VERA DVD

The rumpled DCI Vera Stanhope is salt of the earth, what a refreshing character. The driving force and star is the fine actress Brenda Blethyn as Vera. Blethyn's face is as expressive and interesting as the blustery northern landscape, weathering storms of conflict. The Northumberland villages, soft northern light, and seascapes provide a timelessness to the human narrative strewn upon the landscape. The marvelous Brenda Blethyn and crew are authentic and entertaining. David Leon, as her sidekick, is capable, and it's a treat to catch the fine and underrated John Lynch of  The Secret of Roan Inish , among others, as guest stars. Gina McKee is superb in the first mystery, as a mother coping with economic hardships; she lives in a modest row-house, on a block where the Northumberland sky seems to slam down at the end of the street, a permanent dead-end. Her pathos over her losses it utterly believable.The Brits reward actors who are robust, plump, assertive, deeply human, and divinely wrinkled, while too often American TV is dominated by polished, dull, and immobile faces. "Vera" is a tremendous visual and imaginative treat. The dialect is easy to understand, the rich nouns as hefty and delicious as meat-pies and ale; subtitles are utterly unnecessary. In the first mystery, "Hidden Depths," we're introduced to Vera, who is coping with the recent death of her father. This loss haunts all the subsequent mysteries. As she says, a culprit is "caught in the act of being alone." Slugging down whisky under a sullen sky, she declares such loneliness is "not for the faint-hearted." Dust to water, Vera sheds her father's ashes in the sea. But the absence of a loving father, of caring familial connections, continues to haunt Vera, as she, and another woman who was tragically and falsely accused of murder, find in "Telling Tales." Some tragedies in life have no clear, happy resolution, as the "Crow Trap" and "Little Lazarus" explore.I look forward to much more of the bad-tempered and authentic "Vera," hopefully the series will continue for many more seasons! The evocative, bleakly beautiful Northumberland landscape is a welcome and perfect stage for these intense mysteries.You might enjoy the fine Scottish mysteries  Hamish MacBeth: Series 1-3 Collection  and  Case Histories , and the documentary  A History of Scotland ; good with Islay single-malts like Ardbeg or Laphroaig. The deeply talented, always compelling Brenda Blethyn is wonderful in the sharp comedy  Saving Grace , and great dancing with Alfred Molina in  Undertaking Betty , with cats Fred & Ginger.

It is a great show. A little slow moving at times but more than makes up for it with the storyline and actors.

This series is set in the beautiful UK coutryside of Northumberland - sea, beautiful beaches and rugged landscapes. Perhaps I'm promoting the locale rather than Vera?! I bought the set for lovely friends who live in Santa Barbara, so there is a similiarity in terms of sea and landscapes. Not in climate though. I wanted them to get a flavour of where I live in the UK as well as enjoy an excellent series. Brenda Blethyn as Vera is superb and got to grips very well with our local distinctive dialect. The stories/episodes are all of a very high standard. The cinematography reminds me of Scandavian movies a la Ingmar Bergman. Beautiful, atmospheric shots that really add to the mood of the stories. Don't worry...these aren't bleak tales. Very entertaining and intelligent acting and stories. The character Vera is very engaging and not at all glamourous. A "real" person as portrayed by Brenda with foibles and perhaps reflective about how life might have turned out for her, rather than simply a having career and maybe little else. So, Vera for Americans is different in terms of the location and the type of characters portrayed. I don't believe you'll be disappointed in any respect. Who knows you may end up being intrigued about the beauty and mystery of Northumberland.....

As a fan of British mysteries I'm well acquainted with male detectives who are buttoned-down, troubled or just eccentric, and women detectives who are brittle, defensive and feel they have to prove themselves non-stop. Then there's Vera. She's a little disheveled, a little scattered, part bloodhound, part savant, part imp and all business - full stop. She's brilliantly played by the brilliant Brenda Blethyn as a kinetic bundle of instinct and craft who will not give up till she has the right answer no matter how hard she works and no matter how hard she pushes her impatient but dedicated team. Each disc is a feature-length story in one episode which is so satisfying. The plots, the writing, the gorgeous production values and the captivating acting all get five stars. Actually, more than five but that's all you've got.

I enjoy most of the PBS mysteries, especially Lewis, Sherlock, Wallander & Endeavour. Vera is a different type of character than usually seen on PBS. This woman is quite ornery, stubborn & downright rude at times, but underneath the tough exterior she has a soft heart. Her sidekick Joe is very tolerant of her and at times you almost pity him for what he puts up with in his daily dealings with his boss. Pretty much like a mother and son relationship though neither would admit to it. The British, sometimes slightly Irish, accents sometimes get a bit hard to understand here, but overall the show is quite good. I never quite got into the long-running Inspector Lynley series. The chemistry between the characters has to be there and in VERA I feel it is.

If your taste falls towards a good mystery with quirky characters, this is the series for you. "Vera" as a character is fairly intense and goes sort of crazy on some occasions if the clues just don't seem to fit. Her poor Sgt. has to endure most of her wrath and still maintain an air of competence. While his home life and young family go through the trails of daily life mostly on their own..This may seem to the fan to be horribly unfair but in truth you see that Vera herself is a tormented soul, who cares deeply for her Sgt. as she would for the son she will never have...The writing is extremely well done and keeps the fan at best befuddled, and at worst, just as frustrated as the main character..The story lines are uncommonly interesting and as a bonus you get to see the north eastern coast of England. A place that has a haunting beauty all its own...

The DVD arrived when I was told it would. It is in brand new condition. Very pleased with it. I will be shopping there again.

Vera has the kind of personality that, even when sitting on the couch watching safely in Canada, makes you cringe with fear when she gets angry. The performances here are so stunning that its entirely possible to forget that these are actors acting - high praise indeed. The mysteries drive the stories and are complex and involving. Everything you want from good entertainment is found here - and more. For fans of mysteries, of fine performances, of great writing - this is one to try.

Brenda Blethyn is always brillant but as the top cop in this series she outdoes all the others. She has created a bag lady type frump who brings her eccentric genius to solve complex murder cases. Her character portrayal is definitely unique and fascinating. To top it all off she has two colleagues who are also one offs helping to make the series even more interesting.If you like British mystery series you may find this tops them all.

Vera Season one was well worth the effort to obtain.Vera is not your typical detective in that she has the apperance of a motherly woman -and by far she isn't--she plays the game of police detecting with the best of them and uses her image to her advantage. She is a quiet cunning police woman with strong intuitions and even stonger opinions. You are given details of her personnel life to add flavor to her character and find yourself laughing at the simple situations that as a woman she is not prepared to handle. Her skills as a lead detective are amazing and as the series progresses you realize the depth of devotion she has given to her profession --and at what cost . The only problem with Vera is that it is season one ---and the new season didn't start until April 2012 so we will have to wait a year to catch up to her again.

tres bonne série merci