The complete series of this award winning murder mystery is available as a collection, including all thirty-three episodes, plus two bonus programs, The Making of Morse and The Story of Morse. Also included is a fascinatin... more »g book, The Oxford of Inspector Morse; all are handsomely presented in a custom wooden box.Award winning actor John Thaw (Kavanagh Q.C., Goodnight, Mister Tom) stars as the melancholy, enigmatic and romantic Inspector Morse, a man who never uses his first name and who finds solace in real ale, classical music and difficult crosswords. Together with his able Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately), Morse uses his considerable intellect and passion for truth and justice to investigate death and murder in the English university town of Oxford. approx. 58 hrs. col.Special Features: Biographies, Selected Filmographies, Trivia« less
High Amazon ratings but dragged like a snail. Watch at your own peril.
Movie Reviews
The Best TV Series of All Time
Connie Boyd | 04/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just finished watching all 33 episodes (each as long as a movie), and collectively they comprise the best television series of all time, in my opinion. This excellence is attributable to a unique combination of factors--brilliant writing, the casting of an actor (John Thaw) who added great depth and complexity to the lead character, the Oxford setting (which provided rich atmosphere as well as compelling plotlines), wonderful music, talented directors, outstanding supporting actors and guest casts. The series got better and better over the years as the characters developed individually and in their relationships with each other, and as information about their pasts was gradually revealed. Kevin Whately, who plays Sergeant Lewis, does a remarkable job of creating a character who is, in his way, as interesting as Morse because of the way he subtly matures. My favorite episodes are "Dead on Time," "Cherubim and Seraphim," and "The Remorseful Day," but all of them are of high quality. Although expensive, the collection is worth every penny."
Nothing compares to Inspector Morse
Jason Russell | USA | 01/20/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I suppose it was serendipitous when I first saw Inspector Morse on PBS Mystery!. I was hooked from the beginning. There's something about John Thaw's portrayal--the sardonic, biting temperament and the unique relationship with Lewis--that make this mystery series the best I have ever seen. This series is sophisticated and rewarding. I believe the first time I encountered the word "pedantic" was while watching Inspector Morse (who certainly qualifies as pedantic).
I don't believe I have seen every episode, but I have seen at least half of them. Those that stand out include "Second Time Around", "Promised Land" (supposedly a Thaw favorite), "The Day of the Devil", "The Way Through the Woods", "Death Is Now My Neighbour", and of course the melancholy finale, "The Remorseful Day".
$350 is a considerable sum. One has to wonder if it's worth it to rewatch mysteries. But as I said, there's nothing better than Inspector Morse, so I believe an investment in DVDs is in my future."
A must buy!
History_Girl | Australia | 03/05/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of my favourite series and to be able to purchase the lot all together is perfect.
The quality of the DVDs is excellent and all are presented in the original version which was on TV (so no editing!). A short documentary is also included on the disc.
Inspector Morse and Lewis are the perfect English crime fighting team - but favourite episode is still "The Wench is Dead" from Season 8 - but all episodes are a great way to enjoy an evening."
Disappointing for the Expense
editorbob | Ohio | 01/22/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This attractively packaged and extremely expensive set contains the six previously released "Inspector Morse" collections plus a book full of episode-by-episode details. It should be a pleasure to own, watch, and read. However, the book is rife with egregious typographical errors and mistakes of fact (wrong air dates, for example) and contains almost no episode cast or other production information. It's full of detail on the show's Oxford locations, and if that's all you're interested in then you'll probably be satisfied. As for the DVDs themselves, on my 46" 1080p tv most episodes look like they were shot off a bedsheet in someone's basement direct to a home DVD burner. Definitely NOT a bargain at $430. (Additionally, my set contained two badly mastered/damaged discs, causing me to return it for a refund.) Given this show's enduring popularity, I presume that eventually they'll remaster the original films for a new, improved DVD release. I'll wait."
An cheaper alternative to the region 1 box set
Kwaile | East Asia | 07/16/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This isn't a review as such (I love Morse - enough said), just a (hopefully) helpful tip for anyone who wants to buy this box set but finds the $425 price tag too high: provided you can play region 2/PAL discs, you can get the same entire Morse collection (in different packaging) from amazon.co.uk for under $200. Of course the shipping costs would be higher, but the total would still be a lot less than the US box set.
Hope this is of help to Morse fans in the States!"