Father Brown (2013)

Watchseries; I saw Alec Guinness play Father Brown in the film version some years ago and an enjoyable film it was as well. It was a shame he did not make more Father Brown films.

This television adaptation by the BBC, shown in the afternoons might not be for the purists who have read the books and appalled at the changes made.

The TV adaptation because of budgetary reasons require a fixed location (such as the village setting) fixed sets and a small regular cast of characters as the core actors have to be retained for the duration of the shoot.

The period setting has moved forward to the 1950s, a time of post war change and Father Brown might be deemed to be a little too modern with some liberal sensibilities. Then again he is a man who has himself experienced the horrors of war and we believe has travelled widely and open to new experiences even though he is a Catholic priest.

The murder mysteries are enjoyable, easy viewing for the whole family. Some of the stories in the TV series are new and others are based on the books by Chesterton.

In the books, Father Brown might be deemed to a be a peripheral character, somewhat on the edge. In one of the stories I did read and which the series did adapt (The Blue Cross,) it was noticeable how pacey and thrilling the adaptation was in contrast with the book.

I saw Alec Guinness play Father Brown in the film version some years ago and an enjoyable film it was as well. It was a shame he did not make more Father Brown films.

This television adaptation by the BBC, shown in the afternoons might not be for the purists who have read the books and appalled at the changes made.

The TV adaptation because of budgetary reasons require a fixed location (such as the village setting) fixed sets and a small regular cast of characters as the core actors have to be retained for the duration of the shoot.

The period setting has moved forward to the 1950s, a time of post war change and Father Brown might be deemed to be a little too modern with some liberal sensibilities. Then again he is a man who has himself experienced the horrors of war and we believe has travelled widely and open to new experiences even though he is a Catholic priest.

The murder mysteries are enjoyable, easy viewing for the whole family. Some of the stories in the TV series are new and others are based on the books by Chesterton.

In the books, Father Brown might be deemed to a be a peripheral character, somewhat on the edge. In one of the stories I did read and which the series did adapt (The Blue Cross,) it was noticeable how pacey and thrilling the adaptation was in contrast with the book.

Father Brown watchseries. This series is rather like the recent Marple remakes: Nice attention to period details as far as clothes and cars. Yet, as with the Agatha Christie novels made within the last few years which have been moved into the same period, the episodes are not very much like the books. (At least it does say in the opening credit that they are based "on characters by G.K. Chesterton";certainly not on Chesterton's--or Father Brown's--theology and period background, and only very loosely on the plots.)

Similarly to the Marple remakes starring Geraldine McEwan, the story lines and character details have been made "politically correct" by inserting issues and implications with which Chesterton, as a devout Catholic, would almost certainly have disagreed; and as a result, the characters do not tend to be convincing--they are 21st century people in 1950's clothing, but that is all. They really don't act or think as English people of the period did--which is a shame, since so much has been put into getting the period correct visibly.

Whilst the earlier Father Brown series did remain closer to both plot and period representation in character thought and deportment, like many BBC programmes of the 1970's, it seems to have been produced on a very limited budget and has the feel more of a stage play than a television series. So an update in production quality was needed, but not a complete rearranging of the characters' background and behaviors, simply so they would "connect" more with viewers of 2013. If you're going to produce a period piece (which this is), you need to stay true to that period, or move the plots into your own.

The early series were enjoyable but when Jack Deam came on the show the series turned into a mess. Deam is a good actor but his character is even more of a caricature of a policeman than a 1930's vintage Ealing comedy. Not sure whether it's the writing, directing or just Deam making horribly bad acting choices. His over-the-top style seems to have influenced the whole cast who now overact badly. It's sad to see a once enjoyable series go so far downhill.

I was sad I couldn't enjoy season 5 as much as previous ones. I don't know if Detective Mallory's performance is supposed to be acted so poorly or if Jack Deam is a lousy actor. He seems to be channeling a parody of a pirate, what with his screwed up eyes and mouth and sneering.

What I find most annoying is the Political Correctness. Two episodes had the theme of lesbianism in the 1950s in Middlle England and it was portrayed as acceptable, which, in real life it wasn't. Were the writers scraping the barrel to come up with this?

The alien episode really was the pits. How could the nurse have drawn the crop circle by herself and set off the fireworks simultaneously? Please can someone explain to ensure what the bright lights in that episode were attributes to? I just didn't get it.

Being retired, Daytime Television can be tedious for someone not a fan of antique shows, chat shows and people wanting to move to Australia.

Father Brown is still the best offering, it's a shame that it's only around for a fortnight every year. It's a shame we couldn't have more episodes per year.

I miss Sid and Lady Felicia, but the characters are still very good, I like Bunty very much.

Kembleford is a small village, one wonders if there is anyone left. 7/10

The first few season are very enjoyable. I liked the character of Father Brown and absolutely loved Mrs. McCarthy and Lady Felicia. Sid, the Inspectors in Seasons 1 - 3 and the recurring character of Flambeau were also entertaining. But then the show began to change.

Season 4 was still entertaining but a bit less so due to the new Inspector. The character seemed like someone from a bad 1970's sitcom, he was painfully out of place. More changes came in Season 5, and not for the better, it just isn't Father Brown without Lady Felicia.

The other problem I had with this show is that the main characters, with the exception of Mrs. McCarthy, had very 21st century social values. That's fine if the show was set in the 21st century but it is highly unbelievable for rural England in the early 1950s.