Spiral - Series 1 [DVD] [2004] | ![Spiral - Series 1 [DVD] [2004]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Snl9ov7IL._SL160_.jpg) | Director: Philippe Triboit
Actors: Gregory Fitoussi, Caroline Proust, Philippe Duclos, Audrey Fleurot
Studio: 2 Entertain Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £32.99
Buy New: £14.32
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Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 4572
Format: PAL
Languages: French (Original Language), French (Unknown), English (Subtitled)
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 392 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5014503239527
ASIN: B0015083Q2
Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: October 6, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
 Spiral - Top French TV Series (1) March 6, 2010
Brenda White (Cheshire, England)
Saw only 1 episode of first series, then watched Series 2 on TV, & was hooked. I just had to buy this, (the 1st) series. A really good quality detective series, fast-paced, - storylines are really gripping, almost impossible to switch off. A really brilliant series, acting is superb, & stories do leave you guessing.
Like foreign films? - Buy it & enjoy.
Spiral Series 1 January 25, 2010
Chrissie K (England)
This is the televised recording from the BBC4 series 1. In French with English subtitles.
Don't be put off by the subtitles. January 12, 2010
David Butler
I somehow missed Series 1 when it was broadcast but later chanced upon Series 2. I've not watched the Series 1 yet but if it's anything like as good as Series 2, it will warrant the 5 star rating. The French answer to 'The Wire'.
 Compelling drama January 6, 2010
Ian Thumwood (Winchester)
I bought this DVD by chance knowing nothing about the programme but being a fan of both French cinema and "The Wire." Whilst the American TV show definately has the edge, I ripped through these discs with the same enthusiasm as I had for the former.
For me, the most interesting element of this programme was seeing just differently the French justice system worked and this alone was sufficient to have me glued to my TV. The plot has you snared by the end of the first episode and as the various characters get entangled and ultimately compromised by their associations, you become increasingly addicted. I love the character of Laure, the fiesty female cop who is totally different in her approach from our expectations after Jane Tennison. None of the characters of those supposed to be supporting the law are faultless and I felt that the conclusion of the plot was totally plausable even if it did leave some question's unanswered. This is a fast-paced and gritty programme far edgier than anything produced by British TV although I understand it is pretty unique for france too.
Despite my enthusiasm , I feel I must deduct one star. My reasons for this are two-fold. Firstly, as well as continuing investigating the main crime, each episode features a separate case that seem to unnecessarily want to shock the viewer with their nastiness. Secondly, the second series of "Spiral" is even better than the first, ultimately ditching the side issues mid-way through the run to concentrate on a hum-dinger of a story line. A third series has already aired in France.
has its flaws, but compulsive watching all the same - great fun! January 3, 2010
Mr. Ian A. Macfarlane (Fife, Scotland)
For me, this series has its weaknesses, but it has so many strengths that I would certainly recommend it with enthusiasm. It is fast-paced, the plots are labyrinthine but with intriguing links, the characterisation is convincing and involving on the whole, the acting is largely superb and the Gallic 'feel' of the whole thing is, for me, a big attraction. I particularly like the presence of the two strong women, natural adversaries here, Laure Berthaud, the tough, committed, highly capable but vulnerable chief inspector and Josephine Karlsson, the cynical, manipulative, ruthless, very effective lawyer. In these roles, Caroline Proust and Audrey Fleurot are wonderful, Proust particularly. But there is strength right through the cast, with Phillipe Duclos excellent as the wily, obsessive Juge Roban and Guillaume Cramison also good as Faye, the man you would like to trust but never should. The feel of the Parisian underclass, junkies, prostitutes, thugs and gangsters, is strongly present, but there is also the criminal overclass, privileged and powerful, even more of a thorn in the flesh of the police and the judicial system than the obvious law-breakers.
Indeed, as I said, I like the 'Frenchness' of the series. It's interesting to see how their policing works, how their courts conduct themselves, the relationships between police, prosecutor and 'juge' (not a court judge, more of a very senior investigating officer). In Berthaud we have an officer whom all professionals admire (and some fear), but one who makes no secret of her willingness to sleep with colleagues and close colleagues to whom she takes a fancy (so much so that one expert, a pathologist - and not an admirer - claims in a throwaway remark that she is famous for it). She is no slut ; she has great energy and a curious kind of humanity and dignity. Somehow this works in a French series in a way that it would not, I think, in a British context. At the same time, it highlights Berthaud's vulnerability. What kind of real relationships can she form in her lifestyle,which is characterised by danger, unpredictability, the need to confront the most horrible examples of human behaviour, awareness at all times of her accountability particularly to those who would like to see her defeated in her work .... ?
I am unhappy about one or two things. One is the character and behaviour of Prosecutor Pierre Clement. I don't want to give things away, but he maintains a friendship in the face of all evidence that it is foolish, unprofessional and dangerous to do so ; though reasons are given for this, I don't find them convincing and to me he seems naive beyond the point of credibility. He is a major character, so it matters. In the role, Gregory Fitoussi looks wonderful (Berthaud thinks so from episode one), but he has a slightly thankless task and I'm not sure how well he handles it. Very oddly, just once or twice he made me think of the British TV series 'Taggart', which features cops in the big city who always seems a little ploddish. Nothing else about 'Spiral' is like 'Taggart' - it's a much sharper show!!! Likewise Berthaud's determination to protect Inspector Lemaire ('Gilou') at great professional risk to herself seems a little hard to accept (though she does it very cleverly). And there are one or two plot devices that don't quite work for me, and one or two links that seems a bit far-fetched. Finally, the last episode doesn't really work for me - I can't explain why without perhaps giving things away. I can see what they are trying to do, but for me it was not a fully satisfying conclusion.
However, all of that simply makes the show not perfect. It remains gripping and surprising at every turn. I got it on DVD after seeing some of Series 2 on TV, and good as this is, I suspect (and others say) that Series 2 is even better. Next step, then, is to get that and watch the whole thing - and I understand Series 3 is being filmed now. Excellent!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
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