I've mentioned Minette Walters several times on this blog over the years. She made a great impression from the start of her crime writing career, having previously written pseudonymous romantic fiction. The Ice House was a striking and award-winning debut in our genre; it was published in 1992 and five years later it was adapted for television with an excellent cast including the future James Bond, Daniel Craig.
I read and reviewed the book shortly after it came out, but I seem to have missed the TV version. I can report, however, that it stands the test of time very well. Credit goes not only to the author but also the screenwriter, Lizzie Mickery, who develops the characters and relationships effectively without sacrificing the momentum of the story.
A body is discovered in the ice house of a rather grand old home which is now occupied by three women: Phoebe Maybury (Penny Downie), Diana Goode (Frances Barber) and Anne Cattrell (Kitty Aldridge). The police assume that the deceased is David Maybury, husband of Phoebe and an unpleasant piece of work. The investigation is conducted by an interesting and contrasting pair of cops, DCI Walsh (Corin Redgrave) and cocky young DS McLoughlin (Craig). And before long, he becomes fascinated by Anne Cattrell. A dangerous liaison begins...
The quality of the acting matched the writing. Craig is excellent and so, in a very different way, is Redgrave. I thought Kitty Aldridge gave a truly compelling and charismatic performance and it's a shame that she gave up acting long ago, although she's become a successful novelist. This is a good example of a TV adaptation that doesn't go on too long. I really enjoyed it.
Good evening, Martin
ReplyDeleteYes, entirely agree about The Ice House. My wife and I watched it again a couple of months ago and it was still well worth seeing. I've never read any Minette Walters, but I've very much enjoyed all the TV adaptations - the others in the DVD box set I've got, along with The Ice House, are The Dark Room, The Echo, The Sculptress (with a memorable performance from Pauline Quirke) and The Scold's Bridle, all definitely worth checking out.
Mike
PS Congrats on your University Challenge success, although as a Brasenose man it is said through gritted teeth... Are you watching Sian Reese-Williams in The Light in the Hall on Channel 4 at the moment? - I wasn't expecting much but we're really enjoying it, and keeping the last two episodes back to watch this week rather than binging it all in one go.
Thanks very much, Mike. I too was impressed by Pauline Quirke in The Sculptress - can't recall offhand if I saw the others. As for University Challenge, I was pleased to hear afterwards from my old legal friend John Bowers, who is now the Principal of Brasenose and, I would imagine, a very good one. I haven't watched Sian yet, but I'm definitely aiming to watch Hidden as well as the new one.
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