BORDERS emailed me a 50% OFF ONE ITEM coupon. Whenever BORDERS sends me coupons like this, I always use them to buy sets of DVDs or CDs that seldom get discounted. This time, I decided to buy Cadfael: The Complete Series. BORDERS had it priced at $99.99 (AMAZON wants $74.49 for it). With my coupon and my PLUS membership, I paid $48 for the entire package. This set includes 13 DVDs which present 13 of Ellis Peters’ mysteries starring Sir Derek Jacobi as a former crusader who has turned to healing and mystery-solving. I enjoyed watching this series on PBS MYSTERY! and now it’s nice to own them. GRADE: A
THE MYSTERIES
One Corpse Too Many
The Sanctuary Sparrow
The Leper of St. Giles
Monk’s Hood
The Virgin in the Ice
The Devil’s Novice
St. Peter’s Fair
A Morbid Taste for Bones
The Raven in the Foregate
The Rose Rent
The Pilgrim of Hate
The Potter’s Field
The Holy Thief
I hadn’t realized they’d done that many. I know I saw most of them but I’m not sure I saw them all. I know I’ve only read a handful of the books.
I agree on the boxed sets of DVDs, by the way. We were in Costco yesterday and they had a few sets of British shows I don’t think were ever shown here, at least not in the New York area.
I always go to the BBC shelf in BORDERS, Jeff, when they send me these high percentage off coupons. Lately, our BORDERS has tables of music CDs 40% off. I wonder if these are from some of the closed BORDERS.
Since our Borders closed, they don’t send us the coupons anymore. This was a very enjoyable series. One of their best.
We have two BORDERS in our area, Patti. I keep waiting for one of them to close, but so far both have stayed alive. My choices for using this 50% OFF coupon was the CADFAEL set or THE COMPLETE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
As much as I’ve liked Derek Jacobi in the past, I just can’t get beyond the anachronisms in these medieval mysteries (it’s the same way I feel about those mysteries set during the Roman empire). I suppose I like my “proper British mysteries” set in the late 1800s or later and don’t feel that the old find clues/apply logic/deduct answers work well in an earlier era.
I think all three Borders in our area will be closing.
I keep waiting to see notices that our BORDERS will be closing, Deb. But, as long as they send me great coupons, I’ll buy as much as I can at their discounted prices. I’m not a big fan of medieval mysteries for the same reasons you don’t care for them. However, I enjoy the Ellis Peters books and I’ve found these adaptions of the CADFAEL series to be up to BBC standards.
From the beginning, I had trouble with Jacobi in this role. I love the books – they did use those deductive methods, Deb – and have read all but a couple, all of the ones dramatized in this set. I watched just one of the series and he just did not fit the character I already had in my head, so I stopped. Well done, I’m sure, but not for me.
You’re right about the CADFAEL series being well done by the BBC, Rick. It took me an episode or two to get into Jacobi’s character (I imagined a much more rugged Crusader from reading the books), but Jacobi’s acting skill won me over.
Even though all the women had perfectly tweezed eyebrows, I bought this years ago. A great collection.
Stan
I hadn’t notice the perfectly tweezed eyebrows, Stan. You’re much more observant that I am! Yes, this is a great collection.
Although the Borders store near where I live closed down recently, I still have four of them within a 25 mile radius.
The fate of most of my much-appreciated used bookstores is much sadder.
I know what you mean by “the fate of most of my much-appreciated used bookstores,” Drongo. One of my favorites closed a little more than a month ago. There are so few left!
I’m not an expert on eyebrow tweezing, but how far back did it go?
I notice that in every historical movie or TV show, there is always a few (or more) women who wear no makeup but have perfect eyebrows. Sort of ruins the illusion. I mean, would a woman on a farm in the 5th century have tweezed eyebrows?
Point well taken, Stan. But I’m oblivious to most of those details.
Of course, and shaved legs. Our current obsessions are eternal and universal!
I confess I’m a Big Picture guy, Todd. Most of those details elude me.
I usually let them slip by unless it becomes impossible to miss, or the drama is bad enough to make me cast about for some other reason to pay attention before leaving to do something else.
I might’ve opted for the UNCLE set, but CADFAEL is certainly more likely to be of a consistent quality. The memory of early exposure to Jacobi’s atrocious Othello (in the 1970s BBC/PBS SHAKESPEARE PLAYS project) and of a friend of a friend’s somewhat creeped out experience in meeting him casually (and Jacobi trying to pick him up, as he was a teen and Jacobi solidly into middle age but presumably accustomed to groupies) have tended to unfairly color my experience of his subsequent work.
“Heaven TRULY Knows That THOU ART FALSE AS HELLELELELELELLLLLEL!”…togue actually waggling with the last ululation.
I became a Jacobi fan after I, CLAUDIUS, Todd. I was tempted by THE COMPLETE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. set, but I’m thinking if BORDERS has a GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE, I’ll scoop it up then.