CD Review

Audio/Video/CD Review

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Rumpole Returns Again,

This Time on DVD

RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY: At last the early episodes of “Rumpole of the Bailey” are on the DVD format, thanks to HBO. Here we have the first two (1978-1980) seasons (and in Great Britain, a “season” means 6 episodes) of that wonderful legal sleuthing with more than just a touch of humor that makes us all the more regret the recent passing of its star, Leo McKern. There is on the fourth DVD a terrific bonus, the feature-length (114 min.) episode called “Rumpole’s Return,” in which his retirement in Florida (!) is cut short by a London-based crime that features blood stains.

The 12 other episodes, all starting with the words “Rumpole and the ...” are in order “Younger Generation,” “Alternative Society,” “Honourable Member,” “Married Lady,” “Learned Friends,” “Heavy Brigade,” “Man of God,” “Case of Identity,” “Show Folk,” “Fascist Beast,” “Course of True Love,” and “Age for Retirement.”

Almost all of these John Mortimer plots are quite clever, always weaving in a subplot in Rumpole’s own life to underscore the issues involved in the case being tried in court. As for the most unusual twist, it is in the “Fascist Beast” where Rumpole turns his insistence on never pleading guilty inside out—but I must not reveal how.

Most of the fun comes from McKern’s perfect characterization of the old-school Rumpole, forever quoting Shakespeare and Wordsworth, forever muttering what he thinks of his draconian wife Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed, played in these episodes by Peggy Thorpe-Bates) and even more draconian judges on the bench (the worst of whom is Judge Bullingham, played mumblingly by Bill Fraser), and then covering up with a phrase that rhymes with what he really said.

The supporting cast is almost legendary. We have the foot-in-mouth Head of Chambers, Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles), his socially ambitious wife Marigold (Joanna Van Gyseghem), the opera and female loving Claude Erskine-Brown (Julian Curry), the beauteous “Portia of our chambers” Phyllida Trant (who becomes Mrs. Erskine-Brown, played by Patricia Hodge), and the large “family of villains” the Timsons (played by too many to list here). Although I have seen most of the last four seasons many times, I still laugh at the humor as I do with “Are You Being Served” and “Fawlty Towers.” But, mind you, these are far more believable characters, even if some are more “types” than fully rounded humans.

Now HBO has been very generous in their packaging. The first three DVDs hold four full episodes, the last holding the longer episode and some “extras” in printed format: information about the Rumpole stories, biographies of Mortimer and McKern, and (most welcome) a glossary of British legal terms. What I do miss is an insert with the cast listings. Very often you will fall into the “what actor is that?” syndrome and either have to skip ahead to the credits or be patient until they come.

Technically, there is a strange matter of how each disc will affect your readout. On my player, if I let the DVD take care of itself, it will start at the first episode and my readout will say PLAY all through. If I hit MENU and choose to play all the episodes, my timer will show the time from the beginning of the first through the end of the last. But if you choose SELECT EPISODE, you will just see PLAY. Most other multi-episode DVDs such as “The Avengers” from A&E start with a new time for each selection. I wonder why HBO chose such a strange arrangement.

But no matter what your LED readout tells you, what is on the screen will amuse you through countless viewings. Grab this one for sure!

POSSESSION: Turning for a moment to the Big Screen, I don’t have a clue as to what the film “Possession” is about, but I must say that while I almost always dislike film soundtrack scores divorced from the visual aspect, I found the Gabriel Yared music extremely restful. It is reminiscent of Debussy here, Ravel there, even a touch of Delius. Granted that I felt most tracks were fairly indistinguishable from the others, the effect of the whole was rather pleasant. I think I will keep this one to play for mood music. The opening track, by the way, features a tenor I like, Jose Vargas. You might enjoy this unpretentious CD from RCA Victor (09026-63882-2) very much.

— FRANK BEHRENS