Cheap Rumpole of the Bailey - Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD) (Leo Mckern) Price

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Customer Reviews of Rumpole of the Bailey - Seasons 1 & 2

An Excellent Collection
HBO Home Video has done a nice job of presenting the first two Rumpole series in this initial DVD collection. The set contains twelve one-hour episodes (six per series) and the two-hour film, "Rumpole's Return". The picture is sharp overall, particularly in the indoor scenes originally recorded on studio videotape, while the outdoor scenes done on 16 mm film are as well as can be expected (the production values of the Rumpole episodes improved considerably over time. These episodes are from the late 1970s). The DVD menus are good and provide about six scene selections per episode. There are also a few extras, such as bios of John Mortimer and Leo McKern, and some information about the British legal system. I have looked forward to seeing Rumpole on DVD for several years and am pleased with this set overall. Presumably, there will be two more sets like it to complete the Rumpole collection, and I would certainly buy them too. If I could have made a suggestion or two to the people in charge of the packaging, I would have liked to have seen the collection in a hard case rather than a paper one, and I would have tried to find more flattering photos of Rumpole than those used on the outside of the box. Also, the photo used to illustrate the episode "Rumpole and the Younger Generation" is from another episode in which Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown appeared (she was not in the Younger Generation). Otherwise, a good job and I hope to see the other two sets soon.

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"All Rise For This Honorable Court"
There must be a hallowed place in heaven for barristers the likes of Horace Rumpole. A creation of author John Mortimer, Rumpole plies his craft in London's Old Bailey Criminal Court as the barrister of choice for all sorts of wayward characters charged with a variety of sins. An original PBS series from the 1970's, Leo McKern plays the barrister with distinction. The supporting cast includes Rumpole's wife Hilda "affectionately" referred to as "She Who Must Be Obeyed." While Rumpole's firm, i.e. his Chambers, disdains criminal clients, Rumpole, the senior member who yearns for a good cross examination, has made a career for himself toiling away in the Old Bailey.

This boxed set includes the first two seasons of the series in the order in which they were shown making it easy to follow Rumpole's travails in court, in Chambers and in his personal life. There will be a big demand for the remainder of the series to be finally put on DVD after this success.

Rumpole is humorous, irreverent and traditional. Rumpole's character is a tribute to those defense lawyers both in the UK and in the colonies who stand between their clients and the government to ensure that justice is done. While Rumpole would disdain being a role model, this series was the catalyst for so many courtroom dramas on the tube today. I suspect that Rumpole's creator wanted to and did set the bar high for future performances for those who earn a living being and acting as trial lawyers.

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COME ON -- Get the rest of the Series out on DVD!
I bought these for my husband's birthday. We sat right down and watched all the disks over the period of a week. We enjoyed it on PBS, but found the DVDs even better, mainly because we could go back and pick up the dialog that our American ears/brains didn't process the first time through. PLEASE, please get the rest of the series out on DVD for us!