Foyle's War: Set 5 | 
| Actor: Foyle's War
Studio: Acorn Media
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $33.99
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Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 143
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 277 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.9
MPN: 8108
UPC: 054961810895
EAN: 0054961810895
ASIN: B001A33ZHG
Theatrical Release Date: February 2, 2003
Release Date: August 5, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
No one was unhappy when World War II ended, but the demise of Foyle's War is something else entirely. For fans of this first-rate British murder mystery series, set against the backdrop of that epic conflict, Set 5 represents something of a reprieve; although Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) retired at the end of Set 4, circumstances force him to return to action in "Plan of Attack," the first of three 90-minute episodes (each on its own disc) offered here. But by the end of this set, the war is over and Foyle has eased back into retirement. That's lamentable. Smartly conceived and often quite masterfully executed, this show will certainly be missed. "History meets mystery" has been the concept from the beginning, as the low-key (like Peter Falk's Columbo, he knows much more than he lets on), unfailingly decent Foyle and his assistants, Sgt. Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and driver Samantha "Sam" Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks), solve murders and various other crimes in and around bucolic Hastings, England, while WWII rages on at home and abroad. But this time out, the war provides much more than context, as the murders tend to be directly related to it. What's more, Set 5 affectingly deals with combat's heavy emotional psychological toll. It's a burden we see carried by the cartographer who can't bear knowing that his work is helping to kill innocent German civilians (in "Plan of Attack"); by the maimed former POW struggling to readjust to life at home, the teenager whose job it is to deliver bad news telegrams to soldiers' families, and the Jewish doctor, a refugee from Poland, whose survivor's guilt leads him down a very dark path (all three in "Broken Souls"); and even by Foyle's own son (Julian Ovenden, in "All Clear"). OK, so the mysteries may not be all that mysterious--perceptive viewers will have little difficulty identifying the culprits. But with its multi-layered storytelling (the scripts were written by creator Anthony Horowitz) and fine production values (the cinematography, editing, and music are all excellent), Foyle's War is a whodunit that's both a prime example of its genre and thoroughly successful on its own unique terms. Bonus features include a brief "making of" featurette and cast filmographies. --Sam Graham
Description
Combining uncompromising historical accuracy with compelling mysteries, this acclaimed PBS series continues with three feature-length episodes. Michael Kitchen (Out of Africa) stars as DCS Christopher Foyle, investigating wartime crimes in an English coastal town. With the end of World War II slowly but inevitably approaching, Foyle and his fellow citizens learn the price of victory and face a peace that will transform their lives in unexpected ways. Also starring Anthony Howell and Honeysuckle Weeks, and featuring Nicholas Day, Malcolm Sinclair, Nicholas Woodeson, Duncan Bell, Julian Ovenden, Mark Bazeley, Julian Wadham, and Phyllida Law. THE MYSTERIES: PLAN OF ATTACK—With the Hastings police force suffering attrition and low morale, Foyle comes out of retirement to probe the mysterious death of a cartographer from the Air Ministry office. BROKEN SOULS—The murder of an ambitious young doctor at the local psychiatric clinic produces no shortage of suspects among the staff and patients, many of whom still experience the war's horrors. ALL CLEAR—With final victory expected any day, Hastings looks ahead to a radically different post-war life. But the end comes too soon for two men—one a murder victim, the other an apparent suicide. DVD SEPCIAL FEATURES INCLUDE making-of documentary, cast member reflections, notes on a real-life Foyle, and cast filmographies.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
A final season that should never be August 27, 2008
R. Frye (Pennsylvania)
The new management at the BBC killed this program and that is sad. He is no gone and perhaps they will find a way to let Foyle to continue after the war. The final three episodes were good, the first one was a little slow putting thing back together, but once they were back they they were the great team of old.
I waited so long for these episodes on first viewing I was a little disappointed. But it was the anticipation not the quality of the show. These are three great episodes, not to be confused with most of the junk put out on American TV.
First-rate Finale August 21, 2008
Portia from Jersey
Foyle's War has always been a classy, thoughtful series, but in Set Four, the stories began to flag although the performances remained top-notch. The series finale - three episodes in Set Five - climbs back to the heights of intelligence, plotting and insight that the series was originally known for. Fans will be more than a little sad to say good-bye to Foyle, Sam and Milner.
