<p> One of the best recent British television series, “Foyle's War,” now has its own best-of DVD set. The protagonist of the program, which ran for several seasons on PBS last decade, is a British police detective who finds himself near the front line of World War II in the coastal town of Hastings. </p> <p>The character of Detective Chief Superintendent Foyle is emotionally described up by the program's musical theme: thoughtful, methodical, succinct and maybe a bit sad. Played with restrained fervor by Michael Kitchen, Foyle is as relentless in the pursuit of justice as a hound in pursuit of a buried boneeven if the scent takes him into the dark zones protected by the Official Secrets Act. Foyle is an absolutist when enforcing the laweven in the face of war's terrible upheavals. When a man is found in the rubble of his bombed-out home with a knife through his heart, Foyle will follow every lead, regardless of whether the victim would have been killed anyway by the German bombs that fell on his block. Murder and theft and passion continue, even under the distorting shadows of war. </p> <p>As with all the great British TV shows, even the smallest role is given full weight by the superb cast. The only problem with the six-episode “Best of Foyle's War” is that the episode one should have been included for the sake of viewers new to the series. The nuances of the characters would be easier to follow if given a proper English introduction. </p>
