Dr Jacques COULARDEAU This series is interesting for many reasons. First of all, it is well done in a real setting, with a real abbey church and abbey, Shrewsbury Abbey, real stone and not plywood. The costumes and the quality of life in this twelfth century England are credible. The mud and the dirt are constantly present. The medicine of the time and the agriculture of the time are also in many ways true to what it was. The Benedictines are often called the engineers of the Middle Ages, and they were. A quick look in one episode on the scriptorium is probably not enough about that intellectual and technological importance of the order. They saved the libraries and the knowledge of the Roman Empire and brought it out when needed, particularly starting in the tenth century to develop the green revolution and later on the proto-industrial revolution centered on water mills, a Roman invention that the Romans did not use since they had slaves. The think that is missing though is the fact that this evolution was based on the religious reform of the 9th century that imposed the fifty two Sundays as days without work, plus the three religious festivities, Nativity, Passion and Assumption, altogether seventy- five days without human work. You can imagine how important it was to invent the horse collar, crop rotation, fertilizing, and these water mills that replaced so many men and women, even children, making the dream of a society centered on religion and without slaves a possible dream. We do not see these realities and these events enough.It is interesting too because many episodes are on the background of a civil war between a king and some rebels. King Stephen reigned from 1135 to 1154. This civil war connected with Wales as for the rebels is depicted as violent, brutal and absolutely unreliable. The monks were supposed to be neutral and at the same time supporting the King. Complicated. It is surprising though that the religious status they had was too often enough to protect them against the villains on either side. But this civil war was only an event that enabled the suspense to work in the episodes.The main interest is of course in the mysteries and crimes that happen in this context. Brother Cadfael is an ex-crusader who came back and did not hold his promise to go back to the woman he left waiting behind. Instead he joined the Benedictine order. But he developed a vast knowledge on plants and cures for many ailments and his mind was also very speculative about the motivations of people and he was often called upon to investigate this or that strange situation with one or two dead people. He is of course very innovative, and yet we know that these Benedictines were very clever as for disentangling some complicated situation. We of course think of "The Name of the Rose."The murders, or at times mysterious deaths, were always dealt with in a modern way and the solution is never really what we expect. The director and the author play on our nerves and let us believe we know, though at times this piece of truth is so obvious that we know they want us to think we know, and the last twist reveals that we were wrong all along, just like Cadfael actually. That makes the stories interesting just at that level and the Crime Scene Investigation is always rich and tricky.For all these reasons I think this series should satisfy many people who want to be titillated with mystery, crime and a spiritual dimension which is at times perverse but most of the time just real. Some of the monks are real obnoxious people, selfish, self-centered, frankly racist or segregationist. But some others are full of compassion and patience and they are those who carry the day in the end.Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU

whpratt1 Enjoyed this series of "Cadfael" which ran on TV in 1994 about a monk named Brother Cadfael,(Derek Jacobi) who gives Spiritual help and heals the wounded and sick and also is a detective who delves into the human soul and manages to get criminals and evil people to either turn over a new way of living or just face their punishment and be hanged or sent to prison. In one of these TV Series,"The Devil's Novice" a young man decides to enter the monastery and become a monk and he is questioned about why he wants to become a monk and at night he seems to have nightmares and starts screaming and causing all kinds of problems which make the monks think he is possessed by the Devil. However, it turns out that this young man was in love with his brother's girl-friend and his heart was broken and his father suggested he go immediately to the monastery and become a monk. Brother Cadfael searches this young man's heart and soul and finds very dark deep secrets which involves many other people in his family.

Anne-Marie Caluwaert (anmariec) I know that due to the 'translation' from book to TV series some things may have got 'cut'! Especially as the creator of Cadfael was should a good and talented writer... should great writing can't just be carried over on the thin silver screen of our TV sets! So I rather watch the series on his own merits - and let be honest - it's a great series. Not many other series can match the quality of this one. The scenes, the costumes, the actors... it all fitted. They really should have done more episodes. Derek is really a great actor - and in Cadfael he once more shows it! The way he moves, walks and reacted on events - findings and other characters lines is really first class. This is mirrored by the quality acting of the other cast members. Terrence is Abbot Radulfus - Michael is Prior Robert - beside that it was for me nice to see them both in one series again. As both actors did should a wonderful job playing German officers in another great British series Secret Army (1970s) about the Belgian resistance during World War Two. Perhaps the changing 'face' of the Hugh could be for some viewers a problem. For me it wasn't. All three of them created their version of Hugh - Cadfael's friend and local Sheriff. I know a lot of them liked the 'first' actor who played the character but I must say I have grown to like Eoin McCarthy the second sheriff (Virgin in the Ice etc.) for some reason he seemed 'closer' to Cadfael... Eoin showed more the closeness both character have - especially if you watch him in the episode A Raven in the Foregate.

jack-260 there's no ballot. I'd give the series a 9-of-10 mark. Jacobi is perfect as the solver of mysteries. I'd like to kick Brother Jerome in the shins, so that actor must have done an excellent job playing his part as well. Of the 3 sheriffs, I prefer the premier season's man. The others don't quite measure up. I have seen 10 of the videos released from the series so far...am still trying to locate those from the 3rd set.