Richard Laxton

“And you know what I would say? The world can wait.” — Lynley to Havers in a poignant moment from “In the Blink of an Eye.”

This series was intelligent and entertaining, and one of my all-time favorites in the history of television. It finally and unfortunately ended, despite a vigorous campaign to save it. This boxed set covers everything from the initial “A Great Deliverance” through the final episode. For those who have never seen it, it is like finding a diamond among rocks. And for those who looked forward to seeing Lynley and Havers each season more than anyone else on television, it is the perfect opportunity to look back and remember why we fell in love with this BBC show that became a staple of PBS’s Mystery.

Nathaniel Parker as Lynley and Sharon Small as Havers were perfect for their roles. The Inspector Lynley series was smart and atmospheric, Debbie Wiseman’s opening music setting the tone for each intriguing installment. Based on Elizabeth George’s characters, the BBC show grew and matured well beyond the books. While this frustrated some, it delighted audiences not as enamored of the books. The dashing Lynley was originally paired with Havers due to politics, and because it was taken for granted he would not be distracted by her in a romantic way. He was Oxford and she was from the other side of life.

The clashes that came in the first two seasons due to those differences became less important as the two quickly found there was more to each other than their reputations. They proved a great team and became quite close, their deep friendship and affection for each other rarely dwelled upon but always there beneath the surface. By season three when personal crisis hit both of them hard, it was each other to which they clung.

By season five the series had become more than the sum of its parts. Havers had softened some over time and Lynley had become more accessible; each due to the influence of the other. Season five began with Lynley suspended pending an inquiry into brutality charges, in “Natural Causes.” Barbara had been paired with a very pregnant D.I. not warmed one bit by Lynley’s manner. He believes she is overlooking promising leads and ingratiates himself into the investigation. The episode provided some fun for fans of the show as towards the conclusion, Barbara is the acting D.I. and Lynley must do her bidding.

The final episode of season five would provide one of the most poignant moments in the entire series. “In the Blink of an Eye” had a murder in Soho tied to horrific crimes in Bosnia. Catherine Russell portrayed Lynley’s beloved Helen by season five and it would be her involvement in the case which would bring about events so tragic and unforeseen that they would send our favorite Inspector to the bottom of bottle.

Havers and an old case would help Lynley crawl back among the living once again in season six. In “Limbo,” first aired in Australia, the remains of Lynley’s Godson are discovered twelve years after he was reported missing. Lynley becomes deeply involved with the deceased’s sister and will himself become the prime suspect in a second murder. In “Know Thine Enemy” a young schoolgirl kills herself to escape captivity and Lynley and Havers try to find another before tragedy strikes twice.

Parker and Small sparkled in their roles, giving carefully nuanced performances in mysteries both intelligent and entertaining. Fans of quality television and especially mystery lovers will find a bonanza in these 23 installments starring Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small as Lynley and Havers. Fans truly cherished this show as much as Lynley did his cars, especially his Bristol. Included in this wonderful boxed set for fans is:

A Great Deliverance — SEASON ONE / Well-Schooled in Murder — Payment in Blood — For the Sake of Elena — Missing Joseph SEASON TWO / Playing for the Ashes — In the Presence of the Enemy — A Suitable Vengeance — Deception on His Mind SEASON THREE / In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner — A Traitor to Memory — A Cry for Justice — If Wishes Were Horses SEASON FOUR / In Divine Proportion — In the Guise of Death — The Seed of Cunning — The Word of God SEASON FIVE — Natural Causes — One Guilty Deed — Chinese Walls — In the Blink of an Eye SEASON SIX / Limbo — Known Thine Enemy… (plus d'informations)

Effie Gray. wife of famed (and in this movie, fanatically narcissistic) John Ruskin, has had her inner light suppressed by the cold remoteness of her illustrious husband and his family.

Lugubrious is word that hardly begins to describe the dark, desultry production values of this movie - intended to show Effie's withdrawal and despair. However, the movie would have been better served by a little acting on Dakota Fanning's part.

Instead she plays the entire movie on one totally affect-free note.

Emma Thompson has only a small part as Lady Eastlake, an art patroness, whose role in the movie is limited to witnessing and commenting on Effy's despair at various intervals. Yet she manages to inhabit the role fully with her own personal radiance. With her richness of character and perspicacity versus Dakota Fanning's catatonic performance, it's hard to see why she takes such an interest in the girl. Pity? Maybe, but there is a clear declaration that she see's wit and beauty in Effie. Maybe that's what the script says, but there isn't even the faintest glimmer of an inner life to suggest such a thing.

Playing a soul that has been tamped down and bound is not easy. But it's possible. We just don't see it in this movie

Instead, the director depends on lighting. In fact, the only scenes that aren't drearily lit are when Effie is allowed a glimpse of freedom outside her husband's control - in Venice and in Scotland.

To Dakota Fanning's credit, she does a remarkable job of allowing a hint of her inner pleasure to timidly bloom on her face as she realizes that she has finally escaped her prison.

I just wish we could have seen less gloomy lighting and more of Effie's inner life flitting just below the surface. It would have made a much more engaging movie.

Note: Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay but didn't produce the movie. Perhaps earlier scenes showing Effie's decline were cut? Maybe even one where Lady Eastlake meets Effie before her decline? One could only wish that she had had more creative control. It might have been a very different movie.

Cameos from James Fox, Robbie Coltrane and Derek Jacobi are all wonderful.… (plus d'informations)