America's Pubic Broadcasting System (PBS,) has made a career of importing British television shows.  From late night broadcasts of Monty Python to Dr. Who and assorted comedies, many Americans have had their first taste of English culture, comedy and drama from PBS.  One of the longer running show on PBS is Mystery!, a program that showcases the best of British crime dramas.  In its premier season in 1980, Mystery! brought Horace Rumpole across the pond and into American living rooms.  A law drama with comic overtones, Rumpole of the Bailey was a hit with viewers, and Mystery! went on to broadcast all of the original episodes until they eventually ran out 15 years later.  Now the first two seasons of this charming show, along with the telefilm Rumpole's Return, are available in a nice boxed set.

This courtroom drama revolves around the colorful Horace Rumple.  Admirably portrayed by Leo McKern, Rumpole is an endearing old curmudgeon.  Quoting Wadsworth and Lewis Carroll he complains about the police, his wife ("she who must be obeyed") and even his clients sometimes.  A defense attorney, Rumpole often ends up with ne'er-do-well clients and is paid, more times than not, through public assistance.  Though he's not an expert on the law, he is an excellent orator, and his ability to read jurors and eloquently sway them to his way of thinking is his strength, one that often wins him cases.

This program set the standard for law shows that came after it.  You can tell that it had a large influence on such popular contemporary shows as Law and Order and The Practice.  Each episode starts out with a short crime scene where the perpetrator is not clearly scene.  From there the narrative jumps to when Rumpole gets the case, his questioning of the accused, and then the trial itself.  Not really a mystery show, the focus is on Rumpole and his courtroom etiquette, though there are unexpected twists in most of the episodes that add to the show's appeal.

The highpoint in most episodes is watching Rumpole work in court.  His speeches are filled with literary quotes, jokes (often at the expense of the prosecuting attorney,) and an unflappable logic.  Comically running rings around the other lawyers, Rumpole is able to work miracles in the courtroom.

That isn't to say that he wins every case, he doesn't, or that the other attorneys are portrayed as bumbling or incompetent, they aren't.  It's just that Rumpole's exuberance and grandiose style tend to outshine anyone else in the courtroom.

In this series of episodes, Rumpole defends a priest accused of stealing some shirts and won't take the stand in his own defense, a fence who finds a million dollar 14th century painting in his garage and says he doesn't know how it got there, and works on a divorce case between a husband and wife who only communicate through type written notes.

Though the show has strong comic elements, it's not a wide farce like many British shows, or even laugh-out-load funny.  It is very amusing, often bringing a smile to my face, but not outrageous, which would take away from the drama.  The show does have it serious moments, such as the time that Rumpole reduces a rape victim to tears upon cross examination.  The show asks a lot of tough questions too; what does an attorney do if he knows his client is guilty?  If someone has a good reason for breaking the law, does that mean they shouldn't have to pay the legal price?  The show often ends on a somber note, which can sometimes be a little jarring after the light toned preceding act.
 
While I enjoyed the show, esepcially Leo McKern's portrayal of Rumpole, there were some problems I had with it.  The camera work was fairly abominable.  The pans and most of the camera movements are uneven and not smooth and flowing.  While zooms were fine, I was surprised at how amateur some of the other cinematography looked.  Luckily most of the time the camera was still.

I also had a problem understanding some of the slang and British expressions.  When lawyers talk about being "QC's" and "getting silks" I was fairly lost.  This is a minor point though, and didn't ruin my enjoyment of the show.

These first two seasons makes a very good set.  The episodes take place over the course of years and creates a nice story arc.  Though the episodes are episodic, there are some minor subplots that carry over from show to show.  Rumpole's son Nick going to school, getting married and moving to America for example.  This gave the show a feeling of continuity that made you want to pop in the next disc.  A very influential and entertaining series.

The thirteen episodes that comprise the first two seasons are presented on four single sided DVDs.  These come encased in thin-pack cases, all held by a thin pressboard slipcase.

Audio:

The show is presented with a two channel soundtrack, which is showing its age in places.  There was some slight distortion, and the audio sounded a little muddled but generally sounds good.  I was surprised to find that the audio was uneven.  There were some scenes where the volume was a little lower than the rest of the show, but this wasn't too frequent.
 
Unfortunately there are no subtitles.  These would have come in a little handy in a few instances when Leo Kern mumbles insults under his breath.

Video:

The video hasn't been restored, but looks acceptable for the most part.  There is some damage to the print that was used, occasional specks and dirt, but nothing too drastic.  The exterior scenes were shot on film, while the interiors were recorded on tape.  The tape sections aren't as sharp as the filmed sequences, but the filmed parts are looking ever so slightly faded.  There was also some edge enhancement used on the image that is especially noticeable when one figure dominates the foreground.  Even with these defects, this set doesn't look bad, simply average.

Extras:

Included with this set are introductions to each episode by the creator of Horace Rumpole, John Mortimer.  These were short, and not very insightful.  He mainly describes the episodes and sometimes gives away, in general terms, the ending of the episodes.

The last disc of the set offers a few other bonus items.  There is a brief biography of John Mortimer, along with a bibliography.  The odd thing about the bibliography is that it is niether arranged alphabetically nor by publication date.  It seems to be a random listing of his books, which is rather odd.  There are also text pieces on the history of the Old Bailey Criminal Court, and a list of the official Executioners of Newgate Prison.  This last was a fairly strange thing to include I thought.

The main bonus feature is Rumpole's Return, a feature length episode that was broadcast a year and a half after season two ended.  This show finds Rumpole retired in America.  But sitting on the beach in Florida doesn't have the same appeal that arguing a case in the old Bailey does for the old barrister.  So when the chance to go back to London arises, Rumpole can't resist going back and getting involved in a nice juicy murder case.  However the members of his old practice aren't really that keen to have him back, and the case is more dangerous than Rumpole thought.  This movie is a nice capping off of the series.  I thought the ending of the second season left things hanging a bit, and this is a nice place to end the set.

Final Thoughts:

Rumpole of the Bailey is an entertaining show that casts a long shadow over the world of TV law shows.  Managing to be both comical and serious, Rumpole is able to address philosophical legal issues in the context of a single case, and does so without being dry or boring.  Though the audio and video haven't been restored, the average looking presentation is still worth watching.  An excellent show that comes with a high Recommendation.