ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

classicalsteve When I had first heard of the Cadfael series, I thought it was simply 20th-century whodunits with the Middle Ages as a kind of superficial background. Fortunately, I was quite mistaken. What Ellis Peters (who wrote the original books of Brother Cadfael) and the filmmakers of the series have done is to fuse the idea of whodunits within a completely medieval context, espousing not only the look but also the rhetoric, belief and sensibilities of medieval community and thought. My suspicion is that Ellis Peters did appropriate research into the Middle Ages to give us a picture that is much closer to medieval life than other similar productions, such as the recent "Robin Hood" series, which is merely a 20th-century action series disguised as being in the Middle Ages.If there is one aspect that permeated every facet of medieval Europe, it would have to be religious fanaticism. Nearly every act, deed, circumstance, and event was defined by its relationship with the divine. Criminal acts were the work of the Devil. Charitable acts were the result of God, Jesus, Mary or one of the saints. Wars were the preordained outcomes of divine providence. Holy relics and the bones of saints were as fused to religious belief as the conduct of the military and the nobility. There was no distinction between the secular and the religious as there is today. And turning one's back on religion during this period could have dire consequences.Within these historical parameters, the Cadfael series may be the one television offering of its type that succeeds in placing the viewer into the medieval world as it probably was. The medieval world, though fascinating, was also drab, damp, and dirty. Its nickname as the "Dark Ages" is not completely unfounded. Aside from the obvious issues of personal hygiene and cleanliness (the ancient Greeks and Romans definitely had the edge 700+ years earlier), ignorance and illiteracy were the norm. The vast majority of the nobility couldn't read or write until the High Middle Ages. But religious fanaticism mixed with fervent aggression (the most deadly of combinations) begets an age in which violence was often the arbiter for disagreement. The Cadfael stories interplay with this mixture of religious fundamentalism, prevalent ignorance, and violent confrontations with fascinating and mostly plausible results. Of course, there were few dull moments in the Middle Ages which makes for a perfect platform for storytelling.From start-to-finish, the 13 productions are of the highest-quality for a television programme of this type, with a fine performance by Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael. (Alas, Ellis Peters wrote 20 Cadfael books.) Maybe the only criticism might be the character of Cadfael himself, whose portrayal is ,ore as a modernist (in the 20th-century sense) trapped in a medieval body and residing in a medieval world. He is almost too insightful and knowledgeable for the age, but maybe it works as a story-device to help the audience see medieval life through his eyes. Common sense was not very common in the Middle Ages. Simultaneously if you accept Cadfael's insight as being ahead of his time by several centuries, it's a wonderful and entertaining production that transports you to the 12th century. How mankind ever lived through the Middle Ages without destroying itself is a mystery not even Cadfael can solve. (There was a figure in the 14th century who was disillusioned by the age and literally anticipated the coming of the Renaissance.)

hifispacemonkey I discovered this series when I was about 15 years old. . . (I, obviously, wasn't the average teenager.) I've loved it ever since. I was drawn to the series when I saw Derek Jacobi's face on the cover of a VHS. I loved his work in "I Claudius," "Hamlet," "The Secret of NIMH"--yes he was a voice actor in it, and a number of other performances that I can't list off the top of my head.Anyways, the story centers around a Monk in Middle Ages England named Cadfael who has knowledge in a number of unusual areas. He uses this knowledge to solve murders. It's an unusual premise, but it works and comes across beautifully--Thanks in great part to Derek Jacobi's amazing performance.I would also recommend reading the series written by Ellis Peters.

guanche A literate and highbrow series about a medieval herbalist monk who uses his knowledge to solve crimes. More interesting and much less voyeuristic than CSI and kindred shows.Most of the previous reviewers did a good job of describing the nature of the series and how truly well acted and off beat it is. Rather than reiterate their commentary, I would like to focus on the show's realistic portrayal of the times. The vast majority of medieval films and/or shows go to inaccurate extremes. In the 50s and 60s, all the women wore brassieres and had Lady Clairol hairdos. The guys were all clean shaven Brylcream men with slicked back pompadours. And everyone's clothes looked freshly pressed and drycleaned. In the 70s, the trend went to the other extreme. All, even the well off, were dressed in filthy, tattered clothes and looked as if they did indeed bathe daily---in a vat of manure. Lots of teeth were missing from every mouth and every face covered with running sores. There was no middle ground between the squeaky clean people and places of the 50s "Robin Hood" series (a good adventure show nonetheless) and the comically exaggerated filth and squalor of "Jabberwocky".The Cadfael series provided that balance. The set designs and costumes were very accurate renderings of what actually existed at the time, and the series credibly demonstrated how people of that era went about their daily business and social lives. Many, especially the poor, were certainly ragged and unkempt, but few, rich or poor, were oblivious to the appearance of their homes or themselves. Another aspect of this show missing from most similar efforts was it's attempt to show how the tradespeople and middle class of the time worked and lived. Most "medieval" films perpetuate the myth that society was strictly divided into "have everythings" and "have nothings". Everyone is either an aristocrat or a starving, oppressed serf dressed in rags. This show actually gives the viewer an idea of how much more varied and complex medieval society really was.A first rate show, even more so for the historically literate. Although some of the later episodes hobbled their plots with ponderous soap opera "blasts from the past" from Cadfael's former life as a crusader, I was sad to see the series end. I never read any of the books, but understand that there are still a few that have not been filmed. I would love to see the series revived, although this winning combination of casting and production would be hard to repeat and harder still to beat.

azcowboysingr We have the entire Brother Cadfael series on VHS (DVDs are still too expensive for us), as well as all of Ellis Peter's novels. We never tire of watching/reading them. The production values are exquisite, the acting (even the bit players) is above excellence, & the scenery, sets, photography, is among the best I have ever seen. If there is one flaw to this series, it is that they quit before they made all of the novels into teleplays. This is one series that could have gone on for another 5 years or so & not lost our rapt attention. Sir Jacobi did his part with both professionalism & a human quality that made the character totally believable. Our only actual gripe is that Sean Pertwee did not continue his role as Hugh Beringer throughout the entire 13 episodes. He was the best "Sheriff" in our opinion, although the other two actors did very creditable jobs with their portrayals. This is one series that any mystery/history buff needs to add to their collection pronto!