Simisola

Starring:George Baker, Christopher Ravenscroft, Jane Lapotaire, George Harris (II), Charon Bourke, Philip Bird, Louie Ramsay, Adrian Martin (IV), Tom Donaldson, Ellen Thomas, Sasha Mitchell (II), Robin Kermode, Idris Elba, Daniel Ilsley, David Doyle, Barrie Shore, Trevor Byfield, Alison Fielding, Razaaq Adoti, Charles Simon (II)
Director: Jim Goddard
Studio: Lance Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Description

Inspector Wexford delves into two harrowing murder cases. Road Rage - a deadly tale of eco-terrorism, out-of-control anger and kidnapping. Simisola - a haunting case of multiple murder and racism.

Simisola

Racism can turn deadly even in a small English town.

Two women are murdered. One is missing. A fourth has been viciously beaten and barely alive. She will provide Chief Inspector Wexford with the key that once turned, will lead him down a path as uncompromising as it is spine-chilling.

Road Rage

A mesmerizing tale of eco-terrorism.

While violent clashes between tree-cutters and protesters escalate, so does the police search for a missing girl. This harrowing case of out-of-control anger, kidnap and murder puts Chief Inspector Wexford to a terrifying test in a desperate race against time.

Customer Reviews:

Simisola: Novel - 1 star, TV - 3 stars; Road Rage: Novel - 3 stars, TV - 3 stars.......2007-03-08

"Simisola," an unvarnished slant on race relations and immigration in England, is a 108,000-word, 120-character police procedural with a novelette-sized core. Serious readers are forced into constant back-referencing to keep tabs on this multitude. But forget the book. Adapted to film by Alan Plater, directed by Jim Goddard, with "dubbing editors" and a film editor, the DVD production staff deserves lots of credit, the adaptation surpassing the novel: Tens-of-thousands of words involving Inspector Rexford's family life and all but 35 credited characters and related irrelevancies are trimmed away to produce the lean 103-minute 1996 TV production whose quality and style is comparable to an average Midsomer Murders TV episode.

If it weren't for Rendell's annoying MO (both in Road Rage and Simisola) of not saying something in 100 words if 300 will do, this reviewer might recommend reading Road Rage in lieu of the 1998 197-minute TV adaptation, the 110,000-word novel being far more cohesive and substantive than Simisola. Yet another police procedural, Road Rage deals with the kidnapping of hostages by a group opposing the environmental and other havoc threatened by a new bypass road. Adapted by George Baker (who also plays Inspector Wexford!), and directed by Bruce MacDonald, much of the book's excess verbiage was trimmed and the cast whittled down to 34 credited characters. Though the essence of the novel is preserved, it's too bad the producers didn't fall back on the proven Plater/Goddard team for the adaptation.

To illustrate: The novel's kidnap holding cell window (boxed-in to obstruct the view and high up on a side-wall) was changed to an open ceiling vent with a clear skyward view, gutting an intriguing clue in the process. Dora accusing her husband of breaking a promise when she learns of a certain event is silly. The role of Andrew Struther and interactions with his parents was changed for no good reason. There are others.

Picture, sound quality (thanks to re-dubbing) and lack of excessive accents (for American audiences, except for a few lesser players) is adequate. The DVD keep-case has an inner leaf, each film having its own DVD.

Road Rage.......2007-02-14

This is part of the Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexford series and as with all Inspector Wexford stories this held me in suspense all through the program. Acting is brilliant, George Baker is marvelous as Wexford as usual. The English scenery is good and Ruth Rendell throws in plenty of red herrings to keep the viewer on the edge of the seat.

Average customer rating:

"You're well known for your great ideas about women."
you can't go wrong!

Simisola - The Ruth Rendell Mystery
Starring: George Baker , Christopher Ravenscroft , Jane Lapotaire , George Harris (II) , and Charon Bourke
Director: Jim Goddard
Manufacturer: Lance Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Ruth Rendell - Road Rage

ASIN: B00008L3X1
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Amazon.com

A particularly gritty and tough episode from Ruth Rendell's Inspector Reg Wexford series, Simisola begins with the bearish Scots detective receiving some good medical news from his Nigerian physician. Unfortunately, Wexford can't do the same when the doctor and his wife report the disappearance of their daughter. Seemingly related murders of two women, and the severe beating of a third, in Wexford's Sussex country town of Kingsmarkham do nothing to clarify what happened to the missing girl and, much to Wexford's dismay, exacerbate racist tensions rumbling beneath the investigation. Actor George Baker, who has been playing the civilized and often unflappable Wexford in television dramas since 1988, is wonderful here, counterpointing the detective's natural politesse with droll asides and clipped impatience with self-important witnesses. Rendell's attack on a loophole in British immigration laws (essentially sanctioning modern slavery) is startling but does not overwhelm Simisola's entertaining police procedural. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

"You're well known for your great ideas about women.".......2004-12-05

In "Simisola" Inspector Wexford is investigating the disappearance of a young black girl of Nigerian descent. She was last seen at an appointment at the local job centre. While investigating her disappearance, a counselor from the job centre is found murdered. Are the two cases related?

