Inspector Lynley - A Great Deliverance

Starring:Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Anthony Calf, Amanda Ryan, Emma Fielding, Nicholas Day, Paul Brennen, Rebecca Gallacher, Brendan Coyle, Pooky Quesnel, Cate Hamer, Denise Black, Peter Halliday, Matthew Dunster, Caroline Carver, Colum Convey, Howard Ward, Rob Swinton, Bethany Wysoczanski, June Watson
Director: Richard Laxton
Studio: Wgbh Boston
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
"A decapitation, a traumatized teen, and localized police corruption," a superior tells Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard. "A good result is important for all of us." The result is very good indeed, as Elizabeth George's gripping bestseller is given the grand PBS treatment. Originally broadcast on Mystery!, this production marked the long-running series' first adaptation of a whodunit written by an American. Nathaniel Parker stars as Lynley, the Oxford-educated detective (and the eighth earl of Asherton, no less). Sharon Small costars as his very reluctant partner, Sgt. Barbara Havers, a working-class cop who considers Lynley "an arrogant aristocratic ponce." Their relationship is at the heart of a baffling case involving the grisly ax murder of farmer William Tey. At the scene of the horrific crime is Tey's 16-year-old daughter, dressed in her bloodied Sunday best, and unable (or unwilling) to speak. While sorting out the clues and suspects (including a runaway wife and daughter, and a nephew poised to inherit the farm), Lynley and Havers are bedeviled by their own personal dramas (his best friend has married the woman he loves, and she struggles to take care of her senile mother). Havers, who initially has a sizable chip on her shoulder, remarks early on that maybe her new assignment is her boss's idea of a joke. "Maybe," Lynley offers, "he thought we'd make a good team." How right he is. --Donald Liebenson
Description
Talk about a puzzling case. Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard (Nathaniel Parker, Far from the Maddding Crowd) is assigned to investigate the gruesome murder of a farmer in a seemingly peaceful country village, but it's his new partner, Sgt. Barbara Havers (Sharon Small, About a Boy), whom he's finding indecipherable. Havers is as gritty, rumpled, and working-class as the Inspector is refined, well-heeled, and sophisticated.

Is the murderer the farmer's shy daughter who was found next to her father's decapitated corpse? The nephew who stands to inherit the farm? The estranged wife who's protecting her new family from an unsightly past? Or is it a suspicious village resident with a shady past and a weak alibi?

Based on the best-selling mystery by Elizabeth George, A Great Deliverance introduces Inspector Lynley with first-rate performances and abundant amounts of nail-biting suspense.

Special DVD features include: virtual tour of the Mystery! studio; Q&A with Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small; selected cast filmographies; selected cast list; biography for Diana Rigg, host of Mystery!; bibliography for Elizabeth George; selected cast list; link to the Mystery! Web site; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

Amazon.com

"A decapitation, a traumatized teen, and localized police corruption," a superior tells Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard. "A good result is important for all of us." The result is very good indeed, as Elizabeth George's gripping bestseller is given the grand PBS treatment. Originally broadcast on Mystery!, this production marked the long-running series' first adaptation of a whodunit written by an American. Nathaniel Parker stars as Lynley, the Oxford-educated detective (and the eighth earl of Asherton, no less). Sharon Small costars as his very reluctant partner, Sgt. Barbara Havers, a working-class cop who considers Lynley "an arrogant aristocratic ponce." Their relationship is at the heart of a baffling case involving the grisly ax murder of farmer William Tey. At the scene of the horrific crime is Tey's 16-year-old daughter, dressed in her bloodied Sunday best, and unable (or unwilling) to speak. While sorting out the clues and suspects (including a runaway wife and daughter, and a nephew poised to inherit the farm), Lynley and Havers are bedeviled by their own personal dramas (his best friend has married the woman he loves, and she struggles to take care of her senile mother). Havers, who initially has a sizable chip on her shoulder, remarks early on that maybe her new assignment is her boss's idea of a joke. "Maybe," Lynley offers, "he thought we'd make a good team." How right he is. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Talk about a puzzling case. Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard (Nathaniel Parker, Far from the Maddding Crowd) is assigned to investigate the gruesome murder of a farmer in a seemingly peaceful country village, but it's his new partner, Sgt. Barbara Havers (Sharon Small, About a Boy), whom he's finding indecipherable. Havers is as gritty, rumpled, and working-class as the Inspector is refined, well-heeled, and sophisticated.

Based on the best-selling mystery by Elizabeth George, A Great Deliverance introduces Inspector Lynley with first-rate performances and abundant amounts of nail-biting suspense.

On one DVD9 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.

Customer Reviews:

I am a fan!.......2007-04-10

I had watched the series on TV but had missed the pilot.
I never knew that there was so much murder and mayhem in
London and the English countryside.

great dvd.......2007-03-22

it's a great beginning to the lynley mysteries.....havers and lynley make a great team...ithey really belong together, even though he is rich and she is not...i am tired of investing myself in these movies or shows where the lead characters do not get together in the end....

