The Irish R.M. – Series One (British TV)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B
In a nice change of pace for the usually comic and
somewhat over-the-top actor Peter Bowles, who we have enjoyed in everything
from Rumpole Of The Bailey and The Bounder to The Avengers,
gets to try something different as The Irish R.M. from 1982. Here, he is a British gentleman retired from
their Army; he is still not well off financially and decides to take a job as a
Resident Magistrate in Ireland. However,
this Mayor Sinclair Yeates is an honest man, an insecure guy who is willing to
make a new start of it, though has many uncertainties. Bowles is up to the show and a good show it
is.
He is soon in and at work, juggling getting integrated
into a town that does not take him seriously, hoping to build a new future for
himself, hoping to be with a woman he loves despite telling her very upfront he
does not have any way to support her, and learning how different life in
Ireland can be. The episodes in this 2
DVD set, each running about an hour, are:
1) Great
Uncle-McCarthy
2) Trinket’s
Colt
3) A
Misdeal
4) The
Boat’s Share
5) Occasional
Licences
6) “O
Love! O Fire!”
Before I continue, I want to point out that the spelling
of license as “licence” is correct.
Back in 1989, when the James Bond film Licence To Kill came out,
some people made the same mistake. In
the case of that film, not only is the British use correct, but licensing of
products tied to the film also makes it correct. Any site can have spelling errors, but we are not going to make
British spelling American, particularly on the World Wide Web. Any way you spell it, it is as good an
episode as the rest. Robert Chetwyn did
a good directing job and keeps a certain pace and feel throughout that furthers
the narrative and its situations.
Rosemary Ann Sisson did the teleplay adaptations of the Somerville &
Yates’ works. This shows that “quality
TV” can have much life and spark without being too stuffy and restrained. Bowles helps make that possible as the title
character.
The 1.33 X 1 image was shot on either analog PAL video
made to look like film, or more likely 16mm film. Either way, this shows its age, but is nicely shot and has a feel
that offers a side of Ireland that is uncommon for British TV. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound takes the
original monophonic sound and gives it a boost to simple stereo that makes it
clearer and the combination is pleasant to sit through. Extras include a nearly 26 minutes-long
making-of featurette, four Irish food recipes, a text profile of Somerville
& Yates, and cast filmography text.
These are located on DVD1 and is more than you usually get in such sets,
but The Irish R.M. – Series One is that good and worth going out of your
way for.
- Nicholas Sheffo