This highly entertaining television mystery based on a Ruth Rendall novel will keep you interested from beginning to end. Like all decent mysteries, the story deals with issues that are bigger than just the case under investigation. In "Simisola", the issues under examination are discrimination--racial, class and gender. In the story, there are two sorts of people--the haves and the have-nots. The extremely wealthy dwell in huge mansions, and in one garden party scene, Inspector Wexford expresses his opinion that somehow, this ostentatious display of wealth is wrong. He is uncomfortable around the rich, and it shows. The have-nots in the film can be sorted into two groups--the violent criminal element, and the disenfranchised poor. For this investigation, Inspector Wexford has to enter both worlds--the world of the rich, and they often resent questions, and the world of the poor--the people who often seem anonymous and unimportant. Wexford is a great character. He's an 'old-style' policeman. He never loses his cool, never appears flustered, and clearly his brain works overtime when solving the case. He's a very solid character, and somehow we get the feeling that the case will be solved by his calm tenacity. There are many other great characters here--the flighty and flirty Ingrid, Kim the resentful, unsuitable mother, and the sweet crossing guard whose character shines through adversity. The conclusion of "Simisola" left questions, but overall, the production was satisfying for fans of British television mysteries--displacedhuman

you can't go wrong!.......2003-12-08

a fantastic programme! Wexford has to deal with political correctness and racism in this very gripping movie. He is personally brought into this when his Nigerian doctors' own daughter Melanie disappears off the face of the earth. Her disappearance un-earths a much more disturbing and horrifying custom at work than even he realised in todays modern times.
well worth watching - put the kids to bed at 7.00pm and settle down for the night with this one.

Ruth Rendell Mystery Double Feature (Simisola / Road Rage)

Average customer rating:

Ruth Rendell Mystery Double Feature (Simisola / Road Rage)
Starring: George Baker , Christopher Ravenscroft , Jane Lapotaire , George Harris (II) , and Charon Bourke
Director: Jim Goddard , and Bruce MacDonald (IV)
Manufacturer: Lance Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Last Detective - Series 1
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 1
A Touch of Frost - Seasons 11 & 12
Mystery!: Inspector Lewis
Cracker - Series 2

ASIN: B0002VEYXQ
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Amazon.com

Modernity's classic conflict with the primitive wild is ablaze in Road Rage, an enthralling story of bloodshed in the battle between trees and pavement. Based on a Ruth Rendell novel, the story concerns a protracted fight by pro-environment extremists to stop a road from being built through a forest near Kingsmarkham. Detective Chief Inspector Wexford (George Baker) looks on in dismay as eco-terrorists and local bailiffs beat and maim one another, but he becomes directly involved when a weird series of daytime kidnappings--including the disappearance of his wife, Dora--are linked to a militant group. As police procedurals go, Road Rage is a model of tea-sipping restraint: neither Wexford nor his close colleague, Mike Burden (Christopher Ravenscroft), ever loses his professional demeanor despite personal involvement in the case. Adapted for the screen by Baker, Road Rage is most interesting for its startling counterpoint between criminal monstrosity and heroic decency. --Tom Keogh

Description

Simisola: Racism can turn deadly even in a small English town. Two women are murdered. One is missing. A fourth has been viciously beaten and barely alive. She will provide Chief Inspector Wexford with the a key that once turned, will lead him down a path as uncompromising as it is spine-chilling. Road Rage: A mesmerizing tale of eco-terrorism. While violent clashes between tree-cutters and protesters escalate, so do the police search for a missing girl? This harrowing case of out-of-control anger, kidnap and murder puts Chief Inspector Wexford to a terrifying test in a desperate race against time.

Average customer rating:

"You're well known for your great ideas about women."
you can't go wrong!

Simisola
Starring: George Baker , Christopher Ravenscroft , Jane Lapotaire , George Harris (II) , and Charon Bourke
Director: Jim Goddard
Manufacturer: Lance Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ruth Rendell - Road Rage

ASIN: B000063UQX
Release Date: 2002-05-11

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

"You're well known for your great ideas about women.".......2004-12-05

you can't go wrong!.......2003-12-08

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