Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #300 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-01
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 18
• Running time: 3572 minutes

Synopsis
This lavish box set collects all 33 episodes of the long-running and popular INSPECTOR MORSE detective series. Based on Colin Dexter's novels, the series features Morse (John Thaw) and his sidekick Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately), investigating murders and other crimes in and around Oxford. A wealth of guests appear, including the likes of Liz Hurley, Sean Bean, Sir John Gielgud and many, many more.

Customer Reviews

Only the poor packaging lets it down
It is wonderful to have the complete works of Inspector Morse, housed within a nicely presented, space saving package. This box set is about a quarter of the size of the previous complete incarnation of Inspector Morse, and for many, this will be very welcome indeed. Add the fact that there are over three hours of very interesting documentaries, at a price which is also a quarter of its previous cost; surely it all seems too good to be true? Well, yes, and no.

Many, if not most people, who are considering the purchase of this set already know the virtues of this incredible series; therefore, my review is not based on what most buyers will already know, which is - Inspector Morse, as far as tv drama is concerned, is right at the top of the list for high quality entertainment. It has a timeless appeal (and yet, hardly a mobile phone in sight), which will last for generations to come. It is suffused with beautiful nuances, ingenious subplots and a soundtrack which pricks at the subconscious, evoking almost sad, distant memories, particularly for those who grew up with the partnership of Morse and Lewis. It has been the brunt of many half decent imitations over the years - although it has never been bettered.

For content quality, it gets five stars, no question. It is the packaging which comes under criticism - and it is this, together with some criticism over the re-mastering, which has given rise to the omission of one star. I will now explain in detail. Crammed within a simple, glossy cardboard box, you are left with two plastic containers, each housing around ten discs. Each disc is attached to one of five plastic plates - with a disc each side (back to back), attached to a normal, central hub. The discs are very difficult to prise off the plate - almost to the point where the disc is bent in two. This is due to the fact that all of the holding, central hubs are hard, fast plastic. You can't push down in the normal manner, whereby each disc rises so you can then take it out nicely at the edge. In the end, to save breaking the discs - you will end up having to go through a slow, laborious process, which involves gently edging each disc out (longish nails will help in this instance). The criticism here is based on practicality - and it is worth mentioning because the packaging is definitely something which will not suit everyone (especially if you have limited mobility of the hands, for example). So, it is worth bearing in mind.

The other matter, which is the re-mastering, is also worthy of note. The box says `digitally restored with full picture and sound restoration'. I'd shiver to think what the first dozen or so episode transfers were like on previous releases, because the picture quality on quite a few of these episodes, is substandard, to say the least. The sound cannot be faulted, for its part - however, the picture quality is so poor that in some instances, it's almost like watching a smudged, slightly spoilt, oil painting; a bit like that movie, starring Robin Williams - where he walks into the world inhabited within a painting, created by the protagonists deceased spouse - What Dreams May Come, I think it's called. Perhaps I'm over dramatising the issue here; however, when watching these (as already mentioned, the first 10-12 episodes), and looking at the statement on the box - it will make you laugh. It's a con; a marketing ploy - possibly to appeal to those who already have the previous complete works. These 1987 -1999 transfers aren't even in the same league as late 60's, early 70's Columbo episodes. Really!

Oh, also; another thing which is quite annoying - please forgive me for nit picking - is the incorrect naming of pieces of music within the subtitles. On many instances - the subtitle will say `Mozart Piano Concerto' when it's really one of the Opus 54 Quartets, by Joseph Haydn; or, `Bach Suite' when again, it's clearly the music of Joseph Haydn, and `Handel`, when it`s Bach. These mistakes, which would have existed on previous releases, have not been rectified - therefore, one can deduce that there never was a complete restoration of any kind, whatsoever.

So, take it as it is. Even with its faults, this set is simply amazing to trawl through on lazy afternoons. Although I've been fairly critical with regard to the technicalities of this set - taken as a whole however, it is still a bargain at the price, and it will give you many hours of pleasure, for many years to come. Highly recommended.

No problem with this Morse set.
We were uncertain about buying this set only because of the crticism expressed by an earlier reviewer concerning picture quality and handling problems.
We have now watched the first 4 episodes and have no doubts at all. It is excellent. Let's face it these early episodes were made over 20 years ago they are not going to be in HD but they are fine - we have a 37 inch TV screen so any flaws would be easily seen.
I have no difficulty extracting the DVD's from the cleverly designed cases, and I am no spring chicken. The cunning packaging means all 33 DVD's take up no more shelf space than say about 5 single DVD's.
If you enjoyed Morse when it was first shown in the 1980's & 90's, or have been introduced to him on the subsequent repeats DO BUY THIS SET.

TERRIBLE QUALITY AVOID!!! BUY INDIVIDUAL SERIES SETS
Morse is brilliant. There can be no discussion here. However the image quality of this boxset is appauling. It even has the neck to claim to be "digitally remastered" on the front. Have only watched some of the early episodes but they are really awful. This is not because they are over 20 years old. It is becuase they have opted to squeeze 2 episodes per disc. This is close to 4 hours of video, which mean's they have compressed the file size which results in a poor pixelated image. This seems to be a running theme with "ITV" dvds. Suggest buying the individual series boxsets which have one episode per disc. Shouldn't be much more expensive if you get the used ones. Such a shame.