Too few episodes August 20, 2008
Demerzel (USA)
Every episode of Foyle's war was outstanding. I am old enough to remember WWII from America. I had no idea what it was like in the UK. Now I have seen a little bit of what life was like on a day to day basis. The plots are realistic and portray the times.
The great sadness is that there were only nineteen episodes. I could happily watch nineteen more.
WWII is over, and so is Foyle's War. The writing and Michael Kitchen made this one of the best of Britain's mystery series August 18, 2008
C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After six years, 19 episodes and all of WWII, Foyle's War -- one of the best of British mysteries -- comes to a close. The three episodes in this set take place in 1944 and May of 1945. Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle, played by Michael Kitchen, has reluctantly returned to duty. He had resigned his job and gone into retirement, tired to the bone when criminal activities were swept under the rug in the name of the expediency it was said was needed for the war effort. One too many times he had been told to ignore the secret actions of the government or to ignore the activities of a highly placed person.
Foyle is a taciturn man, even sad. He has lost his wife and his son is a fighter pilot. In 1939 Foyle desperately wanted to join up, but was told by his superiors that his talents would be far better utilized where he was. Foyle is a dedicated, no-nonsense cop. He's respectful to authority and the rich, but he isn't intimidated. If a person has committed a crime, especially one that could damage Britain's war effort, Foyle will never let up until the crime is solved and justice -- by the book -- is done. His return from retirement is because, whatever his misgivings, an appeal to his sense of duty has been made. He is returning to his old job because the man who took his place has been murdered. Assisting him will be members of his old team. Samantha Stewart, played by Honeysuckle Weeks (a great name), had been Foyle's driver. Stewart is an energetic, curious young woman, brave when she needs to be, who has earned Foyle's respect. She has emerged from the war years as a capable, confident woman. As the war winds down, however, she needs to discover what her own plans will be. Detective sergeant Paul Milner is played by Anthony Howell. Milner lost a leg in the Norway campaign and was assigned to Foyle as his sergeant. He had to build back his confidence. By now Milner is a full member of Foyle's team, thoughtful and as dedicated a cop as Foyle. He plans to make policing his career.
In the three complex cases in this last set, we'll encounter the murder of a cartographer in a highly classified Air Ministry project concerned with strategic bombing (Plan of Attack); multiple murders which involve an ambitious young doctor at a psychiatric hospital where the patients are servicemen, as well as a 15-year-old run-away (Broken Souls); and a murder and suicide just days before victory over Germany implicating a smooth politician and a doctor from Austria (All Clear).
This series is one of the best mysteries from Britain in part because the writing is of a high order. Anthony Horowitz conceived the idea, wrote many of the scripts and closely supervised the rest and remained the power behind the program. The production values have been consistently high. A great deal of effort has been made to establish the look and style of England during WWII. The cast that backs up Kitchen is first rate.
Most of all, the series works so well because of Michael Kitchen. He is an excellent, subtle, versatile actor whose long career includes the amusing and reprehensibly egoistic doctor in Reckless, the well-intentioned but naive king utterly outmaneuvered by Francis Urquhart in House of Cards Trilogy, Vol. 2 - To Play the King, and the unprincipled charlatan who finds himself facing Inspector Morse. Inspector Foyle is a serious, thoughtful man of high principles, who keeps most of his feelings to himself. He is not without a sense of wry humor, but dour is as good a description of Foyle as any other. He is utterly without sympathy toward career criminals or those who try to impede or make money from the war effort. Kitchen has made Christopher Foyle his own.
And now, at the conclusion of All Clear, the unconditional surrender of Germany has been signed and the church bells are pealing. Foyle has made unmistakably clear that he will retire for good now. As dour and at times as uncommunicative as he can be, we know that he has had a quiet hand in Paul Milner's advancement and that his association with Samantha Stewart might possibly continue, this time because of his son. Christopher Foyle gave us a good run for our money. We'll miss him.
 Movie Buff August 14, 2008
Carl W. Burton (Rockvale, TN USA)
Almost a five but some holes in the story because all the series is 100 minutes which sometimes leaves the story short.
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