GilBlas The story is that of a teenage girl from a rural village who went missing while walking her dog on the moors. Her body was never found but evidence that she had been kidnapped and murdered was, as was evidence that her stepfather was responsible. Based on that evidence, and despite the absence of the girl's body, her stepfather was convicted and hanged. Fast- forward forty years to the present, when filmmaker Catherine Heathcote is reexamining the crime in a documentary for TV. As the deadline for wrapping up her film nears, a key figure in the documentary, George Bennett, the then-young lead detective in the original investigation, whose career was launched by the case, reverses his decision to discuss the case on camera. Bennett is clearly troubled by the case, and he tells Heathcote vaguely "mistakes were made." Heathcote's request of her boss for more time, so she can pin down the truth, is rewarded by his pulling her from the film and replacing her with an ambitious assistant whose orders are to meet the deadline. Something was clearly amiss with the original investigation, but what? Heathcote presses ahead on her own to find out.While I had a sense of what was troubling George Bennett, and the direction the story was heading, the film was effective in keeping me guessing at the details until nearly the end. It did so, however, in large part because of the improbability of its resolution. Now, I don't wish to exaggerate this point: I have encountered stories and resolutions that I found equally, if not more, improbable in any number of episodes of highly-regarded British mystery series. (Pushing the improbability envelope seems to be the norm in mystery/police-procedural dramas these days.)In summary, the quality of the production is high, and the story will hold your interest. The acting is first-rate: Juliet Stevenson is always good, and the actors who play Bennett and his partner as young men are well matched physically to the two who play them as old men (I found this to be more effective than aging the young actors with makeup). The journey to the story's resolution is satisfying even if the resolution itself is not completely so.

blanche-2 A TV journalist revisits a 45-year-old case in "Place of Execution," a 2008 British series. On Netflix, it is released in two parts.A young girl disappeared from her village 45 years earlier and was never found. Her stepfather was convicted of murdering her and hanged, after her blood was found on his shirt and in a cave, and pornographic photographs of him molesting her were discovered.The detective on the case, George Bennett (Philip Jackson) agrees to cooperate when TV journalist Catherine Heathcote (Juliet Stevenson) revisits the case for a documentary. However, it soon becomes clear there was more to the case than perhaps was revealed at the time, and the question comes up as to whether the aggressive young detective (played by Lee Ingleby) doctored some evidence."Place of Execution" is beyond excellent and leaves one with a moral question to which there is no answer: Does the end justify the means? The acting is wonderful, but first, a word about the amazing casting, particularly of Philip Jackson and Lee Ingleby as the older and young DI Bennett. Completely believable and uncanny - what a resemblance. All of the old/young casting is carefully done.Juliet Stevenson is excellent as the reporter, who has no idea what she's walking into, Ingleby and Jackson are great as the persistent Bennett. A real standout is the handsome Greg Wise as the missing girl's stepfather. Again, regarding the casting - he had the perfect look for the role - arrogant and cold - and played the role to perfection.Very satisfying, very absorbing, and the music will keep you on the edge of your seat.

gelman@attglobal.net "A Place of Execution" is heavily dependent on the character of Catherine Heathcote (Juliet Stevenson), a reporter investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl, and the role of detective George Bennett (Lee Inglesby and, later, Philip Jackson) in solving the case. The girl's step-father, Philip Hawkin (Greg Wise) is suspected of abusing her sexually and of subsequently killing her. It turns out that he is guilty of raping her and other youngsters but not of killing her. After a trial, he is hanged for the crime he did not commit. It's a nicely plotted story and might have made an better TV series if Juliet Stevenson were strong enough to carry her end. Unfortunately, I did not find her especially convincing. Greg Wise is splendid and both Inglesby as the younger Bennett and Philip Jackson as the older Bennett handle their roles admirably. The ending is a bit improbable. However, I suspect that there would be many fewer successful crime stories if improbabilities were disallowed.

Galina While watching Place of Execution (2009), I kept thinking that the best mysteries/psychological thrillers/police procedurals I've read or watched adapted to the screen, are British. Starting with Sir Conan Doyle and Dame Agatha Christi, the tradition of excellent mystery writers continued, just to name a few, with Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Ruth Rendell, Peter Robinson, and the new name for me, Val McDermid. I did not have pleasure of reading any novel by McDermid before watching the 150 minutes PBS production of her novel Place of Execution but I believe, the film is a success. The story that takes place in the past, 1963 and present, never loosens its grip. In the center of the film and the novel, there is a story of the disappearance of 13 years old girl named Alison Carter who one day left her house in the English village of Scarsdale to walk her dog in the nearby moors and never was seen again. It happened in November of 1963. In the present days, a documentary film maker, Catherine Heathcote (Juliet Stevenson) is finishing up the film about the case that shook the nation and the man who was in the center of investigation, highly respected and decorated Police Inspector, George Bennett. It was the very first case for young Bennett and the more he learned about the circumstances of the case, the more he got obsessed with the desire to find what happened to Alice and to bring her murderer to justice. Bennett with the help of a local policeman DS Tommy Clough, was able to find a suspect and to gather the evidence that had led to trial and death sentence. In the beginning, Bennett supported the production of Catherine's film but just as the film was about to be aired, something happened that made Bennett call Catherine and inform her that he wanted to withdrew because the film would make more harm than good and that "mistakes were made". Catherine drives to Scarsdale accompanied by her teenage 13 years old daughter Sasha to try to find out what happened and why George changed his mind so suddenly. While in Scarsdale, she tries to make the locals talk to her and to find out what secrets have been hidden behind the wall of silence. I was riveted to the screen all the time. I was impressed by acting, the pace of film, the dark atmosphere of the horrific sordid secrets from the past that still cast the shadows on small seemingly peaceful village, by the flashbacks and by the authentic details of the time long passed. I can't talk much about the plot without giving away the obvious similarity with one of the most famous novel written by the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie. Like many viewers, I figured out the guilty party very soon and it was obvious that he was guilty of the terrible crimes but was he guilty of Alison's death? If yes, why was not her body ever found? You will have to stay with this wonderful film to the end to find out along with Catherine Heathcote the truly shocking revelations. The only problem I have with the adaptation, the film shifted the focus from the original story of the Allison' disappearance investigation and the controversy of George Bennet's obsession with the case to Catherine's own problems and demons of her past. As much as I admire Juliet Stevenson's performance and her acting talent, I believe the film should have stayed faithful to the excellent book which I read after watching the film.