DVD : The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Death at the Opera / The Rising of the Moon / Laurels Are Poison / The Worsted Viper
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9781593751227
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC
ISBN: 1593751222
Label: WGBH BOSTON
Manufacturer: WGBH BOSTON
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: WGBH BOSTON
Region Code: 1
Release Date: November 25, 2003
Running Time: 240 minutes
Sales Rank: 32342
Studio: WGBH BOSTON
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
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Editorial Review:
Description:
Emmy® Award-winner Diana Rigg (Rebecca, The Avengers) portrays the glamorous and outspoken Mrs. Adela Bradley, a well-traveled, well-appointed, oft-liaisoned divorcée who dabbles in psychoanalysis, toxicology, pre-feminism, and murder investigations. Assisted by her devoted chauffeur and confidant George Moody (Neil Dudgeon), Mrs. Bradley solves the most complicated crimes with a sly combination of charm, intelligence, and wit. In this set of four scintillating mysteries, she gets the lowdown on the upper crust—much to the bemusement of Police Inspector Christmas (Peter Davison). Based on the novels by Gladys Mitchell, The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries take you back to high-mannered 1920s England, complete with the glamorous costumes, lavish cars, and hot jazz music of the Roaring Twenties.
Death at the Opera While visiting her alma mater, Mrs. Bradley unravels the murder of a teacher and discovers that the foundation of this finishing school for young ladies is as improper as it is secretive.
Rising of the Moon A traveling circus comes to town—but not to everyone's delight. When the knife-thrower's assistant is found murdered, Mrs. Bradley must win the cooperation of the troupe and the locals before another victim goes to the big top in the sky.
Laurels Are Poison Mrs. Bradley visits an old friend living in a supposedly haunted house where the tragedies of war have left nearly everyone haunted by ghosts of the past—even George, her chauffeur.
The Worsted Viper While visiting a quaint coastal resort town, Mrs. Bradley attends the wedding of George's daughter. But after a series of ritualistic murders, she finds herself strangely reminded of her very first case.
Special DVD features include: virtual tour of the Mystery! studio; selected filmographies; selected cast list; biography for Diana Rigg, star of Mrs. Bradley and host of Mystery!; link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.
On two DVD5 discs. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.
Amazon.com:
Diana Riggs glides through The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries like a true grand dame. Set in 1920s England, this mystery series wallows in swank cars, jaunty tunes, well-cut clothes, and extravagant hats--and every so often, Riggs turns to the camera and delivers sardonic observations with a wicked purr. Aided by her chauffer George Moody (Neil Dudgeon), scandalous divorcée Mrs. Bradley (Riggs) solves murders with her keen observations and psychological insight (along with a little pickpocketing and genteel extortion).
Saucy storylines abound: Death at the Opera mixes lesbianism at a girls' school with a bread-slicing machine; The Rising of the Moon features knife-throwers, dwarves, and a hall of mirrors; in Laurels are Poison, ghosts kill with poison-tipped arrows; and in The Worsted Viper, the revival of an ancient virgin-sacrificing cult threatens Moody's own daughter. The mysteries are more stylish than fair in their presentation of clues; anyone looking for a puzzle to solve will be frustrated as crucial information is withheld until after Mrs. Bradley has brought the villain to justice. But the heart of the show is the delightful rapport between Rigg and Dudgeon, which will win over any fan of British mysteries. --Bret Fetzer
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
A disappointing sequel to The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries - Speedy Death. The story lines themselves are good enough but no eye candy here. No gorgeous English castles/manors or inspiring costumes to feast your eyes on. Left me rather flat.
Rating:  -
The setting is nice - and that's about it! A waste of time an monney ...
Rating:  -
I fell in love with Diana Rigg's portrayal of Adela Bradley, and Neil Dudgeon as George Moody the chauffeur. The casting could not have been any better.
I loved the time and places - set in the roaring 20's of England. The clothing, the sets and decor, the cars and characters, countryside and small towns, and of course the mysterious murders. It's all good fun, and with Mrs. Bradley's occasional glance in our direction, we feel part of her world. There are some very light, tongue-in-cheek moments, but we are also invited into a painful piece of George's past, and indeed we see what a good friend Adela can be.
It is very hard for me to be satisfied with one set - I enjoy these characters so very much that I want more. Clearly labeled "series 1", the powers-that-be must have had plans for at least one more season. I'm curious to know the mystery behind why that didn't pan out. A few years have passed since these were created so I am assuming, with much chagrin, that there will not be more.
So we have to savor series 1 and the single-episode dvd "Speedy Death" all the more. I watch them over and over and over. I highly recommend these DVD's.
Rating: -
Any woman who, upon realizing that she's being checked out by the opposite sex, cannot make up her mind as to whether he is "vaguely fascinating or fascinatingly vague" deserves hats-off. I have found the delightful Mrs. Bradley as my favorite amateur sleuth after Ms. Marple and the utterly humorous Hercule Poirot. "The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries" stars the very charming Diana Rigg (of "The Avengers" fame) in the role of Mrs. Bradley, and Neil Dudgeon as her ever-solicitous servant George Moody. A rich divorcée who travels in her own Rolls Royce, writes books about the psychological aspects of crime, and has her own chauffeur as her nemesis.
This second set in the series brings us "Death at the Opera", "The Rising of the Moon", "Laurels are poison" and "The worsted viper". In the first one, Mrs. Bradley goes back to her "finishing school" - "a place where girls go to be finished, literally, if they believe everything they're taught here" to paraphrase Mrs. Bradley's own words. The school's art teacher dies during the rather bore some performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado". A premature diagnosis by the school's Headmaster proposes it to be a heart attack, but the discovery of scratches on the back of the door tell Mrs. Bradley there's foul play involved. She appears to easily go along with the school Headmaster's desire of not calling in the Police until a second death happens. This is where Inspector Henry Christmas makes his entrance into Mrs. Bradley's ... Read More
Rating: -
As the heading indicates, I couldn't stand this series. I bought it despite the indications that it probably wasn't popular when new: just a handful of episodes, and a writer I'd never heard of (I love mysteries of all kinds).
Despite the attention to detail in the 1920s setting, this show has almost nothing to recommend it. Peter Davison does the best acting possible with such a frankly impossible police detective---his slightly flirty appreciation of Mrs. Bradley and his eager desire for her help are equally implausible; and Diana Rigg's role has her showcasing cattiness without charm. The solution to the first episode was a complete cop-out, relying on a cheap gimmick. Everything fits together like Lego, Mrs. Bradley doesn't sleuth but rather swans about rooms, and none of it is the least bit true to life.
But dwarfing these criticisms is the wholly unsympathetic depiction of the inhabitants of this 1920s world: the writer sees everyone except her amazingly postmodern heroine and sidekicks as psychologically warped. She pours scorn on everyone through sniping dialogue that is put in Diana Rigg's mouth, as well by making the surrounding characters parrot absurd statements---all to show in loud capital letters that THE BOURGEOISIE STINKS. This thread of nastiness runs through the two programs I watched, until I finally gave up in disgust. The last straw was when I watched as Diana's character entered a village shop and talked briefly to the female ... Read More
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