The Virgin in the Ice 

In one of his most celebrated roles, Sir Derek Jacoby plays a shrewd monk using his knowledge of medicine and nature to clear the name of a much-loved novice, and discover the truth behind the death of a young woman.

Director:

Malcolm Mowbray

Writers:

Russell Lewis (screenplay), Edith Pargeter (novel) (as Ellis Peters)

Stars:

Derek Jacobi, Mark Charnock, Terrence Hardiman

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Derek Jacobi	...	Brother Cadfael
Mark Charnock	...	Brother Oswin
Terrence Hardiman	...	Abbot Radulfus
Michael Culver	...	Prior Robert
Julian Firth	...	Brother Jerome
Valentine Pelka	...	Richard Boterel
Eoin McCarthy	...	Hugh Beringar
Robert Cavanah	...	Oliver de Bretagne (as Robert Cavanagh)
Ronan Vibert	...	Le Gaucher
Amelia Curtis	...	Ermina Hugonin
Albie Woodington	...	Sergeant Warden
William Mannering	...	Yves Hugonin
Guy Oliver-Watts	...	John Orvel
Tim Barker	...	Reyner Dutton
Éva Madarász	...	Sister Hilaria (as Eva Madarasz)

Storyline

A young nun is found violated and murdered, while the brother and sister she was escorting have disappeared. A mysterious forest ranger dedicates himself to rescuing the children, while Brother Oswin blames himself for Sister Hilaria's death. Cadfael must identify the killer and do what he can to aid in the children's rescue.

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Plot Keywords:

civil war | nun | amnesia | chastity | crusader | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History | Mystery

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Albie Woodington played young Alan Turing and Derek Jacobi played present day Alan Turing in Breaking The Code.

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Goofs

Cadfael's soup disappears as soon as it is placed on the table (at about 9 mins)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sister Hilaria: I can't go on, Brother Oswin.
Brother Oswin: You can. You must. Here, take my cloak, Sister Hilaria.
[they struggle on through the storm]
Brother Oswin: Praise God! Look, Sister, look. Shelter.

User Reviews

While slight on plot, the ending came as a bit of a shock.

This episode of Cadfael is a bit different from the norm. While there is a body and a crime to solve, so much of the show consists of Cadfael and others searching through the winter snows for people who might have been killed by a gang of brigands who are terrorizing the countryside. However, well into this search a few horrible discoveries are made among the many victims of these marauders. First, Cadfael's assistant, Oswin, is found nearly dead. He's delirious and what exactly happened with him in uncertain--but naturally, Brother Jerome behaves like a judgmental idiot (what else is new there?). A bit later, a naked dead woman is discovered in the ice. When the ice is thawed, they discover she's a missing nun (poorly named 'Hilaria')--a nun who has been raped and murdered. Could Oswin be responsible for this? If you ask Jerome, the answer is of course! Can Cadfael tease out exactly what occurred?

For the most part, this is a decent but not especially great episode. However, near the very end comes a HUGE shocker--HUGE. You learn some secret about Cadfael and his life during the Crusade....and it comes to bite him back after all these years. I can say not more--just watch this one for yourself and you'll know what I mean. Well worth seeing and, as usual, impeccably made and written.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 1995 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min (DVD)

Color:

Color