Dandelion Dead

I notice that the two comments with an American address have found difficulty appreciating the "Englishness" of the portrayals and general directorial approach. One complains of the missed opportunity to delve into the psychological thriller possibilities of the plot. Surely the point is that it is not meant to be a thriller at all and that this is all the better for it. As for Sarah Miles' acting, few play neurotic and repressed better than her. This is mainly why the death so strongly elicits sympathy in the watcher however morally unacceptable. I felt the production was perfectly pitched, the acting uniformly on target and Michael Kitchen, outstanding, doing what he does best, stiff upper lip, repressed emotion, English social manners etc.

Wish Kitchen had not had the mustache. Wish Sarah Miles wasn't in it. I agree with the previous comment that she is over-rated and has no appeal at all. Even her voice, perhaps mostly her voice, is so unattractive that when she's speaking I turn off the sound. She is the fly in the ointment of any film she has been in, including Poirot. Otherwise this is a well-paced and beautifully photographed film. The settings are historically accurate and well thought out and researched. I enjoyed seeing the dignified offices, were they really so beautiful? Was this very English film successful in the USA? American films tend to move much faster, with warnings of 'flashing images'. No problem with that in this film, it maintains a steady slow pace which renders it plausible and life-like. David Thewliss is a wonderful contrast to Kitchen. His hangdog expressions provide a light touch, a technique Shakespeare uses to great effect. A superb film which I thoroughly enjoyed.

A superb period piece with Michael Kitchen owning the role of Armstrong. The supporting cast is excellent. The story is at once darkly humorous and purely evil. A must watch.

Apart from that it ok. Just forget it, can't decide if it is farse or drama and ends being just farsical. Watch some commercials they would be more entertaining.

I had never heard of this story until I saw this television drama. I admired Michael Kitchen in Foyle's War, a wonderful, understated television series. In this drama, he delivers an excellent performance in a very perplexing role as a strange village lawyer long before he starring in Foyle's War. David Thewlis is another actor I admired for his role in The Inspector Calls. Here he acts in a totally different role, which Thewlis performs superbly, as an underdog who stands up to Kitchen's Major Armstrong. I was pleased to see Sarah Miles who performed so well in movies going back to the 1960's but her talent is wasted here in her truncated performance as the wife of "Major Armstrong". Other than that, there is a strong cast in various supporting roles. The two-part episode shows village life and the characters of two entirely different men who find themselves in an ethical conflict that becomes a matter of criminal misconduct. The location shooting and sets are very good and the last 45 minutes are filled with suspense. Without giving it away, I found the end rather abrupt. On the whole, however, it was good viewing with some excellent acting.