Inspector Morse - Death Is Now My Neighbour | James Grout, John Thaw

Inspector Morse - Death Is Now My Neighbour | James Grout, John Thaw | A Masters in Murder

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Inspector Morse - ...

	Inspector Morse - Death Is Now My Neighbour James Grout, John Thaw Bfs Entertainment, 2003 average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

lust and ambition

This entry in the Morse series is thoroughly entertaining, as it blends elements of unbridled ambition, lechery, blackmail, revenge, and other forms of unprincipled behavior. Essentially, the plot revolves around competition for the candidacy of college master--- a position soon to be reluctantly vacated by the incumbent, Clixby. It is fascinating to watch as one of the main characters (with a homicidal past) resorts to extreme measures (double murders) to ensure that her philandering husband ascends to the master's position. The character of the current master (Clixby) is equally villainous--- seducing a candidate's wife with the false promise that he will ensure her husband's selection as master. One of the more uncharacteristic features of this entry is that Morse actually embarks on a successful romantic relationship. All things considered, this is a splendid mystery, especially since solving the case ultimately hinges on small mistakes by the conspirators (consumption of a regular rather than a diabetic diet). In the final analysis, a certain justice prevails in that none of the main characters escape significant negative consequences.

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A Masters in Murder

Of the 33 entries in the Inspector Morse series this can easily be rated in the top ten. There are so many wonderful episodes making it very difficult to rank them - never the less, I have made an attempt and this one is my number 4. It provides a whacking good plot involving murder, blackmail and sex. Among Morse's dilemmas is his romantic interest, who may be a suspect, whom Morse is secretly hoping is an innocent bystander - she is - and Morse has one of his few successful relationships. There are outbursts from the curmudgeon, but precious little cultural additions to the story for flavor; little opera and no art whatever. However even without the icing the plot is so strong it compensates very nicely. As a bonus after 31 episodes we learn Morse has a first name: "Endeavour." This is vintage Morse, without the topping. If you haven't seen it, make it your next choice

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Death Is Now My Neighbor

I like all of The Inspector Morse programs and this one is no exception.

Eaton is now his producer

The worst thing to happen to the Inspector Morse series was to have Rebecca Eaton of WGBH in Boston come on board to meddle with the production of these superlative series. She has a singularly unique grasp of the superficial that defies any but the best to add depth and subtlety to storytelling. Nearly alone, she justifies cutting the funding for Public Broadcasting.
In nay case, the main crime she perpetrates here is to excise the detail that Morse, in the course of the book, learns that he has diabetes, and in Colin Dexter's hands, the great detective manages to turn sombre news about himself into a key way to solve the mystery of the murders herein, much as he attacks the crosswords or leaves a brilliant clue as to his Christian name. eaton will have none of that subtlety and plays it straight like Angela Lansbury's "Murder, She Wrote."
More's the pity for the cast assembled here deliver an acting performance of consummate skill and finesse. The character, Clixby Beam, is as evil a character as ever encountered in Morse, and he is not the murderer! Whately and Thaw are positively brilliant all the way through. Morse finally manages a successful love affair with Adele Cecil, who will inspire him through these epochal episodes of his career.
There is less of a reference to classical music in this story, except for Adele's tacit preference for Wagner, which pleases Morse terrifically. This was in fact the episode woven with the fabric of Wagner's TRISTAN AND ISOLDE, but to expect Eaton to have picked that up would have been thoroughly unrealistic. She got the point of the importance of PARSIFAL to THE REMORSEFUL DAY, but how could you miss with Dexter's direct references to Hans Knappertsbusch.
Anyway, this is a great story that rises above the interference by an American producer. It is always interesting to observe how the Morse series portrayed the Americans. The shoe fits so compellingly. Adds a bit of irony to how wrong Eaton and her lot missed the subtle details in Dexter's stories and thereby in Morse's thinking.
I'd highly recommend this DVD, as I would all in the series. Certainly television has rarely risen to this standard, and when you consider how empty the bloated calories of current public and commercial TV are these days, this is a drama to be savoured and mulled over for ages.

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Sleuthing out something I saw in this Video

In the scene where the blonde lady whose husband is up for the job and he tells her how VERY important it is to him, as a result of which she consents to the rather distasteful proposal of the horrid little man who apparently has the power to see that her husband gets it, she is wearing a blue sweater of intricate cable design. I want to get a picture of it. this is not my first endeavour (is that really Morse's first name?) but I have had no luck, so while this is perhaps the wrong forum, I am posting it in the hope that someone out there shares my fascination with this pattern and will contact me.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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