Wycliffe series 1
W. C. Sherman | Irwin, PA United States | 05/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"We thoroughly enjoyed this series and are looking forward to more of them. That being said, it should be noted that they done in an hour long format, and therefore move along much more quickly than many of the British mysteries like Morse, Midsomer Murders, Touch of Frost, and the like. Nevertheless, the stories are good, the police team is fun to watch in action, especially as you get to know the characters better, and Cornwall itself makes a stunning location for the series, which is based on the books by W. J. Burley. I thought about marking this down a notch when compared to the quality of Inspector Morse, but we enjoyed it so much that I decided it was worth top marks considered as a different category. Sometimes an hour just hits the spot, and these are well done."
A shade above average
C.A. Arthur | Tacoma, Washington | 10/18/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Series one of Wycliffe does not compel me to purchase series two. The scenery is gorgeous and well photographed, the acting is fine, and the music is beautiful. But the writing is often awkward and the characters in the series are never well defined. Three people, really, are solving murders: Wycliffe, who is a senior policeman, a bearded assistant, and an attractive young policewoman. All we learn about the star of the series is that he is rather pleasant, calm, and intensely irreligious. The entire film "Last Rites" is a particularly shrill attack upon Christianity. The bearded cop is always eating and smoking (Why do we need closeups of his chewing, slurping and lighting up?). The young woman is wooden enough to be featured on a daytime soap opera.
Moreover, there is a total lack of humanity or humor in these films. A coroner seems to enjoy the mutilated and frozen corpses he faces. Wycliffe shouts at a few suspects and grimaces at corpses. There are a few car chases to enliven the programs. Otherwise, all is grim and nasty. Not recommended.
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Needs remastering
Larry Fryer | Salt Lake City, Utah, USA | 07/04/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Really quite a well done show, but images dated and not as clear as would expect today. PLEASE remaster this series--it has a lot of potential."