Zen on PBS
Jul 22, 2011 12:28:55 GMT
Post by rueful on Jul 22, 2011 12:28:55 GMT
Oh. 262 minutes!
(I wonder if the difference is something to do with the different DVD systems?)That's strange! Thanks very much for looking at your copy. Sometimes in their ads for the DVD at the end of the show, PBS will mention if it's the full British version (they did that for Downton Abbey). This week, I won't FF through the ad, and see if they say anything.
That would have been a good idea--show, not tell, as the critics always like to advise.
In time for this week's episode, here's another nice review.
www.hollywoodtoday.net/2011/07/21/pbs-zen-a-masterpiece-of-a-roman-detective-mystery/
PBS Zen a Masterpiece of a Roman Detective Mystery
Masterpiece Mystery presents Zen, a Roman police detective who always gets his man or woman, yet has a secret agenda that mixes politics with police work
– airing Sundays, July 17-31, 2011 at 9pm on PBS **** four stars
By Robin Rowe
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 7/21/2011 – “What’s wonderful about Zen is he’s a little bit sly,” says Zen star Rufus Sewell. “The whole experience of Zen was so much fun for me. Not so much for the dialog and the action, although it was great to have a holster and a gun…. It was so wonderful being able to listen on camera with the full confidence that the audience is going to get the opportunity slowly to see that world through my eyes. All I have to do is think my way through it.”
Zen, based on the bestselling novels by Michael Dibdin, is the story of Aurelio Zen, an honest cop in Rome who must be very clever in order to be an honest cop in a corrupt Rome. Zen is always finding himself in position that political bosses are ordering him to fix his latest case to the outcome they need for political reasons. What makes it impossible, and the real mystery for Zen to solve, is how to create an outcome that includes justice and the opposite outcomes that his chief and politicos demand he produce.
Rome is gorgeous. Rufus Sewell deliciously underplays his role as Zen, a Roman police detective from Venice. Separated from his wife and living with his mother, he’s caught up in a secret romance his chief’s new secretary. Caterina Murino is wonderful as Tania Moretti, the new hot chick at the office who is the object of an office bet as to who will sleep with her first. Ben Miles is Zen’s secret political boss who gives Zen impossible missions. Miles was wonderful in the BBC series Coupling as Patrick and brings his likable wit to the series Zen. Stanley Townsend from Sherlock is fantastic as Zen’s irascible police chief Moscati.
Zen has an unusual Venetian name and an unusual reputation. In the shark tank of Roman politics, he’s known as an honest detective…much to the detriment of his career. Zen is handed a chance to play politics and salvage his career. Aurelio Zen always tries to do the right thing while making it appear that he’s following the conflicting orders of his bosses.
Outwitting prosecutors, politicians, mobsters, kidnappers and killers, Detective Aurelio Zen brings justice to modern-day Italy…whether the authorities want it or not. Zen is a three episode mini-series from Masterpiece. Vendetta premiered on July 17th. You can catch up with that in repeats or online. If you liked Vendetta, Cabal airing on July 24th is even more clever and delicious. The final episode, Ratking, airs on July 31st.
If you love Masterpiece Mystery, don’t miss Zen
Here's something cool. A website asked Dibdin's editor what he thought of the production, and he gave a very positive response.
www.weeklylizard.com/blog/2011/07/18/the-art-of-zen-adetective-makes-his-small-screen-debut/
The Art of Zen: A Detective Makes His Small Screen Debut
Weekly Lizard
On Sunday, July 17, the first episode of Masterpiece Mystery’s much-anticipated Zen series premiered on PBS. For an insider’s perspective on the translation of these books to film, we went to Michael Dibdin’s longtime paperback editor, Edward Kastenmeier. Read on for his comments and then click on the links below to read recent reviews!
For years I have been hoping someone would produce the Aurelio Zen series. Dibdin’s portrayal of Italian culture is fascinating, illuminating, and makes for riveting reading, and I’ve always thought that it would translate perfectly to the screen. So it was with great pleasure that I watched the first Aurelio Zen filmed by the BBC. Personally, I think Rebecca Eaton has done a fabulous job. Her rendition of “Vendetta” is atmospheric in the extreme, and does justice to Dibdin’s Italy, in which systemic corruption and old family secrets and loyalties combine to create a world in which nothing is certain. The pacing was also both true to the books and a delight to watch. It built slowly and surely throughout the episode to end with a dramatic and satisfying climax. Finally, I thought Rufus Sewell was an interesting choice for Zen. He was somewhat more taciturn than I pictured Zen, mostly because the books are from Zen’s point of view. But it was an interesting choice in the context of a movie, and I welcomed the intensity it brought the character.
There are more episodes to follow. Here’s hoping they live up to the high bar this first installment set.
—E.K.
, I love the editor's comments!
)
looking forward to next Sunday !
I'll probably watch it again when it replays in an hour. Can't have too much Zen ;D