Welcome to the Summer Movies series for 2020, in which we watch movies where plants are the movie stars. This summer we're again travelling back in time to watch the British drama series, Cadfael, this time set in early 1142 medieval England. Brother Cadfael is a Benedictine monk in the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the town of Shrewsbury. Brother Cadfael works in his garden and prepares botanical cures in his medicinal shed (and is frequently called upon to use his plant knowledge, intelligence, and worldly experience to solve local mysteries). The mystery series is based on the books by Edith Pargeter, writing under the pseudonym Ellis Peters, and stars Sir Derek Jacobi.
I confess that I briefly entertained the idea of watching "zombie apocalypse" movies instead. This would give me a chance to rewatch some favorite plague and virus movies like The Dead Don't Die (with its appealing theme song, sung by Sturgill Simpson), I Am Legend, and World War Z. I finally decided that I am a little "pandemic weary", and chose instead to focus on the past with a botanist-healer of medieval times (a time that was no stranger to plagues and disease). The vision of future pandemics is quite daunting, so I'll save the "zombie apocalypse" series for another time (hopefully when we have a vaccine, and COVID-19 is behind us)!
Later Brother Eluric is found dead with a knife nearby, and the white rose bush fatally damaged. The dyeing rose bush causes angst among the renters, who must now pay full rent, so Judith sets off at night to the abbey to remove the rose rent requirement, but never arrives. Sheriff Hugh Beringar and Cadfael are called in to investigate the death of Brother Eluric, and the disappearance of Judith. They trawl the river and discover Judith's cloak, and the impression of a boot in the mud. They take a wax casting of the boot print, and search the town, river, and environs for clues. Several more deaths ensue. Cadfael interviews those closest to Judith, and figures out who stands to gain the most. In a dramatic ending, the rose bush is consumed by fire and the guilty party is revealed. Judith is found and Niall delivers the last rose rent, as he had been asked, in a satisfying finish.
I really enjoy the glimpse into medieval life that Cadfael mystery series provides. Peters always supplies an interesting cast of characters, and incorporates many historical details into her stories. I always feel that I learn something new. In this episode the arrangement of the rose rent was intriguing and community-minded, and the glimpses of the early trade guilds was also insightful. As always, Cadfael uses his mind, compassion, and experience to bring resolution. I found the DVD through the local library system (checked out using new "contact-less" procedures), and online retailers, such as Acorn Media.
I confess that I briefly entertained the idea of watching "zombie apocalypse" movies instead. This would give me a chance to rewatch some favorite plague and virus movies like The Dead Don't Die (with its appealing theme song, sung by Sturgill Simpson), I Am Legend, and World War Z. I finally decided that I am a little "pandemic weary", and chose instead to focus on the past with a botanist-healer of medieval times (a time that was no stranger to plagues and disease). The vision of future pandemics is quite daunting, so I'll save the "zombie apocalypse" series for another time (hopefully when we have a vaccine, and COVID-19 is behind us)!
The Rose Rent (Season 3, Episode 1)
In this episode, a wealthy widow, Judith Perle, owns a prosperous clothier business and rents space to artisans and to the abbey for the yearly rent of a single white rose from her property. She requested this arrangement in grief three years before, when her husband and unborn child died within weeks of each other. Several early guilds benefited from the low rent arrangement, including wool carders, weavers, dyers, and Niall the bronzesmith. Several suitors have their hearts (and pocket books) set on the eligible Judith Perle). On the day the rose payment is due from the abbey, Brother Eluric, who typically delivers the rose, is nowhere to be found, so Niall is asked to deliver the rose.Later Brother Eluric is found dead with a knife nearby, and the white rose bush fatally damaged. The dyeing rose bush causes angst among the renters, who must now pay full rent, so Judith sets off at night to the abbey to remove the rose rent requirement, but never arrives. Sheriff Hugh Beringar and Cadfael are called in to investigate the death of Brother Eluric, and the disappearance of Judith. They trawl the river and discover Judith's cloak, and the impression of a boot in the mud. They take a wax casting of the boot print, and search the town, river, and environs for clues. Several more deaths ensue. Cadfael interviews those closest to Judith, and figures out who stands to gain the most. In a dramatic ending, the rose bush is consumed by fire and the guilty party is revealed. Judith is found and Niall delivers the last rose rent, as he had been asked, in a satisfying finish.
I really enjoy the glimpse into medieval life that Cadfael mystery series provides. Peters always supplies an interesting cast of characters, and incorporates many historical details into her stories. I always feel that I learn something new. In this episode the arrangement of the rose rent was intriguing and community-minded, and the glimpses of the early trade guilds was also insightful. As always, Cadfael uses his mind, compassion, and experience to bring resolution. I found the DVD through the local library system (checked out using new "contact-less" procedures), and online retailers, such as Acorn Media.
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