Marvelous! Acorn Media has released Time for Murder, a terrific one-off British TV series from 1985 featuring six original mysteries by authors Fay Weldon, Frances Galleymore, Antonia Fraser, Michael Robson, Gordon Honeycombe, and Charles Wood. Overseen by veteran TV producer Pieter Rogers and starring a remarkable assembly of British actors, including Janet Suzman, Jane Asher, Sylvia Syms, John Castle, Barbara Jefford, Ian Ogilvy, Joan Hickson, Eleanor Bron, Amanda Root, Charles Dance, Claire Bloom, Patrick Allen, John Wheatley, Patrick Allen, Judy Campbell, Michael Jayston, and Trevor Howard, Time for Murder is a most unusual (a forgotten little series of mysteries made for British TV over twenty years ago) - and welcome - sight on DVD. With each episode running a fast 50 minutes, the six mysteries in Time for Murder really pack a punch, with the authors offering up varying degrees of solid chills, sprightly dialogue, and of course, a thoroughly English delight in black humor and the macabre. Let's look at the individual mysteries, but please note the spoiler alert for each review: the paragraphs preceding it will give you a brief plot synopsis; the ones after it will discuss the mystery in more detail - with endings possibly revealed. So be careful if you don't want the endings spoiled for you!

DISC ONE

Episode 1: BRIGHT SMILER (Fay Weldon)

Avon Eve (Janet Suzman), a British screenwriter just back from an assignment in Hollywood, has checked into the Bolton Health Hydro spa for a week of punishing fasting and diet, exercise, massage and "relaxation." Not at all convinced that she's made the right decision to stay, the cynical Avon begins to dread her vacation when she encounters Sonia (Jane Asher), her masseuse. Sonia, a "bright smiler" as Avon labels her (a woman brought up not to complain, living in reduced circumstances in a dead-end job, and putting on a brave face for people who couldn't care less about her), knows exactly who Avon is, recounting favorably an old screenplay Avon wrote - one which Avon dreads remembering because it was so awful.

Faced with the gloomy prospect of enduring Sonia's chipper droning each day, Avon tries to block out Sonia's faux-sunny tales of woe, but increasingly, Sonia becomes more strident in her storytelling. Recounting a lost love that robbed her of her youth and the promise of a dancing career, Sonia becomes more agitated (while Avon remains blasé and dismissive) - particularly when that former love shows up at the spa.

SPOILERS ALERT!

Time for Murder really blasts out of the gate with this beautifully tempoed psychological thriller. Written by Fay Weldon during the height of her "feminist" stage (although to tag the mercurial, independent Weldon as a "feminist" is far too narrow a description), Bright Smiler has a solid underpinning of loss and rage as one comes to sympathize with the misguided Sonia who gave up 11 years of her young life (as well as her promising dancing career) to live with seemingly impoverished Sir Jonathan Sibley (Jeremy Nicholas), refurbishing his ancestral home for no pay - and no ring on her finger - only to be shunted aside for a younger woman, Sara (Alison Skilbeck). Building steadily with a creepy dread as you wonder if and when Sonia is actually going to physically hurt Avon during their massage sessions (to the point where she repeatedly plays Russian roulette with a gun to Avon's face), Jane Asher is quite effective as Sonia (aided by a believable aging makeup design), showing a convincing unhinged desperation behind her slightly crazy, smiling countenance.

Suzman doesn't have as much to do here, but her character strikes a particularly perverse Weldon feminist tone when she lays it out to Sonia that she's to blame for her wasted life - not Jonathan. When we find out that Sir Jonathan's beloved ancestral home was immediately sold after Sonia refurbished it - and now serves as the health spa where Sonia works - it's a terribly sad coda to this effective, thoughtful little chiller. Well directed by David Carson in a series of ever-tightening close-ups, Bright Smiler could do without those ghastly tinkling piano cues (and some viewers may not cotton to the look of the video shoot - a standard practice at this point in British TV drama), but the neatly entwined plot (with a solid theme of feminist outrage/realist resignation anchoring it) and the superb performances by Asher and Suzman more than compensate. A terrific opening for the series.

