Father Brown - Set 1
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Movie Reviews of Father Brown - Set 1
Movie Review: I can believe the impossible, but not the improbable
Summary: 4 Stars
Father Brown is a kindly, mild-mannered little priest who seems completely harmless. Certainly he doesn't seem like a master detective.
But "Father Brown - Set 1" soon reminds us that appearances are deceptive, and not all wisdom and insight is of the Sherlock Holmes variety. The 1970s TV adaptation is rather slow-moving, but Kenneth More is brilliant as a kindly, eccentric detective who has an uncanny cleverness that nobody guesses.
Father Brown (More) comes to a town ruled over by a despicable aristocrat who womanizes, bullies and abuses the locals... until he's found with his head smashed in by a tiny hammer. There are countless people who could easily have done it, but some of the clues simply don't add up -- and only Father Brown can discover the truth.
Among his other cases: a wealthy man found stabbed to death, whose dog gives the only clue to his murderer's identity; an archaeologist is haunted by a madman and a curse. a sun-worshiping cult and a young woman's fall down an elevator shaft; a devoutly cheerful philanthropist falls headfirst from a window; a magistrate who struck a blow against Nazi Germany is found dead; and occult happenings in a remote country house draw Father Brown into a bizarre case.
This TV show is based on G.K. Chesterton's short stories, and for the most part it's a pretty faithful adaptation -- each has a crime that is either too simple or baffling, with plenty of red herrings and motives. Not only does Father Brown solve the crime, but he also provides some spiritual or moral insights, without being preachy.
The biggest problem with it is that every episode moves rather slowly, like a lot of older British mystery series. But the mysteries are rather clever in that they rely heavily on solutions that are much simpler than they appear, and are full of odd little clues that don't really seem like clues (such as bullets in the floor, or a half-written letter).
Of course, any detective show is made or broken by the lead actor, and Kenneth More is absolutely perfect as Father Brown. He comes across as warm, forgiving, kindly, and a little scatterbrained, but he has a keen insight into human nature and good/evil. He also has a bit of wry humor ("That's the problem with being a priest -- people expect you to believe anything").
"Father Brown - Set 1" is a solid collection of murder mysteries, which are slow-moving but full of human insight. And for those who have enjoyed Chesterton's short stories, they're a must-see.
Movie Review: More Good than Bad
Summary: 4 Stars
This first set of "Father Brown" mysteries is generally entertaining and worth watching (if not buying). I think Kenneth Moore plays the good father very well. I don't think all the supporting actors are "amateurs" as one reviewer here claims ...but not everyone is up to the Moore's level of skill.
I also think that the complaints about production values aren't really fair. I think people forget that these were produced on British TV in 1974! I don't imagine any DVD collection of any other TV show from that era is going to look much better, and some probably would look much worse.
My main criticism of this collection is that a couple of the stories end rather abruptly ...to the point where you find yourself wondering, "What happened?" One in particular ends where you don't really know what is going to happen to the bad guy.
But there are a couple of gems ...particularly the first one "the Hammer of" something.
Bottom line: they aren't as good as the David Suchet Poirot's but they are worth watching. Maybe they will do an updated series some time and the shows will benefit from today's production values.
Movie Review: Nice
Summary: 4 Stars
Rumpole of the Bailey, this series is not. Still, it's a nice relief from U.S. crime series, if one is inclined to like mysteries with less blood and guts, and more intellect.
Father Brown is not the best-made British series we have ever seen, by any means. Some of the acting is quite poor, and diction can sometimes be almost impossible to understand, what with words garbled, too clipped, and what not.
Furthermore, I'm delighted not to have paid the full $28 price, much less the $19 offer at used rates. No, we picked up our copy for $2 at a public library sale.
I'd recommend this series at a reasonable rate. But don't spring for it at full prices unless you're a true British mystery series fanatic.
Movie Review: Father Brown video
Summary: 4 Stars
These films are faithful to the Father Brown books. If murder mysteries can be gentle and humorous, Father Brown's are, and so are these movies.Movie Review: Father Brown - Set 1
Summary: 3 Stars
Fairly good stories - Kenneth More portrays Father Brown very well; however, some of the stories seem trite. Closed captioning would be good.