Grantchester: Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Grantchester: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 27, 2015

Sidney Chambers is a most unusual protagonist for a murder mystery show. While his calling takes him into the priesthood, Sidney retains his sins and vices, spending six episodes of “Grantchester” smoking, drinking, listening to jazz, womanizing, lying, stealing, and struggling with memories of murder while in service during World War II. He’s not your average vicar, giving “Grantchester,” based on the novels by James Runcie, an unexpected kick when dealing with its routine of death and investigation, permitting the material welcome complexity when confronting matters of the heart.

“Grantchester” tells the story of Sidney (James Norton), a troubled priest living in rural England during the 1950s trying to make sense of his life and calling. There’s unrequited love for Amanda (Morven Christie), a dear friend he can’t work up the nerve to commit to, and he’s befriended Detective Inspector Keating (Robson Green), a moody cop who takes to the priest’s company and admires his ability to drink. Together, the pair set out to solve a series of local murders, using the vicar’s way with confessional comfort to bring out secrets and expose the guilty. Sidney also has his own issues to struggle with, trying to keep himself together for weekly mass, pouring his life experiences into his sermons.

“Grantchester” is another ITV effort that hopes to enjoy the same appointment television status as “Downton Abbey,” sharing a similar visual scheme and scoring efforts, only here the mission is one of murder and introspection. It’s a mystery show with limited screentime to work out the details of the crimes, but it manages to compact a substantial sense of investigation with each episode, following Sidney and Keating as they try to find procedural balance between a priest and a cop, growing to depend on each other as the cases grow increasingly complicated. Pint-wet banter is sharp, but “Grantchester” is better with private moments, digging into Sidney’s shredded psyche as the vicar deals with horrific memories from the battlefield, a growing reliance on alcohol consumption, and his relationship with Amanda -- the one that got away but never really went away, forcing Sidney to search his feelings as time runs out on their relationship. Dramatics are almost always more compelling than dead bodies in “Grantchester,” especially with its backdrop of religion, with Sidney the man butting heads with Sidney the priest.

Acting is uniformly strong in “Grantchester,” finding Norton agreeably wounded as Sidney, nicely matched with Green, keeping the odd couple dynamic alive as the characters gradually warm up to each other. A supporting turn from Christie adds needed emotionality to the series, while light comedic interests are satisfied by Tessa Peake-Jones, who portrays Sidney’s cantankerous caretaker.

Episodes

Disc One:

“Episode 1” (52:17)

Living a solitary life in Grantchester, Reverend Sidney Chambers (James Norton) looks forward to weekly visits from friend Amanda (Morven Christie), breaking up his church-based routine. After presiding over the funeral of a local suicide, Sidney is confronted by Pamela (Rachel Shelley), who was carrying on an extramarital affair with the deceased, believing her lover was killed by an unknown assailant. Urging Sidney to investigate, the priest takes his case to Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green), who doesn’t believe there was anything suspicious about the crime scene. Visiting the dead man’s workplace and mingling with his widow, Hildegard (Pheline Roggan), Sidney begins to gather clues, finding the violence of the case triggering traumatic memories of his own military history.

“Episode 2” (52:17)

Reluctant to attend an engagement party celebrating Amanda’s upcoming wedding, Sidney is persuaded to join the festivities by his sister, Jennifer (Fiona Button), who’s also eager to show off her new boyfriend, Johnny (Ukweli Roach). During the evening, Amanda’s expensive engagement ring goes missing, with partygoers suspecting Johnny of the crime. Trouble for the jazz-enthusiast increases when one of Amanda’s friends is discovered dead in a nearby creek, exposing her secrets to Sidney and Keating, who team up to investigate the crime. Also troubling the priest is a recent awareness of his excessive alcohol consumption, tied to wartime scars and his unrequited love for Amanda.

“Episode 3” (52:16)

Sidney faces a personal challenge when he’s asked by Amanda to officiate her wedding ceremony, forcing the priest to consider his feelings for his dear friend. Also hopeful for marriage is a local woman who’s unable to receive a blessing from her sickly mother, turning to Sidney for help. When the old woman dies mysteriously, suspects are few, though attention is drawn to a mystery man who’s in town for the funeral. Leonard (Al Weaver) is a new assistant priest in town, looking to Sidney for help with his troubling sermons, afraid that he’s not becoming the confident presence the church requires. And Sidney receives a letter from Hildegard, who’s gone back home to Germany, but can’t quite forget her time in town.

