Acorn Media has released the second and last batch of episodes from the single season series, Father Brown, a 1974 British TV adaptation of G. K. Chesterton's mysteries featuring a master sleuth who also happens to be a Catholic priest. Starring Sir Kenneth More as the unobtrusive but preternaturally observant crime solver, Father Brown: Set 2 should be a welcome completion for fans of the series. I wrote before about the Father Brown series (please click here to read my review of Father Brown: Set 1, and for background on Chesterton and his work), so let's look briefly at Set 2's episodes.

As with the first set of episodes, the Father Brown mysteries were shot in the standard early 70s British TV format, combining video (for the interior sets) and 16mm for the exterior locations. Personally, I've always found that a distracting visual style, but an understandable one when you consider the budget limitations of many British TV productions from that period. And in some cases, such as the Monty Python series, the switch in media can actually enhance the viewing experience.

For shows like Father Brown, however, I prefer to see as much exterior shooting as possible, regardless of the rough nature of the 16mm cinematography. It "opens up" the stories, giving them a sense of place and verisimilitude that's missing from strictly studio-bound productions. After all, if you're a fan of British TV programming, one of the big reasons you tune in is to actually see the towns, cities and beautiful rural areas of the country. Unfortunately, the final three of the remaining six episodes of Father Brown: Set 2 skimp on the location work. As a result, they come off cramped and claustrophobic, and only serve to highlight the relatively cheap sets (The Arrow of Heaven's sets look particularly threadbare) and the at-times primitive camera direction of the interior video shoots. The opening episode, however (The Actor and the Alibi) takes a largely interior set-up, and makes it work quite well to its advantage, with the winding corridors of a small theatre a perfect, closed environment for a cozy murder mystery. It's not unusual for series, as they go along during their filming schedules, to have their budgets dwindle faster than anticipated, due to unforeseen delays and setbacks during actual shooting, with location pick-up shots easily dropped as too expensive. Perhaps this is what happened with the final episodes in this one-off series?

Sir Kenneth More, in the guise of Father Brown, is excellent, as always. With the exception of a few episodes where he arrives rather late into the story (The Head of Caesar episode most notably), More's interpretation of Brown fits nicely with what I had in my head after going back and reading some of Chesterton's mysteries (of course, that could be because I saw the TV series first). I'm not sure More is as well known in the United States today, compared to contemporaries of his period such as Trevor Howard or John Mills, but I've always enjoyed his work, and the subtle, restrained, affable air he brings to the Father Brown character (More can do a lot with just a throw-away glance or double-take) is perfectly in synch with the low-key nature of these mysteries. While the philosophical and religious underpinnings of Chesterton's writing is mostly relegated to a few final lines by More as he neatly sums up the moral as well as legal crimes committed by the guilty party (a necessity since the shows run a brief 51 minutes), there's still plenty of atmosphere and sharp writing to keep fans of the genre entertained.

DISC ONE:

The Actor and the Alibi
The search for a runaway girl leads Father Brown and his friend Flambeau to a struggling theatre company, replete with backstage gossip, ambitious actors, temperamental divas, mysterious visitors, and murder.

The Quick One
A hotel bar with an exotic, Far East décor provides the ironic setting for the murder of John Raggley, a village curmudgeon who rails against immigrants. Only Father Brown can deduce the truth in the drink that became Raggley's last.

The Man With Two Beards
After a rash of robberies, the evidence implicates a gentle beekeeper as the notorious jewel thief whom the press has dubbed Michael Moonshine. Father Brown keeps faith in his friend, however, and unmasks the real murderer.

DISC TWO:

The Head of Caesar
Father Brown and Flambeau come to the aid of Christabel Carstairs, the daughter of a famous coin collector, when she is shadowed by a mysterious figure dressed in a disguise and bent on blackmail.

The Arrow of Heaven
When wealthy collector Brander Merton buys a Coptic chalice, he doesn't intend to meet the same fate as the relic's two previous owners. But after an arrow strikes him dead, Father Brown must expose the cup's supposed curse.

The Secret Garden
At a dinner party held by the prefect of police in Paris, a decapitated stranger turns up in the walled garden. Of all the guests, only Father Brown keeps his head and divines the motive for murder.

The DVD:

The Video:
The full screen video transfers for Father Brown: Set 2 are okay, but the original source materials are compromised, with faded, muddy colors and dirt and scratches to the prints - something that Acorn Media indicates on the back of the DVD box.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital mono soundtrack accurately represents the original broadcast presentation, but those studios mics often didn't pick up the dialogue too well, so the lines can go in and out. Unfortunately, there's no close-captioning to fill you in on what you may have missed.

The Extras:
As with the first set, there are text bios on Chesterton and the cast.

Final Thoughts:
Fans of the Father Brown mysteries who bought the first set of DVDs will no doubt want to own Father Brown: Set 2, as well, and complete the series. More is excellent as Father Brown, as usual, and the mysteries are well-written and quite nicely executed by the always good supporting British actors. I recommend Father Brown: Set 2 .