Episode 2: THE MURDERS AT LYNCH CROSS (Frances Galleymore)

In a set-up not unlike an Agatha Christie novel, The Murders at Lynch Cross takes place at an out-of-the-way hotel in the English countryside. On its inaugural weekend, several guests show up who, rather inexplicably, seem to know it each other - but are reluctant to reveal exactly how. The proprietors, Harry Scott-Forbes (Terence Alexander) and his wife Vivien (Sylvia Syms), bicker constantly, hinting at unresolved conflicts in their marriage (the older but still sexy Vivien essentially calls Harry a weakling and a coward). The small staff includes Monica Dawes (Barbara Jefford), the angry, no-nonsense cook who's handy with a meat cleaver, and Hester Peters (Joanna David), the bespectacled maid who seems to have a strange relationship with Monica. Guests include Sonia Barrington (Jill Bennett), a haughty, wealthy woman; Dr. David Warreck (John Castle) and his new wife Steffie (Sally Cookson), old maid Christine Turner (Georgine Anderson), and down-on-his-heels attorney Bernard Smith (Alan MacNaughtan).

As the snow piles up outside the hotel, and the guests realize they're stuck there with no way out, it becomes immediately apparent that someone is bent on killing them all. All of the guests are nearly gassed in the locked dining room, and then Harry winds up butchered in the cellar freezer. How are these people connected and why does somebody want them all dead?

SPOILERS ALERT!

Technically adroit from a script standpoint, The Murders at Lynch Cross twisty, red-herring-filled plot moves neatly from set-up to set-up, allowing those viewers who enjoy being confused and lost within a mystery plot (myself included) plenty of room to stumble about while they search in vain for meaningful clues. Written by Frances Galleymore and directed by Patrick Lau, The Murders at Lynch Cross doesn't break any new ground in what comes off as a thoroughly conventional parlor room murder mystery. Certainly the visuals aren't anything notable, with a claustrophobic series of tight shots on the characters that makes the sets seem small, dark, and not particularly inviting. What could have been atmospheric is rendered as cramped and low-budget TV fare.

Still, the excellent cast carries the story along well enough, with Jefford a standout as the psychotic cook, and Syms still able to generate a subtle heat when she looks Sonia Barrington's chauffer up and down. Terence Alexander is one of those British actors I always enjoy seeing in these kinds of productions (even if I can never quite remember his name), while Alan MacNaughtan is fine as always as the quietly authoritative lawyer. The same technical crew worked on all six of the entries in the Time for Murder series, including Paul Lewis who does the music for the episodes. Unfortunately, the first two episodes feature what may be the most annoying musical scores ever for a TV show, and The Murders at Lynch Cross's is just as bad as Bright Smiler's. After a certain point, I wanted to shout at my TV, "Turn off that awful music! I can't hear the dialogue!" Luckily, the remaining episodes have quite effective turns by the composer.

Episode 3: MISTER CLAY, MISTER CLAY (Antonia Fraser)

At a typical English prep school, all is not well with Matthew Clay (Aden Gillett). A totally ineffectual teacher who has no control over the little boys in his class, Matthew clings to his somewhat unnaturally close friendship with super-cool, in-control, womanizing, money-borrowing bounder Max Donaldson (Ian Ogilvy). Max, who has borrowed money from everybody at the school, is in serious trouble with the headmaster, Gavin Barlow (Edward Hardwicke), for bouncing a check with a tradesman - a transaction that can break for public consumption as opposed to Max's run-ins with the local bookies. Matt, who has also lent Max money, is having particular trouble with Paul Millington (Simon Bowen), a boisterous little hellion who can smell Matt's timidity, and who isn't afraid to push the weakling instructor to his breaking point.

Complications arise when someone locks Paul's sister Pippa (Beatie Edney), a teacher at the school who's engaged to Max, in the art closet where she almost suffocates. Suspicions abound as to who the culprit might be, including Josie Barlow (Eleanor Bron), the sexy wife of the headmaster and current lover of Max's. However, "complications" turn into a life-and-death struggle when someone succeeds in snuffing out Paul Millington, who is locked in the airless art closet. Who will be the next victim at the school - and who is the killer?

SPOILERS ALERT!

Mister Clay, Mister Clay is an amusing little chiller in the tradition of British school boys-as-killers films, creating not so much suspense (most viewers will figure out the killer before the denouement), as a nicely observed, subtly shaded character study of the ne'er-do-well Max and the sniveling Matt. Ogilvy, his nose almost always tilted slightly in the air as if he's smelled something wrong (with you), is note-perfect as the charming cad Max. Greeting all the women he's conned with, "How's my best girl?" Ogilvy's slightly gamey appeal is perfectly suited to this kind of role, and he's terrific. Aden Gillett, working against his own physicality (he doesn't look like a guy who would be afraid of children), is quite good, as well, playing the whining Matt. And it's always a pleasure to see the sexy Bron (so great in the original Bedazzled) in a role, even if she doesn't have much to do here.

