The Scold's Bridle (1998)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio
Rating
Year Of Production	1998
Running Time	147:29 (Case: 146)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (74:05)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	David Thacker
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Miranda Richardson Bob Peck Douglas Hodge Sian Phillips Trudie Styler Beth Winslet
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	Box	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Minette Walters is one of the most popular modern psychological thriller writers in the world. Since 1992 she has had 12 books published and so far 5 of them have been made into telemovies for the BBC. All five of the telemovies have been released here locally as part of a Minette Walters box set by Roadshow. I decided to watch and review them in the order they were made rather than the order the books were published. This book was published in 1994 (her third novel) and the movie was first shown in 1998.

    This one is the most overtly sexual story of the five included in this set but also has a set-up and structure which is the most reminiscent of a standard British television mystery like a Midsomer Murders episode. It features a large cast of suspects, all of whom could have done it or been involved and is centred upon the investigating officer's approach to finding the killer. An old woman, Mathilda Gillespie, who was rich, intolerant, arrogant and widely hated is found dead in her bath, wearing a medieval contraption known as a scold's bridle. A scold's bridle is something worn on the head which was used to punish nagging wives. It involves various uncomfortable bars and a mouthpiece which makes it impossible to talk. Initially it is thought to be suicide, however, the investigating officer, Sergeant Cooper (Bob Peck) is not convinced. Mathilda had previously been in a marriage of convenience with a gay man which ended in divorce. The suspects include:

• Dr Sarah Blakeney (Miranda Richardson) - A local doctor who was treating the old woman and was one of the few people who would put up with her personality.
• Joanna Lascelles (Trudie Styler) - The old woman's daughter who hated her more than most. She is a very nasty piece of work in her own right.
• Jack Blakeney (Douglas Hodge) - Dr Sarah's husband who is an artist and constantly chases other women. Their marriage is not exactly happy.
• Ruth Lascelles (Beth Winslet) - Joanna's daughter who is an annoying tantrum thrower despite being 17.
• Violet & Duncan Orloff (Paul Brooke & Virginia McKenna) - A late middle aged couple who bought a wing of the old lady's house and share it with her.

    I felt this was a good story but not quite as strong as the others in the set. Despite this, it is well acted and keeps you interested over the 2 and a half hour running time. It is presented here in two parts as it was shown on television.

    Recommended.

Video

    The video quality is very good, significantly better than the first two.

    The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio 16x9 enhanced which I would guess is the original aspect ratio.

    The picture was quite sharp and clear. Shadow detail is reasonable but nothing special. I did not notice any low level noise.

    The colour was very good, quite vibrant and well saturated. There was some minor colour bleeding from light colours.

    There were no major artefacts to mention.

    There are subtitles in English for the hearing impaired. The English subtitles were clear and easy to read.

    The layer change occurs at 74:05 which is the end of the first part. It was not noticeable.
    

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio quality is good.

    This DVD contains an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at 192 Kb/s.

    Dialogue was generally clear and easy to understand and there was no problem with audio sync.

    The score of this film by Junior Campbell is tense and includes some moody piano. Trivia buffs will be interested that this composer also composed the theme tune for Thomas The Tank Engine .

    The surround speakers were not used.

     The subwoofer was not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    None.

Menu

    The menu included music, and the ability to select parts, scenes and subtitles.

     This disc is available in the same box set format in Region 2 and is not available in Region 1. The local product wins.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is good.

    No extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall