Search - Inspector Morse - The Settling of the Sun on DVD

"I'm all for education--broadening the minds of foreigners."

Mary Whipple | New England | 03/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dramatic and impressionistic opening scenes immediately capture the viewer's interest and involve him/her in dark mysteries. As opera plays in the background, Morse holds a program for an art show of "Images of Christ from Giotto to Dali, an aged cleric displays bleeding stigmata on his hands, and an Asian in a bamboo grove either kills or is killed. One of the most interestingly photographed of all the episodes, the Settling of the Sun is a feast for the eyes even as it reveals some darkly cynical attitudes at Oxford.

During an Oxford summer program for international students, a young Japanese man, Yukio Li, is found dead, his body laid out in a ritual pose. Several characters who have memories of World War II still have nightmares about the war, and they reveal their hatred of the Japanese because of wartime atrocities against British soldiers. As Morse begins to investigate the death of the student (referred to constantly as "the Japanese," rather than by his name), he finds that many characters are not who they seem to be, that some Asians are look-alikes for others, that some characters are secretly related to each other, and that Yukio Li may have been a drug smuggler, all elements which make this one of the less realistic, more melodramatic episodes in the series. The involvement of the foreign office suggests international intrigue, and a foreign service officer wants Morse off the case.

Other characters include a neurasthenic young female professor (for whom the viewer will feel no empathy), expounding anti-American sentiment for what she regards as American protection of Japanese war criminals; a second murder; and a patronizing attitude toward international students shown by all the principals.

Though the plot has problems, this episode is especially interesting because of the cinematography by Clive Tickner and the direction by Peter Hammond. Again and again, brilliant scenes capture the viewer's interest. Frequently, reflections in windows create an impressionistic vision of inside and outside activity, dripping water appears as a symbol throughout (water torture?), and the use of color, especially blood-red, adds depth to the presentation and visual interest to a plot that is too complex and full of coincidences to be plausible. Depicting a dark vision of humanity (and showing many of Oxford's staff in a less-than-admirable light), the Settling of the Sun is so magnificently photographed that anyone interested in the visual arts will be thrilled by this episode. n Mary Whipple
"