Search - Kavanagh QC, Set 1 on DVD

Kavanagh is not Morse, but you'll love this series just the

Mary Whipple | New England | 08/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Actor John Thaw, who as Inspector Morse made that series one of the most popular TV mystery series ever filmed, began work in the Kavanagh QC series immediately upon finishing the Morse series. Kavanagh ran from 1995 - 2001, with Thaw filming Morse specials (1995 - 2000) between episodes and seasons of Kavanagh. Barrister James Kavanagh is a much less brittle character than Morse, a family man whose wife has had an unfortunate affair which they have managed to put behind them, their affection for each other obvious throughout this first season. Their daughter, who is about to start college, has her own baggage and creates the usual kinds of family stress--primarily associated with an arrogant boyfriend whom she wants to have overnight in the Kavanagh household. Their son, a younger teen, is less motivated to study than his father would like.

Each of the four episodes in this set resembles a modern Perry Mason courtroom drama, with Kavanagh defending characters accused of rape, a murder disguised as a traffic accident, a child custody/abuse case, and the murder of a businessman by a prostitute. In all these cases, the situation is established in the first half of the program, as the viewer becomes familiar with the characters, along with Morse's current home problems. The second half features very civilized court proceedings as Morse defends the client while his colleagues conduct the prosecution. Unlike the Perry Mason series, however, justice is not always served in these more realistic dramas, even if Kavanagh wins.

"Kavanagh" director Colin Gregg directed some of the Morse series, and cinematographer Nigel Walters, though not part of the Morse "family," shows the same skill with unusual angles, the use of windows to show inside and outside action, and the use of contrast (especially with the black and white of the courtroom). Here he also excels in the filming of domestic scenes, missing from the Morse series, capturing facial expressions and small gestures that reveal emotions.

The first episode, "Nothing But the Truth," has some sound problems, with conversations difficult to hear when filmed along a busy street, for example, and the fast patter, some of it with atypical accents, make understanding the first 20 - 30 minutes of this episode a bit difficult for an American. These problems were corrected in later episodes. Overall, this is a terrific series, certain to appeal to lovers of Morse and equally certain to attract new viewers. The courtroom dramas are extremely well done--dramatic, beautifully photographed, filled with both spontaneous and controlled emotion, and thoughtful--as Kavanagh tries to serve justice while defending his clients. n Mary Whipple
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Begin enjoying Kavanagh NOW

RuthRoe | Florida | 03/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Begin seeing this series, now! Go to your Wish List and your Cart, and fill it with some of the "Kavanagh Q.C." discs, now! For some now-unbelievable reason, I had waited about a year between first learning of this British television series, and finally watching any episode. The disc for Set 1, Disc 1, includes two episodes: "Nothing But the Truth" and "Heartland." Also, this disc includes these special features: "John Thaw: A Tribute" and "The Birth of a Series" and "Kavanagh Q.C. Trivia" and "Quotations on Law and Justice" along with "Cast Profiles." The topics are presented in large print, spread across a series of screens. There were no `talking heads' getting in the way of the information. The producers of the discs made the right choice; it is well worth spending the few minutes involved in reading the special features, especially if you are not already familiar with the information. Last year, I had read through the biography which John Thaw's wife had written, so I was already familiar with some of the material. [The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw. by Sheila Hancock. New York: Bloomsbury, 2005]"