Directed by Brian Mills (a solid director who worked frequently on British TV), Mister Clay, Mister Clay moves quickly, but it's a shame that there are only 50 minutes available to tell its short story. There's an interesting subtext (Matt's attachment to Max, perhaps a romantic one) that Mills only has time to allude to in the briefest, most oblique manner (a high overhead shot where we see Matt putting his hands on Max as he implores to stay friends with him); exploring that subtext would have made Mister Clay, Mister Clay even more intriguing than it already is. Still, it's an accomplished piece, marked by well-observed performances.

DISC TWO

Episode 4: THIS LIGHTNING ALWAYS STRIKES TWICE (Michael Robson)

James Latimer (Charles Dance) has gotten far more than he bargained for when he became involved with the Penwarden family. An English master at a private school where Lady Penwarden (Claire Bloom) is a board governor, Latimer is invited by Lady Penwarden to tutor her daughter, Sarah (Amanda Root). 19-years-old, and somewhat eccentric, Sarah has never attended school (she's always had governesses), but her family wants her to attend Oxford in the fall, and it's up to Latimer to get her up to speed. Unfortunately, there is a deep, dark secret at the Penwarden mansion, and a suitable cast of shady characters who may be involved in murder, including wayward son and black sheep of the family Lawrence (Simon Shepherd) and gruff, possibly psychotic elder of the clan, Sir Daniel Penwarden (Trevor Howard).

SPOILERS ALERT!

Structured entirely in flashbacks during an interrogation of Latimer by Chief Inspector Dryden (Emrys James), This Lightning Always Strikes Twice is another involving mystery featuring a sensation group of actors. Unlike Mister Clay, Mister Clay, though, you won't be able to figure out this tale of incest, murder and madness until the final scene. Nicely edited within the flashback structure, This Lightning Always Strikes Twice creates a remarkably steady, drumbeat preciseness in ratcheting up the suspense as we try and decipher what exactly turned Sarah mad, and whether or not Latimer is in danger, as well.

Directed by Patrick Lau again (he's a lot sharper here than for The Murders at Lynch Cross), This Lightning Always Strikes Twice benefits from some seriously heavyweight actors (Bloom is her usual cool, aloof, sexy self; Howard is all bluster and sly rage), while Dance is excellent in a particularly tough role. He filmed this the year after he achieved all that notice for his role in the epic miniseries The Jewel in the Crown, and he really commands the screen with an unique combination of quiet gentleness and a submerged, imposing physicality. The rest of the cast is quite good, as well (Chancer's Shepherd has a small but showy little part). And even though by now, after four episodes of the Time for Murder, it's become apparent that the same main set is being redressed for each mystery, director Lau skillfully keeps the film moving along with well-chosen camera set-ups and adept blocking. This Lightning Always Strikes Twice is one of the better entries in the series.

Episode 5: THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS (Gordon Honeycombe)

My favorite episode in the Time for Murder series. Comfortable couple Gilbert Smith (Patrick Allen) and his wife Evelyn (Elizabeth Spriggs) are trying to enjoy an evening of post-Christmas cheer with friends Bill Norton (James Bree) and his wife Meg (Rhoda Lewis). Playing cards and enjoying their drinks, the group is interrupted by the appearance of Richard Smith (John Wheatley), the Smith's mentally disturbed son. Initially trying to placate him, the group quickly realizes that Richard is totally unbalanced and perhaps even dangerous. With the Nortons bowing out for the evening, Richard is left alone with his parents, who quickly realize Richard is in far worse shape than they realized. Tragedy strikes, and more horrors await the Smith's daughter, Juliet (Joan Moon), who is expected home late from an evening date.

SPOILERS ALERT!

More full-blown horror story than actual mystery, The Thirteenth Day of Christmas is an impeccably mounted exercise in psychological terror. Director Patrick Lau (surpassing his previous two exercises here in this series) keeps things dark and scary as the viewer becomes increasingly anxious and on-edge, wondering when Richard is finally going to snap and kill everyone in the house. Aiding tremendously in this effort to put the viewer off right from the start, is the performance of John Wheatley as the mentally deranged Richard. I'm not sure I've ever seen Wheatley before in anything, but his performance here is one of the best on-screen portrayals of violent schizophrenia I've ever seen - on television or in films. With rapid-fire speech, darting, pained eyes, and a sickly smile that he keeps plastering on his face when he doesn't know what else to do, Wheatley's Richard doesn't seem "fake" like so many crazies portrayed on TV. He seems dangerously real, and his performance is quite amazing.