Inspector Lynley-A Great Deliverance.......2006-11-06

"A Great Deliverance" is in a series of British mysteries genre which she explains is similar to Agatha Christie novels and much like a good crossword puzzle.

Fantastic Adaptation.......2006-07-30

This was an excellent movie. It stayed very true to the book. The English countryside was a perfect backdrop for this mystery. I think Elizabeth George is a wonderful author, and I am very excited that her novels are now movies. I highly recommend this movie. I would, however, recommend you read the book first. The experience will then be even more enjoyable.

Clash of classes.......2006-03-09

They come from different worlds, they bicker and they fight but they're great together. Grit, class and murder...and a hint of romance. Above all, a great mystery.

Inspector Lynley - Great Deliverance 1-2

Average customer rating:

Beware: Addictive!
Caveat Emptor - duplicate titles
Bah Humbug!

Inspector Lynley - Great Deliverance 1-2
Starring: Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Manufacturer: Wgbh Boston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

WGBH Boston | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries - Set 3
Inspector Lynley Mysteries - Set 4
Foyle's War - Set 3
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: Series 3 & 4
A Touch of Frost - Season 1

ASIN: B0002XVRT8
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Description

The gruesome murder of a country farmer is a puzzling case, but it's Inspector Lynley's new partner, Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small, About a Boy), who's proving indecipherable. Despite being mirror opposites, this marriage made at police headquarters must thrive in order to solve a heinous crime. Based on the best-selling mystery by Elizabeth George, A Great Deliverance introduces Inspector Thomas Lynley (Nathaniel Parker, Far from the Maddding Crowd) with first-rate performances and abundant amounts of nail-biting suspense. Then, Inspector Lynley and Srgt. Havers, the most celebrated British detective duo in years, return, employing cunning, intuition, and street smarts to unravel some of the most heinous—and suspenseful—crimes. Despite their obvious differences, the sleuths are evolving into a potent team, deciphering four more tantalizing mysteries:Well-Schooled In Murder, Payment in Blood, For The Sake Of Elena, and Missing Joseph. And finally, Nathaniel Parker returns as Inspector Lynley, in the latest series of mysteries, Playing for the Ashes, In the Presence of the Enemy, A Suitable Vengeance, and Deception on His Mind.

Special DVD features include: virtual tour of the Mystery! studio; Q&A with Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small; selected cast filmographies; selected cast list; biography for Diana Rigg, host of Mystery!; bibliography for Elizabeth George; selected cast list; link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On five DVD9 discs and four DVD5 discs. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: letterboxed.

Customer Reviews:

Beware: Addictive!.......2006-03-25

I purchased this set knowing nothing about the series. Over the course of two semi-sleepless nights, I viewed 15 hours of Detective Lynley and his partner, Detective Havers. Normally, I don't forego sleep to view DVDs, but after watching the series pilot, The Great Deliverance, I was hooked!

Each episode is 90 minutes long, a movie unto itself. There are always oodles of suspects and the interplay between Lynley and Havers makes for compelling entertainment.

Be forewarned, if you wish to experience sleep deprivation, this series is for you. Or, with restraint, you may have 90 minute interludes with Lynley and Havers, over a period of nine nights.

Caveat Emptor - duplicate titles.......2004-12-08

5 stars for the product
1 stars for the product information on the site. I had to go to another place altogether to find out the information I needed to make an informed decision.

Nowhere in the product description (at Amazon) does it tell you all the episodes included in this set, which are:

A Great Deliverance, Well-Schooled In Murder, Payment in Blood, For The Sake Of Elena, Missing Joseph, Playing for the Ashes, In the Presence of the Enemy, A Suitable Vengeance, and Deception on His Mind.

FYI, these titles are also contained in other sets:
A Great Deliverance
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 2

Bah Humbug!.......2004-10-03

Having already purchased set 1 and about to purchase set 2, I am distressed to see that a complete(?) set will come out in November. As of October 3rd, there are no posted details on Amazon, except that it will contain Great Deliverance, consist of 9 DVDs and play for 900 minutes. This appears to be set 1 & 2 plus Great Deliverance. Judging by the price, I feel that once again, I am being penalized for buying too early.

Strangely, as of 10/3/04, Amazon is listing three separate DVDs from set 2 - basically released within the same month. What is the point of so many options in a series that only has 9 episodes?

I am increasingly irritated by the artificial packaging of British shows in "series" of 4 episodes. Even though each show is often less than 90 minutes, the packages are always one episode per DVD. The list price looks good if you count the DVDs, but the cost per hour is often higher than that of recent movies. When one considers the age of some of these series, the word exploitation comes to mind.

A worse case is the Morse series, which can only be purchased in single episodes on Amazon. Many of these shows are very old. Anyone wishing to buy them all would pay a small fortune. Inevitably, they will be repackaged and many people will buy the sets, even though they will include episodes already purchased.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Blondes Have More Guns

Favourite Classic Tales : DVD

The Birthday Party [1968]

DVD: Twisted Justice

Beau Travail