Visions of Scotland (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a beautiful flyover with good narration and a lovely score, so the missing star is for what's left out. Of course, no tour of Scotland could include everything (I spent two years of my life there, and there is much I missed), but I was so disappointed when it ended without a look at so many of Scotland's most famous places. Yes, Stirling and Edinburgh were there, and Loch Lomond, Loch Ness and a brief glimpse of Inverness... We see Bannockburn, but not Culloden. The Isle of Mull, but not Iona. Nothing of Glencoe. And nothing of the Isle of Skye, the most famous of all Scottish islands and arguably the most beautiful. Nor do we reach the far north, so there is nothing of Orkney or Shetland. Perhaps there were rules about flying over St. Andrews, so we see the cathedral ruins at one end and the golf course at the other, but absolutely nothing of the jewel of an ancient cathedral town that lies in between.... The other enormous omission is the lack of identification (on either credits or liner notes, which were absent altogether) of the many beautiful songs underlying the narrative. These were well-chosen, in a variety of styles, and remarkably un-cliched, so that we had choral works, folk songs, classical and contemporary, well representing the range of Scotland's culture, but I'd have loved to know the names, the artists and possibly what CDs might contain them. For a Scotophile and a music lover, this is a serious omission. I can only hope there is a Visions of Scotland, Part II, that lets us see the Scotland we missed - and maybe a companion CD, or at least a link to the artists whose music provided so much beauty and atmosphere.

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Spectacular views from bustling Edinburgh to the wild, windswept Highlands See bonny Scotland as you never could, even on the most lavish tour. Thanks to a high-definition, helicopter-mounted camera, you soar effortlessly over Scotland’s historic cities, tranquil villages, rugged highlands, and steel-blue lakes. See the country’s legendary landmarks-the dizzying heights of Edinburgh’s Castle Rock, immaculate greens of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, mysterious glacial waters of Loch Ness, and many more-from a unique aerial perspective. Chase wild deer across green hills splashed with yellow gorse. Swoop down on coastal villages so close that you can almost taste the sweet, smoky salmon. With a poetic narration and a soundtrack of authentic regional music, Visions of Scotland opens your eyes, ears, and heart to this legendary land.Includes bonus footage not seen on public television.

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Rebus (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)With wonderfully complex plots and recurring characters, Rebus is an absolutely first-rate crime drama based on the novels by Scottish author Iain Rankin. Though set in Edinburgh, it is not the charming, picturesque, historic old city as seen by the casual visitor that we are privy to; rather, the viewer is taken on a journey through the dark, gritty, cankerous underbelly of what, on the surface, is one of Britain's loveliest old cities. This is a series peopled by characters who are all too human, and it holds back no punches in its realistic portrayal of the criminal world.
Detective Inspector John Rebus (John Hannah (McCallum)) is one of the most curious, indeed fascinating, DIs I've come across. He's a competent and committed police officer, but a flawed human being with his own set of personal demons with which he must contend. He's a deep, multi-faceted character for whom nothing is black and white, and he's not immune to making serious errors in judgement, to lying in order to achieve his objective, or to experiencing the temptation of a "pact with the devil." He often makes decisions which shock the viewer, for we know that, even though we may understand his motivation, they are decisions which would never be condoned by the police. Indeed, is it any wonder he drinks a little too much and has more than a little trouble sleeping? Nor are we surprised to find that he has more than a little trouble forming and holding on to relationships with women.
Rebus is a wonderfully rich, dynamic, and interesting character, and I personally felt that John Hannah did a superb job in bringing him to life. I don't know why Hannah left the series or if he did any more series after this one, but I do know that I prefer these episodes and Hannah's portrayal much more than the recent pair of episodes wherein Ken Stott has taken over the title role (I just didn't warm to the character as portrayed by Stott).
The set consists of four 100-minute episodes and a very interesting dvd extra on the making of the series, which features informative comments about the nature of the series and the character of Rebus by both John Hannah and Iain Rankin.
In conclusion, this is a series I recommend unhesitatingly to fans of British mysteries and crime drama in general. There may be less in the way of comic relief, but I would still say that if you enjoy shows like A Touch of Frost or Delziel and Pascoe, chances are you'll really enjoy this one.
Highly recommended!


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Rebus is adapted from the novels of award-winning writer Ian Rankin - the UK's number one best-selling crime writer. At the center of each story is Detective Inspector Rebus, an enigma, fighting his own weaknesses, while dealing with the sad consequences of human frailty. He's seen it all before, but his cynicism is redeemed by an unexpected humanity that reveals he is more disillusioned with himself than others. As he scours the streets looking for answers, Rebus is actually seeking the truth about himself. Episodes The story of a copycat killer from 15 years ago comes back to haunt Rebus in Black and Blue. He finds himself taken off the case when an official investigation is opened into the death of a convicted murderer, who Rebus helped put behind bars, 15 years ago… True to his nature, Rebus refuses to let the matter lie. He soon finds himself in pursuit of two killers, past and present. The Hanging Garden follows Rebus as he pieces together the trail of a war criminal who appears to have gone into hiding in a respectable part of town. After rescuing a young Chechen girl from a local gangster he is drawn into a vicious running battle between rival gangs. But when his daughter Sammy is deliberately run down in the street, it soon becomes plain he will stop at nothing to find the man responsible. Rebus and his colleague catch sight of a known convicted pedophile taking photographs at the zoo in Dead Souls. It transpires he has been released early from prison, is under police protection and is the key witness in the trial of two suspected abusers. The next day, Rebus' colleague is found dead in the center of Edinburgh in what appears to be suicide. Devastated, Rebus sets out to discover what exactly happened. And in Mortal Causes, the case of an underworld execution unfolds as Rebus makes a link with racist attacks that raises the chilling specter of terrorism on the streets of Edinburgh.

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