Director Lau, who keeps to the TV standard of the time (staying largely with medium-to-tight close-ups), isn't afraid to let Wheatley go all out in his unhinged scenes, creating a quite spooky atmosphere when the killing begins and victims start running down hallways, trying to escape. Keeping the sets good and dark, Lau comes up with some surprisingly effective shots, including the surreal image of Richard's father popping up on the TV, taunting the unbalanced man, and a bravura final image of Richard, standing at the banister railing on the second floor landing, foreshortened to look like a baby screaming in a crib. It's an impressive shot, winding up the scariest selection in the Time for Murder series.

Episode 6: DUST TO DUST (Charles Wood)

Probably the least successful adaptation in the Time for Murder series, Dust to Dust tells the overly familiar tale of a family of lonely-hearts murderers who eventually succumb to the same fate. Margaret Tutting (Patricia Hodge) has a nasty habit of enticing men through the mails, hoping that the lonely men that eventually come calling will bring cash (as she has instructed), as well as all her love letters (again, as she has instructed them to do, to eliminate all evidence of her crime). Convincing them that the money is a form of security dowry, she then strangles them in the ritualistic manner of the Indian Thugee.

Disposing of the bodies is the job of Arthur Henry Strapp (William Simons), a grungy caretaker who also observes a ritualistic ceremony with Margaret, over his garden spade, before each murder. Living upstairs, bedridden, is Margaret's invalid mother Hermione Tutting (Judy Campbell), who is well aware of Margaret's activities. But Margaret may have met her match with potential new victim Austin Tupp (Michael Jayston), who quickly sniffs out Margaret's true intentions.

SPOILERS ALERT!

Too silly to be taken seriously, and not scary enough or complicated enough to qualify as a mystery, Dust to Dust comes off more like a poor Twilight Zone episode (or perhaps more accurately - and worse - a Night Gallery show). Sure, the other episodes in the Time for Murder series feature plots that are familiar to any mystery fan, but Dust to Dust isn't memorable for anything new in its construction, nor particularly distinguished in its portrayals. Hodge in the title role is a bit of a stiff, while the always entertaining Campbell hams it up like nobody's business. Jayston rolls his eyes one too many times, while Simons, appropriately scuzzy, doesn't have much to do here.

Director Brian Parker doesn't seem to know if this is camp or mystery until the very end, when Hermione's self-immolation on her bed decides the matter (camp). To be fair, it isn't entirely his fault; he can only work with the screenplay given to him, and Charles Wood's is a real lulu. The normally dependable Wood (Help!, TV's Wagner) serves up a juvenile mishmash of Arsenic and Old Lace and The Deceivers, coming up short on both accounts. Ultimately, it's not that Dust to Dust isn't entertaining in its own limited rights, but in comparison to the other fine works in Time for Murder, it's a bit of a let down. And a faintly ridiculous let down, at that.

The DVD:

The Video:
As to be expected with a little-seen, 20-plus-year-old video series from Britain, the full screen, 1.33:1 image transfers aren't perfect, with quite a bit of video noise, color bleeding, some flaring, and a generally soft picture. It will look better on a smaller monitor, to be sure, but all in all, it's what one would expect considering the original source materials.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English mono audio mix is muddy at times, with dialogue sometimes buried under the over-insistent music track. Close-captions might have helped, but they're not available here.

The Extras:
Cast filmographies are available on both discs. Disc one features Jane Asher, Janet Suzman, Sylvia Syms, Barbara Jefford, Joan Hickson, and Ian Ogilvy, while disc two features Charles Dance, Trevor Howard, Patrick Allen, Elizabeth Spriggs, Patricia Hodge, Judy Campbell. Considering that anyone with a computer can access more thorough detail on IMDB, these text filmographies included as "extras" are pretty worthless.

Final Thoughts:
Delightful, macabre fun. Acorn Media has resurrected a (probably) forgotten one-off, six-part series of original TV mysteries called Time for Murder. Featuring a high-caliber roster of British actors, these well-crafted little gems are the perfect kind of Saturday evening viewing for the English mystery enthusiast. I highly recommend Time for Murder.