P.D. James - Devices and Desires

Koch Vision presents "DEVICES AND DESIRES" (4 January 1991) (310 mins/Color) -- the 1989 detective novel in the Adam Dalgliesh (Roy Marsden) series by P. D. James --- It takes place on Larksoken, an isolated headland in Norfolk --- Commander Adam Dalgliesh, having published his second volume of poetry, retreats to the remote Larksoken headland where his recently deceased aunt, Jane Dalgliesh, left him a converted windmill --- However, a psychopathic mass murderer, known as the Norfolk Whistler, is on the loose and seems to have arrived at Larksoken when Dalgliesh finds the body of the nearby nuclear power plant's Acting Administrative Officer during an evening stroll on the beach --- We then watch the effect a following series of interlocking plots have on each other --- Certainly one of the outstanding examples of P.D. James mystery writing.

Under the production staff of:
John Davies - Director
Thomas Ellice - Screenwriter
P.D. James - Novel
Carol Gould - Asst Producer
John Rosenberg - Producer
Richard Harvey - Original Score
Geoff Greenleaf - Cinematographer
Keith Judge - Film Editor

The story line deals at length with such issues as nuclear power and its dangers/benefits; the loss of a wife and the effect it has on a family; the bond of siblings; the use and manifestations of both psychosis and duty; and, finally, the love among family members --- The film is also notable in that Dalgliesh himself does not actually solve the crime; the plot instead begins with different characters carrying on their lives with the bleak backdrop of a controversial power station and a prowling serial killer --- Soon, however, after the copycat murder that propels the story along, we start to watch the characters bounce and chaff and strike out at one another, but very little actual detecting takes place --- Still, the plots merit is in its ability to entwine multiple human beings who must try to live their lives amidst chaotic circumstances --- It should also be noted that the mystery actually has nothing at all do with the serial killer --- Everything about this production is excellent. What a cast! Full of fascinating twists, turns and bizarre subplots - not to mention a series of very creepy murders, this one is a certainly a winner in my book.

the cast includes:
Roy Marsden ... Commander Adam Dalgliesh
Susannah York ... Meg Dennison
Gemma Jones ... Alice Mair
James Faulkner ... Dr Alex Mair
Tony Haygarth ... Chief Inspector Terry Rickards
Tom Georgeson ... Ryan Blaney
Tom Chadbon ... Miles Lessingham
Harry Burton ... Dr. Toby Gledhill
Suzan Crowley ... Hilary Robarts
Nicola Cowper ... Amy Camm
Robert Hines ... Neil Pascoe
Helena Michell ... Caroline Amphlett
Jamie Newell ... Jonathan Reeves (as Jamie Newall)
Lisa Ellis ... Theresa Blaney
Paul Hargreaves ... Neville Potter

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIO:
1. Roy Marsden
Date of Birth: 25 June 1941 - Stepney, London, England, UK
Date of Death: Still Living

Special footnote, Roy Marsden is a British actor, who is probably best known for his portrayal of Adam Dalgliesh in the Anglia Television dramatisations of P. D. James's detective novels.

Great job by Koch Vision --- looking forward to more high quality titles from the BBC Collection film market --- order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.

Total Time: 310 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV-6564 ~ (8/05/2008)

Enjoyed watching real actors at work. The pace of the storytelling allows for the development of the characters and the plot. There is nothing like a Brit mystery!

Unlike many other works of P D James,this one is slow moving,probably because
Dalgliesh is not in charge of the investigation.It is also somewhat unrealistic
(even for fiction),as 7 women have been murdered at night,and women are still
going outside alone after the sun sets. The discovery of the main murderer seems
to have occured with little police input (it's a wonder the local "cop" was
not superceeded by an outsider).The technical production is good,except I do
miss not having Closed Captioning (British sound/pronunciation takes some
careful listening at times. Also,a spell out of the character names would have
been helpful). All this said,this DVD set is worth viewing and my remarks should
be considered along with more positive ones,such as those of "Mr Jim".