Disc Two:

“Episode 4” (52:17)

A house fire in Grantchester sends Sidney into duty, swooping in to save the day, only to inadvertently unearth secrets brewing inside the home. When a young man is murdered in the area, motives are murky at best, requiring Sidney and Keating to tackle the taboo subject of homosexuality, searching gay cruising spots for the murder weapon. During the investigation, Keating struggles with his own domestic worries concerning the health of his infant son, finding the stress fueling his intolerance, making Sidney question the necessity of indecency laws. Leonard searches for his own identity as the topic of homosexuality is raised, contemplating his place in the church. And Hildegard returns to town to take care of unfinished business, reuniting with Sidney.

“Episode 5” (52:17)

Arriving in London for a needed vacation, Sidney and Keating visit a local jazz club to catch up with Jennifer and Johnny. Soon joined by Amanda, the trio enjoys an evening of drink and dancing, while singer Gloria (Camilla Marie Beeput) charms the crowds. However, the night turns grim when Johnny’s sister is murdered, opening old wounds within his abusive family. Remaining in London, Sidney meets with Amanda’s fiancé, who informs the priest that his services are no longer required at the wedding. Finding solace in Gloria’s arms, Sidney is hit with guilt after returning home to Hildegard, who finally reveals her own interest in the guilt-ridden priest.

“Episode 6” (52:18)

A police officer is brutally gunned down on a nearby street, urging Sidney and Keating into action. Their investigation leads them into a remote factory where Keating is shot by an unknown assailant, putting him in the hospital. Following leads, Sidney is rocked by his PTSD after WWII, finally coming to terms with the trauma he encountered in combat. Realizing that he can’t deal with Amanda’s wedding, Sidney turns down the invitation, also confronting his burgeoning relationship with Hildegard.

Grantchester: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation emerges with comfortable sharpness. The HD-shot production provides satisfactory fine detail, best when exploring pained reactions from the main players and the community details of Grantchester, allowing viewers to study period ornamentation. Colors are bright and true, with sun-kissed hues faring the best, while skintones are natural. A few evening sequences are subjected to crush issues, but it's not epidemic. Slight banding is also detected.

Grantchester: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides a consistent listening experience, with tight, crisp dialogue exchanges that help to navigate accents and emotional speeds. Scoring is secure and fresh, carrying dramatic moments with confidence, while jazz club performances retain sharp instrumentation. Atmospherics add life to scenes, with a pleasing outdoorsy feel for Grantchester sequences, while interiors preserve echo.

Grantchester: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Making of 'Grantchester'" (13:12, HD) is a brisk overview of production achievements, speeding through casting, story, and location work, emphasizing on-set camaraderie and period overhaul, with considerable work put into transforming a modern community into 1953. Perhaps the most informative addition to the featurette is time spent with author James Runcie, who explores the true-life inspiration behind the Sidney Chambers character.

• Interviews (HD) include actors James Norton (1:12), Robson Green (1:39), Tessa Peake-Jones (1:24), Kacey Ainsworth (1:21), and executive producer Diederick Santer (1:36).

• "Sidney & His Women" (3:01, HD) focuses on the priest and his female trouble over the six episodes, identifying motivations and dramatic progress through cast and crew interviews.

• Behind the Scenes (HD) include "Sidney's Study with Tessa Peake-Jones" (1:40), "Set Tour with Robson Green" (1:07), and "The Vicarage with Tessa Peake-Jones" (1:25).

• "Warpisode" (3:35, HD) is the full cut of Sidney's combat flashbacks.

Grantchester: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Grantchester" does maintain several dramatic arcs as it goes about its weekly business of sleuthing. A few of the subplots fail to catch fire, and attempts to address period issues, such as the criminalization of homosexuality, feel too manufactured, trying to parallel concerns of today. It doesn't always hit its mark, but "Grantchester" is solid entertainment, looking for emotional textures beneath the murder mystery formula, encouraging a bit more audience participation than these types of shows traditionally demand.