The Singing Detective

1986
8.6| 6h55m| en| More Info
Released: 16 November 1986 Released
Producted By: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.

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British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

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Reviews

Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
GamerTab That was an excellent one.
WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
editor-316 All I can say about this movie is that it is the best -- from the screenplay to the cinematography to the choreography to the acting -- this movie is the best! It's got it all -- from irony to bathos.Knowing nothing of the plot, it was just a bit hard to get into. But by the time I had watched 15 minutes, I was hooked. It took me a while (all right, over an hour) to understand the flashbacks and the surrealism (come to think of it, that element is rather similar to what the Coen Brothers did in their masterpiece Barton Fink) but when I did sort out the real from the surreal and the present from the past, I was overcome with admiration.It's visually gorgeous; the music is luscious; the pacing is perfect ... The Singing Detective is glorious, a splendiferous accomplishment.See it ASAP!
RobertF87 The BBC television production of "The Singing Detective" caused a huge stir when it was first broadcast back in 1986, and now it is commonly acknowledged as a classic.Hospitalised by a severe case of psoriasis, crime novelist Philip E Marlow, escapes the grim realities of ward life into a rich inner world where he imagines himself as the "singing detective", hero of his own novels. From these fantasies he drifts to memories of his grim childhood during World War Two, and paranoid fantasies about his estranged wife.The script, by celebrated writer Dennis Potter, is truly remarkable. The acting is good, especially from Michael Gambon (as Philip Marlow) who is perfect in a very difficult role.The series lasts nearly seven hours and yet never fails to entertain. The series has a rich vain of dark humour and features some hilariously surreal song-and-dance sequences.This is a true masterpiece and, very possibly, the best TV series ever made. Don't miss any opportunity to catch it.
cubpilot54 Episode one, if it can truly be identified as such, was enough to drive me away from the rest of the DVD. The plot is convoluted, confusing, frequently silly, and appears to be going noplace. After all, who needs to see the same scene (a body pulled from the river)three, or was it four, times? . After sixty or seventy minutes there was still no substance to characters or plot, nor a single person I would care to spend another ten minutes watching, nor any indication that things would improve (especially Mr. Gambon's skin condition). There was so much filler just to use up air time (?)...skin rubs, Physician's rounds, hospital ward banter, etc., that the main story line was neglected for minutes on end. Finally episode one ended, I slipped the DVD back into its sleeve, settled down with a good book. Hmmm...wonder wher I can sell a mint condition set of "Singing Detective" DVDs?
Judy Lewis Anyone who thinks television is only for the brain-dead should see this drama. Written by Dennis Potter,the most exciting writer to ever work for television, it is a multi-layered story of a writer hospitalised with a disabling skin disease, who retells the story of his most famous book (which is coincidentally being read by another patient), relives incidents from his childhood, imagines contemporary events and the people around him bursting into song. It is hard to describe, but it is sharp, funny, superbly intelligent and challenging - among the best six hours ever made for television.