The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Death at the Opera / The Rising of the Moon / Laurels Are Poison / The Worsted Viper
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Mrs. Bradley Mysteries SetDirector: -
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 240 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-11-25
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: WGBH BOSTON
Movie Reviews of The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Death at the Opera / The Rising of the Moon / Laurels Are Poison / The Worsted Viper
Movie Review: Cynical sleuth, brilliant production
Summary: 5 Stars
Any woman who, upon realizing that she's being checked out by the opposite sex, cannot make up her mind as to whether he is "vaguely fascinating or fascinatingly vague" deserves hats-off. I have found the delightful Mrs. Bradley as my favorite amateur sleuth after Ms. Marple and the utterly humorous Hercule Poirot. "The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries" stars the very charming Diana Rigg (of "The Avengers" fame) in the role of Mrs. Bradley, and Neil Dudgeon as her ever-solicitous servant George Moody. A rich divorcée who travels in her own Rolls Royce, writes books about the psychological aspects of crime, and has her own chauffeur as her nemesis.
This second set in the series brings us "Death at the Opera", "The Rising of the Moon", "Laurels are poison" and "The worsted viper". In the first one, Mrs. Bradley goes back to her "finishing school" - "a place where girls go to be finished, literally, if they believe everything they're taught here" to paraphrase Mrs. Bradley's own words. The school's art teacher dies during the rather bore some performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado". A premature diagnosis by the school's Headmaster proposes it to be a heart attack, but the discovery of scratches on the back of the door tell Mrs. Bradley there's foul play involved. She appears to easily go along with the school Headmaster's desire of not calling in the Police until a second death happens. This is where Inspector Henry Christmas makes his entrance into Mrs. Bradley's life and into the series.
The second episode evolves within a community of nomad entertainers - also known as gypsies. A beautiful young woman, who is the target in the knife-throwing act, gets killed...oddly enough, stabbed to death. A call from Inspector Christmas, asking for her notorious psychological advice, interrupts Mrs. Bradley's night on the town. The next morning, she is driven by George to the quintessential English village, where "once the preserves have been preserved, what else is there to do but die of boredom".
In "Laurels are poison", Mrs. Bradley proposes to her chaffeur a visit to a haunted house; which he accepts, on the condition of not having to do the actual haunting. George takes an active part in this and the next episode, when painful memories of his deceased brother really start to "haunt" him. Later his own daughter is in danger for her life during "The worsted viper". This will appeal to mystery fans who are also interested in the occult - luckily the two go together like a horse and carriage. Someone seems to be practicing an old pagan cult that requires a soon to be married virgin to be sacrificed. I must say the ending took me totally by surprise.
I found Mrs. Bradley to be a character with a rare combination of feminine etiquette and male independence. Her downside is her cynicism; however, she is assertive (and almost sensitive sometimes, to the "womanly arts"); yet there is always a man by her side, be it her chauffeur or Inspector Christmas, who seem to be very protective of her. The costumes are excellent. I love Mrs. Bradley's clothes, especially the hats. The DVD includes cast biographies and a virtual tour of the set as a special feature, with details on the settings for the different episodes. The drawings by Edward Gorey for the Mystery! credits are fantastic in their uniqueness, and his ideas have been applied to the decoration of the sets as well.
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Summary of The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Death at the Opera / The Rising of the Moon / Laurels Are Poison / The Worsted Viper
Emmy® Award-winner Diana Rigg (Rebecca, The Avengers) portrays the glamorous and outspoken Mrs. Adela Bradley, a well-traveled, well-appointed, oft-liaisoned divorcée who dabbles in psychoanalysis, toxicology, pre-feminism, and murder investigations. Assisted by her devoted chauffeur and confidant George Moody (Neil Dudgeon), Mrs. Bradley solves the most complicated crimes with a sly combination of charm, intelligence, and wit. In this set of four scintillating mysteries, she gets the lowdown on the upper crust?much to the bemusement of Police Inspector Christmas (Peter Davison). Based on the novels by Gladys Mitchell, The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries take you back to high-mannered 1920s England, complete with the glamorous costumes, lavish cars, and hot jazz music of the Roaring Twenties.Death at the Opera While visiting her alma mater, Mrs. Bradley unravels the murder of a teacher and discovers that the foundation of this finishing school for young ladies is as improper as it is secretive.
Rising of the Moon A traveling circus comes to town?but not to everyone's delight. When the knife-thrower's assistant is found murdered, Mrs. Bradley must win the cooperation of the troupe and the locals before another victim goes to the big top in the sky.
Laurels Are Poison Mrs. Bradley visits an old friend living in a supposedly haunted house where the tragedies of war have left nearly everyone haunted by ghosts of the past?even George, her chauffeur.
The Worsted Viper While visiting a quaint coastal resort town, Mrs. Bradley attends the wedding of George's daughter. But after a series of ritualistic murders, she finds herself strangely reminded of her very first case.
Special DVD features include: virtual tour of the Mystery! studio; selected filmographies; selected cast list; biography for Diana Rigg, star of Mrs. Bradley and host of Mystery!; link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.
On two DVD5 discs. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.
Diana Riggs glides through The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries like a true grand dame. Set in 1920s England, this mystery series wallows in swank cars, jaunty tunes, well-cut clothes, and extravagant hats--and every so often, Riggs turns to the camera and delivers sardonic observations with a wicked purr. Aided by her chauffer George Moody (Neil Dudgeon), scandalous divorcée Mrs. Bradley (Riggs) solves murders with her keen observations and psychological insight (along with a little pickpocketing and genteel extortion).
Saucy storylines abound: Death at the Opera mixes lesbianism at a girls' school with a bread-slicing machine; The Rising of the Moon features knife-throwers, dwarves, and a hall of mirrors; in Laurels are Poison, ghosts kill with poison-tipped arrows; and in The Worsted Viper, the revival of an ancient virgin-sacrificing cult threatens Moody's own daughter. The mysteries are more stylish than fair in their presentation of clues; anyone looking for a puzzle to solve will be frustrated as crucial information is withheld until after Mrs. Bradley has brought the villain to justice. But the heart of the show is the delightful rapport between Rigg and Dudgeon, which will win over any fan of British mysteries. --Bret Fetzer
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