The Virgin in the Ice 

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 ... See full summary »

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:

nun | amnesia | chastity | crusader | father son reunion | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 1995 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

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

a delight to watch

Cadfael is always good value, but this episode is a delight. Brother Cadfael's novice is found injured and a young nun in his company, and two orphan children, missing. The nun is discovered dead, and the novice is the prime suspect. There is a twist in the identity of a wandering visitor from the East, and a surprise for Cadfael.

The special effects are up to the highest standards in the series, and the writing is good and the emotion raw and poignant. One feels for Cadfael and the others in this episode in a way which one might not have done in other episodes. One or two details of the story might not be entirely realistic from an historical perspective, but the atmosphere is wonderfully evocative.