The Ruth Rendell Mysteries – Set One (Anthology/British TV)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: C+
When
Mystery Anthology shows work, they work well, as the Christopher Lee/Edgar
Allen Poe Tales Of Mystery &
Imagination and Roald Dahl’s Tales
Of the Unexpected have proved. Even
if the supernatural or extraordinary are included, nothing works like a good
mystery. When we found out about The Ruth Rendell Mysteries – Set One (1993),
more of the same was expected. Though it
is a good, smart, quality show, it unfortunately is more about drama than
mystery and ultimately allows any mystery to be secondary.
That may
sit well with fans of the show who think pure mystery is not “believable”
enough or cannot stand the genre’s intensity.
The four separate tales here are:
1)
Master Of The Moor (with Colin Firth) – Is a man
obsessed with a moor he grew up near a murderer there in adult life?
2)
Vanity Dies Hard – Socioeconomic class and ego
make a deadly collision and that is just the beginning of the chaos.
3)
The Secret House Of Death (with Amanda Redman) – A divorcee
finds two dead lovers. Did she kill
them?
4)
The Double (with Jason Flemyng) – Should a
young man read a premonition of death when his girlfriend turns out to have a
double in a strange, unexpected way?
Maybe it
is the mix of the drama and mystery, but despite the good writing, acting and
adaptation, the stories stray or play out their mystery hand and the shows
ironically do not totally deliver what the title promises. Still, you may find these tales
entertaining. Just don’t expect a
plethora of mystery to them. Geared more
towards women than expected, this is not Murder,
She Wrote, so at least there is no formula at work.
The 1.33
X 1 image is soft and for an early-1990s, production is odd. It has a slightly dark look, more consistent
than you would expect from an anthology series.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 is simple stereo at best and is cleanly recorded. Extras only include text on Rendell and cast
filmographies for each show.
- Nicholas Sheffo
