Father Brown

Catholic Priest Father Brown is on hand to investigate all manner of crimes, including murder, often assisted by his old friend Flambeau.

I'm an Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle addict, I was late to The GK Chesterton party, and only found the works through The BBC reboot. I struggled with the pacing early on, but decided to first read the books, then watch them with fresh eyes, it was the right move.

Intelligent mysteries, Father Brown is often an observer, an onlooker, in a similar way to Miss Marple I guess, he's observant and perceive, he's clever, but he's not over the top or dynamic.

Oracle of The Dog and Curse of The Golden Cross were my favourite episodes, but every episode offers something. It surprised me how little Father Brown appeared in some of the novels, the changes that were made in this series work very well.

Kenneth More is excellent as Father Brown, when you read the books, he's exactly the character you see in your mind's eye, he fits the bill perfectly.

As much as I thoroughly enjoy The BBC reboot with Mark Williams, this is a much more authentic offering.

8/10.

If, like my wife and myself, you have run through the BBC's various Christie series, these are a good find. They are a bit dated, but I prefer a good story to a click production. More is an excellent Father Brown, soft-spoken, witty, but sharp and persistent.

These stories are from a bit earlier in the mystery genre than most adaptations, and this dates the series as much as the productions. Chesterfield's stories tend to be more "howdunit" than "whodunit", with the focus less on the characters than on the murder itself. This can be a problem, at times, but it can be very good, especially when combined with good characters.

First-rate adaptations in their time of G. K. Chesterton's clerical detective Father Brown. The series which aired in 1974 unfortunately has only 13 episodes in it. Having re-watched them all again(having seen them probably in the late 70s on Mystery I think), the stories, the detective, and the productions all hold up today with rather small problems. Yes, these episodes are somewhat stagy and plodding at times - much like the stories can be. Father Brown is no Sherlock Holmes when it comes to action nor does he have the hubris one associates with Hercule Poirot or a Lord Peter Whimsey. He is more like an accelerated Miss Marple in both action and demeanor. Kenneth More plays the priest to perfection I think. Father Brown was a very inconspicuous character in the stories, but that just won't do for television if you want any viewers. More gives Brown some warmth, charisma(as earlier stated by another reviewer), and roundness as a priest and as a human being. He makes this series work and is incredibly fun to watch. The episodes are very faithful in most cases to the source material with some changes, but each episode has solid direction, good character acting, a puzzle albeit at sometimes a complicatedly-woven one, and More at its center. Some of the stellar episodes are: The Eye of Apollo in which Father Brown matches wits with a religious huckster, The Three Tools of Death which is about death from a very intriguing manner, and The Arrow of Heaven - again a rather neat little mystery. Throughout the episodes you will see the likes of actors such as: Ferdy Mayne(The Fearless Vampire Killers - vampire), Benard Lee(M in James Bond films), Shelia Keith(Pete Walker films like House of Whipcord and Frightmare and one scary actress just in general), and Dennis Burgess plays Hercule Flambeau in several episodes. If you are the mood for a thought-provoking mystery, try a little priest.

The 1974 version of G. K. Chesterson's Father Brown is chef's kiss aesthetically and intellectually. I have seen a few episodes of the 2000s remake, which is brightly lit and has a certain middle class sensibility compared to the mysterious darkness of this series, and that 21st century revamp is flat, bland and twee - like it was literally dumbed down for Americans. The 1970s original is magnificent BBC drama, replete with claustrophobic smoking parlours, be-wigged barristers in stuffy court rooms and delightful ornate antique light fixtures.

The Father Dowling Mysteries were an Americanized and modernized attempt at the original 1920s Chesterson books, and are for all intents and purposes absolute moronic trash in comparison (unless you were eight years old in 1989).

But this THIS is art and I am delighted that numerous episodes are available on streaming. Highly recommended to serious mystery fans.

These TV series are poorly made. I do not mean the technical side, with respect to age of the series and TV format it could be considered satisfiable.

I mean, actors' playing is bad almost for all of them. Sometimes the plot lines are vague and characters are unbelievable.

May be, one of the strong sides is that acting doesn't always look like theatrical performance. We get some interesting views and interiors.

I am not a good reader, so I've considered to watch this version. And I've got nothing. I couldn't assemble the plot, I can't understand the clerical point of view, I do not believe in acting. Just a few personal features and authors statements are well pronounced.

I wouldn't keep this historical TV production in my archive.