After a decade of reissues, rereleases, and just plain hernia-inducing box collections, the phrase ‘DVD megaset’ shouldn’t really mean a lot, but it is an apt summarization of this complete set of Rumpole of the Bailey, the courtroom drama that broadcast intermittently on PBS between 1978 and 1991. Spread out across 14 discs, this set collects all seven seasons of the show, as well as a good deal of bonus features (each episode features an introduction with series creator John Mortimer), but this is, in all likelihood, a set that was meant to rally old fans rather than attract new ones. Even within the time-frame of the series, Rumpole shows its considerable age, with its commitment to showing social ills only accentuating how stubbornly quaint the show really is.
Horace Rumpole (Leo McKern) is a barrister at the Old Bailey, the central criminal court of London. A lover of the courtroom (as elaborately stated in one of his many inner monologues), he delights in practicing in the art of oration, argument, and just plain logical thought. As an added bonus (he insists that he only cares because of the money, coyly refusing to be pegged as an honest social crusader), he gets to help out the underprivileged of London’s criminal class, represented most frequently by the Timson family, one of whom always seems to be accused of something. In addition to class warfare, however, Rumpole gets involved with numerous flavor-of-the-week issues (he finds himself defening alternative society hippies, fascists, and Satanists among other things), sort of acting as a one-man Law and Order. Standing by him is his wife Hilda (Marion Mathie), and various other staff members of the Old Bailey, such as Head of Chambers Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles), elderly “Uncle Tom” (Richard Murdoch), Claude and Phyllida Erskine-Brown (Julian Curry and Patricia Hodge), and clerk of chambers Henry Trench (Jonathan Coy).
The first thing that modern viewers are liable to notice is the adequate, but decidedly antiquated, production value of the show. Even for a PBS program of its era, the series feels decidedly stage-bound, with the careful and deliberate movements of the camera giving away the precarious nature of taping in an environment that looks primed to collapse at the slightest stiff breeze. Rumpole’s inner monologues never seem to gain the momentum to merge fluidly with the accompanying visuals, awkwardly placed as they are throughout the episodes. But as the series continues, and a broader perspective on crime and society emerges, the outspoken liberal nature seems less and less courageous and more and more strategic. Granted, the show makes a few bold statements (it very casually mentions the word ‘abortion’, something that few shows even now have the nerve to pull off), and seems entirely heartfelt in its desire to help the lower classes, but its insistence on viewing all of these social problems solely through the view of an aging barrister gives it obvious blind spots. While this is perhaps most obvious in the pseudo-comical relationship that he has with his wife (he refers to her as ‘she-who-must-be-obeyed]), it’s also a little startling to see his casual (and seemingly amused) treatment of rape cases. Sure, he has his moments of profundity, but when someone asks him if they’re hiring any black women and he responds “why not? I could have brought one back from Africa,’ it’s hard to see him as anything other than a doddering old man.
For those of you who are familiar with the series, this set goes highly recommended. It is handsomely-packaged and complete, with the guiding hands of its packagers evident in every nook and cranny. But for those of you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a hefty investment that probably won’t pay off.
DVD Bonus Features
As said, each episode comes with an introduction by series creator John Mortimer, but it also features Mortimer’s Musings, an interview with the man, Spot The Barrister-Highlighting John Mortimer's Impromptu Appearances, a biography, a bibliography, and selected credits. There's also a feature-length film, Rumpole's Return, McKern's Memories with Actress Abigail McKern (Leo's daughter), and information about the Old Bailey and official executioners of Newgate Prison.
"Rumpole of the Bailey" is on sale October 5, 2010 and is not rated. Television. Directed by Herbert Wise, Graham Evans, Brian Farnham, Derek Bennett, Peter Hammond, Robert Knights, Donald McWhinnie, John Glenister, Tony Smith, Bill Hays, Stuart Burge, Roger Bamford, Rodney Bennett, Martyn Friend, James Cellan Jones, Robert Tronson, John Gorrie, Jim Goddard, Julian Aymes, Michael Simpson, Mike Vardy. Written by John Mortimer. Starring Leo McKern, Marion Mathie, Peter Bowles, Richard Murdoch, Julian Curry, Patricia Hodge, Jonathan Coy.
