When I first saw ‘The Singing Detective’ in 1986, it took me about 10 seconds to realize that I was watching a masterpiece! Michael Gambon plays an author of detective stories, lying in hospital almost completely paralyzed by his illness. The story alternates between the ward, and the work that he is rewriting in his head.
The detective story growing in his imagination is devious and deadly, while as the patient he is sometimes wracked by hallucinations due to the inflammatory disease that is destroying his skin his temper and causing a high fever. Meanwhile his ex wife and her lover are conspiring to steal the movie rights to the book; or are they-
I erased my video tape of this mini series 25 years ago, and I have been kicking myself for it ever since.
I am very happy to be able to watch this favourite again.
Although the DVD cover says that the series is in 4×3 format; it is in fact 16×9