Death in Paradise (2011) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Mystery | None | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2011 | ||
Running Time | 467 | ||
RSDL / Flipper |
Dual Layered Dual Disc Set |
Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | None Given |
Studio
Distributor |
Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring | Ben Miller |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Dual | ||
RPI | ? | Music | None Given |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | English | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
There seems to be an inexhaustible supply of British detective series whether it be Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Cracker, Poirot, Dirk Gently or The Shadow Line. Into this mix now comes, Death in Paradise, a high quality entrant to the genre which brings dramatic cases combined with lots of comedic touches, a fish out of water theme and exotic locations.
This eight episode first series (a second has been commissioned) kicks off with Detective Inspector Richard Poole (Ben Miller) being sent from the Met in London to investigate the murder of another British detective in Sainte-Marie (a fictitious island in the Caribbean). Whilst many would see this as a spectacular opportunity to get away from grey London and spend some time with sun, sand and beautiful women, Poole sees it as a punishment. He rails against his punishment by always wearing his normal suit and tie and refusing to get involved with the local lifestyle, cuisine or drinks. He is constantly searching for somewhere to get a decent cup of tea. Once the initial case is solved, his commander in England decides to transfer him to Sainte-Marie on a more permanent basis, much to his annoyance. He becomes part of the local police team, led by the commissioner (Don Warrington) and supported by fellow detective Camille Bordey (Sara Martins) and two uniformed officers, Dwayne (Danny John-Jules of Red Dwarf fame) and Fidel (Gary Carr). Initially they find him hard work but as he relaxes their respect for him grows. Each episode brings a new murder mystery sometimes locals, sometimes visitors or travelling criminals.
This is an enjoyable and entertaining light mystery series with some great dialogue and nice comedic touches. Placing a wonderful comedic actor like Ben Miller in what is a fairly dramatic situation is an excellent choice because he adds comic timing to the role, which accentuates the fish out of water problems he faces. The supporting cast are great too adding to the style and substance of the show. The show was filmed in Guadeloupe and the scenery is beautiful. The eight episodes are about one hour each and are spread over 2 discs.
Recommended.
The video quality is very good.
The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.
The picture is quite clear and sharp for television on DVD. Shadow detail is good.
The colour is vibrant showing of the Caribbean locations.
There is little to complain about in artefact terms with a little shimmer and some motion blur.
There are subtitles in English which are clear and easy to read.
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Overall |
The audio quality is good.
These discs contain an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. The sound is obviously quite front focused.
Dialogue was easy to understand and clear throughout.
The theme music is suitably Caribbean in style adding to the atmosphere.
The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The menu featured music and allowed for episode selection.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This series is available in the same format in the UK.
Another high quality mystery series from the BBC, this time set in the Caribbean.
The video quality is very good.
The audio quality is good.
The extras are non-existent.
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Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | SONY BDP-S760 Blu-ray, using HDMI output |
Display | Sharp LC52LE820X Quattron 52" Full HD LED-LCD TV . Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built into amplifier. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. |
Amplification | Marantz SR5005 |
Speakers | Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer |