I am really not certain of what some others find confounding about this episode. Yes, Morse is perhaps overfond of women and drink. Yet I find him to be sympathetic both in spite and in part because of his struggles, and I think only a prude would dismiss him as a bad person. It's certainly undeniable that Morse's love interests sometimes cloud his mind-- this, too, I find to be incredibly human, as it sometimes very frustratingly hinders his clearly adroit mind.
The film features wonderfully atmospheric visuals courtesy of director Peter Hammond: lots of reflection shots (e.g. mirrors and windows) and unusually vivid lighting on actors' faces, serving to heighten character and suspense. Hammond's style may or may not be to your liking. I can only say that it is largely to mine, which is just as well since it *is* pretty difficult to overlook. It is used to great effect, however, in the church that is one of the main settings of the episode, with its stained glass and imagery of the passion, as well as the undeniably spooky crypt.
Based on the novel by Colin Dexter, the screenplay is pretty tight and the acting uniformly excellent, with especially valuable work by John Normington as Rev. Pawlen and Angela Morant as Ruth, Morse's understated and tragic love interest. Look out also for a short guest appearance by the late, wonderful Sir Michael Hordern, who brings a few of the only lighthearted moments in an episode that is admittedly unusual dark and challenging.
Along with the episode's difficult themes and intense moments, some reviewers have questioned its plausibility. Why single out this episode, I'm not sure, but remember it was televised in 1987, adapted faithfully from a novel published in 1979. Forensic science was not then what it is now. Interestingly, there have been notable cases of people, for various reasons, faking their own murders. Most of these involve burning or disfiguring the body of the real victim so badly as to make impossible to identify him or her by sight--which, in fact, was included in the novel but is one of the few elements to be glossed over in the adaptation.
What probably should have happened, if anything, was for the detectives to realize through forensic analysis, at some point prior to the denouement, that the initial body was not that of Harry Josephs. Suspension of belief notwithstanding, I do still find this story rather compelling--and with the production values consistently elevated, I must say that I don't quite understand the negative responses from some others.
The film features wonderfully atmospheric visuals courtesy of director Peter Hammond: lots of reflection shots (e.g. mirrors and windows) and unusually vivid lighting on actors' faces, serving to heighten character and suspense. Hammond's style may or may not be to your liking. I can only say that it is largely to mine, which is just as well since it *is* pretty difficult to overlook. It is used to great effect, however, in the church that is one of the main settings of the episode, with its stained glass and imagery of the passion, as well as the undeniably spooky crypt.
Based on the novel by Colin Dexter, the screenplay is pretty tight and the acting uniformly excellent, with especially valuable work by John Normington as Rev. Pawlen and Angela Morant as Ruth, Morse's understated and tragic love interest. Look out also for a short guest appearance by the late, wonderful Sir Michael Hordern, who brings a few of the only lighthearted moments in an episode that is admittedly unusual dark and challenging.
Along with the episode's difficult themes and intense moments, some reviewers have questioned its plausibility. Why single out this episode, I'm not sure, but remember it was televised in 1987, adapted faithfully from a novel published in 1979. Forensic science was not then what it is now. Interestingly, there have been notable cases of people, for various reasons, faking their own murders. Most of these involve burning or disfiguring the body of the real victim so badly as to make impossible to identify him or her by sight--which, in fact, was included in the novel but is one of the few elements to be glossed over in the adaptation.
What probably should have happened, if anything, was for the detectives to realize through forensic analysis, at some point prior to the denouement, that the initial body was not that of Harry Josephs. Suspension of belief notwithstanding, I do still find this story rather compelling--and with the production values consistently elevated, I must say that I don't quite understand the negative responses from some others.