best"--it is a good story and despite it's length-nearly 5 hours--it remains interesting. Roy Marsden portrays Scotland Yard's Adam Dalgliesh-a rather droll investigator-not quite as likeable as John Nettles portrayal of Inspector Barnaby in Midsomer Murders but more pleasant than John Thaw's "Inspector Morse"-and this story involves his investigation into the murder of a Laboratory supervisor--that nearly everyone has reason to dislike and possibly wish dead. His unpopularity alone makes nearly everyone suspect--and at various times almost everyone seems like the likely killer.
I recommend this dvd strongly--although considering the cost-I would recommend "The Essential P. D. James" instead--this is a 12 disc set that contains all 7 of the Dalgliesh storys-and costs roughly the equivelant of two of the longer storys bought individually

Rating:
Summary: THE ADAM DALGLEISH SERIES
Review: I'VE SEEN THE WHOLE ADAM DALGLEISH SERIES WRITTEN BY P.D. JAMES -WHO INCIDENTALLY, LIVES IN NORFOLK, U.K., STARRING ROY MARSDEN AS INSPECTOR DALGLEISH...THEY WERE ALL FILMED IN NORFOLK VILLAGES, WHICH IN THEMSELVES ARE VERY PICTURESQUE....MANY OF THEM IN THE OLDE WORLD SETTING WITH THE VILLAGE-GREEN IN THE CENTRE OF THE VILLAGE. TO GET BACK TO MY REVIEW OF THE SERIES - THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING, AND U DON'T KNOW WHO THE KILLER, MURDERER, WHATEVER U WANT TO CALL THE PERSON WHO COMMITS THE CRIME UNTIL RIGHT AT THE END. I HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE WHO WATCHES THE SERIES WILL ENJOY IT & BECOME QUITE ADDICTED TO
IT, AND ALSO WANT TO READ THE BOOKS. IM NOT QUITE CERTAIN BUT I THINK THERE WERE 6 OR 7 TITLES...ENJOY!