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directed by Robert Del Maestro, Bryn Higgins
UK 2017

 

The final series of GEORGE GENTLY - based on the long-running book series by Alan Hunter - takes world-weary Gently (Martin Shaw, MACBETH) into the turbulent 1970s just as he is being pressed to hang up his hat by his superiors. When a body found in a waste tank at an industrial site is identified as the body of a man murdered by his now-imprisoned wife Eve (Anamaria Marinca, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS), Gently at first suspects that she must have had help to move the body and then, after interviewing her and finding her ignorant of the location of the body, that she might not be the murderer. As Gently, junior investigator John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby, NATURE BOY), and new detective Rachel Coles (Lisa McGrillis) re-interview the witnesses and pore over the evidence, Gently suspects a miscarriage of justice, Coles suspects rampant sexism and intolerance of foreigners skewed the interpretation of the evidence, and Bacchus is as eager to shut down the investigation as his superior are over bad press due to his own conduct in the original investigation. In the final case, Gently makes himself even more unpopular with his colleagues with the successful conviction of a group of corrupt officers. The win, however, makes him the ideal investigator to look into an anonymous tip about the murder of a young woman who was a scab worker in Washington ("County Durham, not D.C.") while Bacchus and Coles investigate the more recent professional-looking hit on another scab worker during a labor and union dispute with the seemingly benevolent help of ascending labor MP Michael Clements (HINTERLAND's Richard Harrington). When Clements turns out to be the link between both crimes and is implicated more personally in the first murder, Gently wonders whether he really has solved two cases simultaneously or if both he and Clements are being set up by higher powers. The final two feature-length episodes of the series are rather a mixed bag. While Gently has spent the entirety of the series trying to mold Bacchus into his own image, the need to resolve this long-running thread within one episode seems to suggest that they really have not made much progress at all within the last decade with confrontational scenes rehashing Bacchus' drinking, his estranged ex-wife, his non-relationship with his young daughter, and his seemingly lackadaisical approach to investigation, in such a manner that it seems less like the creators are interested in resolving their relationship than in sidelining it in favor of Gently mentoring Coles just as she is starting to become active in women's liberation. The ending of the series as a whole seems like a lazy cop-out and is even more unsatisfying if there is no spin-off series.

Eric Cotenas

Theatrical Release: 21 May 2017 - 30 October 2017 (UK TV)

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DVD Review: Acorn Media - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover

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also available on Blu-ray in the US:

 

Distribution

Acorn Media

Region 2 - PAL

Runtime 2:57:06 (4% PAL speedup)
Video

1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 4.28 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles Engilsh HoH, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Acorn Media

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1

Edition Details:
� Episodes:
� - 8.1: 'Gently Liberated' (16:9; 1:28:30)
� - 8.2: 'Gently and the New Age' (16:9; 1:28:36)
� 'Gently Liberated' featurette (16:9; 3:58)
� 'Goodbye Gently' featurette (16:9; 6:26)
� Interviews:
� - Martin Shaw (16:9; 4:41)
� - Lee Ingleby (16:9; 3:34)
� - Lisa McGrillis (16:9; 3:04)
� - Richard Harrington (16:9; 4:01)
� - writer Charlotte Wolf (16:9; 3:32)
� - writer Robert Murphy (16:9; 4:01)
� - production designer Maurice Cain (16:9; 2:09)
� - costume designer Ros Little (16:9; 1:16)
� Picture Gallery (16:9; 1:21)

DVD Release Date: November 6th, 2017
Amaray

Chapters 12

 

Comments

Acorn Media has not made full use of the dual-layer disc space for the roughly three-and-a-half hours of feature and extras and the mid-range bitrate encode looks a bit softer than it perhaps should be (although it is hard to tell given the period setting and muted palette whether the softness is deliberate) while the Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is stronger on dialogue and occasional directional sound effects than scoring. Optional English subtitles are also included. Extras consist of several short video interviews that were probably used to promote the series on the internet or in between programs on television.

Series 8 is available separately or in a complete series boxed set.

  - Eric Cotenas

 


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DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

 

also available on Blu-ray in the US:

 

Distribution

Acorn Media

Region 2 - PAL



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