The Singing Detective

Rating:
Summary: Wow... just plain Wow...
Review: There is not one series in the world, as far as I'm concerned, that has the quality of "the Singing Detective" I will watch this over and over. Forever...

Rating:
Summary: Still the best TV production ever!
Review: Like others here, I taped this, too, but that won't stop me from buying it. There's never been anything like it on TV (or in the movie theater, either). Like great literature, you can view it at various levels--as psychological drama, as a pean to the power of memory, as an journey of physical and psychological recovery, as a deconstruction of 1940's culture in general (and film noir and musicals in particular). Yet, its drama is achingly, unrelentingly human, thanks to Michael Gambon's astounding performance (that he didn't win an Emmy for this is a crime), supported by a great cast of BBC regulars, and Potter's amazing script (yes, I have the book, and you can't have it!). You haven't fully comprehended what the medium can do until you've seen this. Buy it--before it goes out of print.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting and Visionary
Review: I also saw this film on tv over a decade ago. I was still a teenager, but apparently sophisticated enough to appeciate the merit of this masterpiece. The imagery in this film is stunning and will haunt you long after you have finished viewing it. Michael Gambon is truly enigmatic and sensitive as Philip E. Marlow. I regretted not taping this after seeing it and tried relentlessly to locate a copy afterward, only to be told it was not available in the states. Well, now it is and you owe it to yourself to view this work of art. I cannot recommend this highly enough. I'm so glad so many others were as moved by "The Singing Detective" as I was.

Rating:
Summary: A mystery interwoven with music from your soul.
Review: In reading some of the earlier reviews, all I can say is that I DID TAPE this show when it was broadcast over 10 years ago. In fact I taped it twice. Later I found that my wife coughed and my oldest daughter cried in the background. Finally after all of these years, I was able to purchase the complete set of showings without the interruptions. -- one other tidbit is that I originally missed the very first show and watched the remaining ones anyway. Then a week or so later I finally saw the first one and proceeded to stay up late and re-watched the remaining ones AGAIN! It was even better the second time around. Now about the music.... it is absolutely outstanding! I've even copied some of the video tapes onto cassettes so that I can listen to it in the car. It is music and orchestration from a time bygone. Sad, haunting but still full of hope and prayers... for the war to end... for things to get better. And hopefully they have... for Philip Marlow... and the rest of us all.

Rating:
Summary: THE SINGING DETECTIVE is a masterpiece!
Review: I concur with my friend from NYC: I sincerely regret not taping this show when it was broadcast on PBS. Drat! Potter's PENNIES FROM HEAVEN is a wonder, but SINGING DETECTIVE is, well, astonish- ing. See it at your very earliest convenience.

Rating:
Summary: Dennis Potter was the only playwright with a feel for TV
Review: Anybody who has enjoyed "The Singing Detective" should check out the British Tv series "Pennies from Heaven", "Lipstick on your collar", "Karaoke", and "Cold Lazarus".

Rating:
Summary: BOOK MORE IN DEPTH BUT THIS SERIES IS BRILLIANT!!!!
Review: I remember watching this on either BBC 1 or 2 at around 9 o clock every week I was always totally drawen to the characters and Micheal Gambon does an extraordinary piece of acting as Phillip E. Marlow. With this particular series your always wondering whats going to happen next if I could have given this any more stars it would be more than ten. Do yourself a favor spend the hundred bucks on this series you won't regert it I know I haven't and the book is great too.

Rating:
Summary: Undoubtedly the finest television production of all time.
Review: Many of us will cheerfully spend $100.00 or more on a pair of shoes, yet we are reticent about spending this kind of money on a film or film series. My advice to anyone reading this review is to purchase The Singing Detective even if it means going without something else for a period of time. I bought the series for myself as a Christmas gift last year, and have never regretted it. The Singing Detective gives us a rare glimpse into what television can be, and it is impossible to watch it without being profoundly moved in some way. I have watched the series 5 times since I purchased it. Each time I view it, I discover some subtlety in an actor's performance, some nuance of the plot, some delightful bit of music I had missed before. I will not attempt a formal "review" of The Singing Detective, but I will say this: sell your grandmother's pearls if you need to, do whatever it takes to get a hundred bucks together and purchase The Singing Detective.

Rating:
Summary: Complex, brilliant and moving.
Review: A friend of mine insisted that I watch this and I owe a debt of gratitude. Although it took several weeks to find the time to get through all of the tapes, I always found myself hanging on the end of the last one. This depth of character development could never happen in a normal film-length release.

Rating:
Summary: This series justifies the invention of the television medium
Review: I DID tape this when it was shown years ago in the US--all except for 15 minutes of it, when I didn't make it home to turn on the recorder! And as soon as I can afford it, I will purchase this set for those 15 minutes--it is worth every penny. This is Dennis Potter at his most brilliant. The Singing Detective changed my life. See it if you can. END