Customer Reviews

Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries (Strong Poison / Have His Carcase / Gaudy Night) [VHS]

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am unbelievably excited that this is finally to be released in DVD, or any format for that matter. This has been and probably always will be my favorite PBS series - my family has worn out two VHS taped-from-TV copies (It will be wonderful to have the picture match the sound again!)

The first two stories are reasonably faithful to the books, and although the "Gaudy Night" episodes are sort of a Dorothy Sayers Lite, they do make a good introduction for someone who is not familiar with the books. These episodes introduced me to Dorothy L. Sayers (my favorite author along with Jane Austen) and in that way, have greatly influenced my life.

The casting and the acting of these is perfection (thank you Edward Petherbridge, Harriet Walter, and Richard Morant!)- there is no cheekiness that bothers me about the Ian Carmichael versions of some of the other novels.

My only complaint is that they couldn't do "Busman's Honeymoon" for this series (someone in Hollywood wouldn't release the copyright - but have they done anything with it??? NO.)

HOORAY!!!

This is the boxed set of three of the four mystery novels Dorothy Sayers wrote about her sleuth, Lord Peter Whimsey, and Harriet Vane, the mystery writer who eventually became his wife. These are the DVD's of the BBC productions of "Strong Poison," "Have His Carcase," and "Gaudy Night," starring Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter. Unfortunately, the BBC was unable to obtain permission to produce the final novel, "Busman's Honeymoon," much to our loss.

I have already written reviews of the individual performances separately, and will focus here on matters that affect the entire set. For reference, these performances cover the period from Wimsey's successful efforts to free Harriet from suspicions of murdering her lover to Peter's proposal to her at Oxford several years later.

Both of the stars of this series do remarkable work. Petherbridge is almost too perfect for the role, and has managed completely to supplant my own imagined version of Lord Peter completely. My only quibble is that he seems more a man in his fifties rather than the forties I thought was Wimsey's age. Since I am in my fifties myself, I found this quite easy to forgive. As for Walter's depiction of Harriet Vane, she really is exactly as she should be. Richard Morant's approach to Bunter, Lord Peter's man, is more problematic, being well acted, but not quite in character. As far as the lesser characters, the casting is, for the most part, impeccable. The few exceptions to this rule are still more than acceptable.

What makes the novels unique for their time is that Sayers wrote them are not simply as mystery stories with a romantic aspect. Instead, Harriet Vane is in almost every way Lord Peter's match, a strong, intelligent, and independent woman who balks at marriage first because she does not wish to succumb to gratitude, and latterly because she does not with for her own depth of character to be subsumed under Lord Peter's. This dilemma is used by the author not simply to entertain, but to expand on the role of women in post World War I Britain. And here lies my major complaint about an otherwise delightful set of entertainments.

For whatever reason, the director (Christopher Hodson) decided to overemphasize the romance at the cost of other elements. In the case of "Strong Poison" and "Have His Carcase," this sin only extended to the modification of the endings to create a certain romantic suspense. In "Gaudy Night," unfortunately, Hodson made significant changes from the novel, and left out several elements as well. The result of this 'Hollywoodizing' is that the less familiar one is with the novels, the more enjoyable the performances are. If you are a long time Sayers fan, though, you may find yourself slightly dissatisfied. Purist that I am, I have rated the set at four stars rather than the five that it otherwise richly deserves.

Calling all Lord Peter fans, & all those of ripping good film-making, too: AT LAST! We've all only been waiting since 1987 for these three BBC-films to be released in video -THAT's all! Yes, 15 years in the waiting, but looking spanking new & utterly worth the wait. You'll see: the even older Wimsey videos (Ian Carmichael) suffer seriously when compared to these latest three. I enjoyed Ian but was always bothered by the fact that he was too old, too grey & too thick-waisted to really seem anything like Peter. Edward Petherbridge's acting is top-drawer, & sticklers can rejoice that the actor even looks exactly as Sayers described Peter: right down to the long "goosey" nose, the particular look in the eye, the pale golden hair, & "the shoulders tailored to the point of swooning". Petherbridge's talent & informed style bring the very soul of Lord Peter to the screen in all his eccentric complexity: the wit, the fire, the wonderful silliness, the sudden vulnerability, the rapid badinage lacing literary & historical allusions in between forensic observations: zounds! Top that off with the marvelous presence, at last, of Harriet Vane, & you'll be watching all three novels in a row, straight on 'til morning. Further reassurance? 'Gaudy Night' is SUPERB. Very hard to do well (Hollywood would've ruined it), BBC has created a work of perfection. That early feminist island of Oxford's first college for women is so faithfully & delightfully rendered, even the most exacting viewers/readers will thrill. ORDER EARLY: THESE ARE KEEPERS!

I like both Lord Peter actors, Ian Carmichael puts the "whimsy" in Lord Peter Wimsey but Edward Petherbridge puts the 'Lord Peter' into his portrayal. Petherbridge reminds the reader that the character is fragile and was seriously shell-shocked during WWI and still suffers delayed stress syndrome -his meeting with Harriet Vane is painful and he is desperate to save her while keeping his arm's distance like a gentleman -at her request. Watching the tortured role played, one can't help thinking that his gentlemanly distance is kept more at his insecurity about his emotional stability. He is strong but is the strength his title and wealth? I think anyone who has read and loved her books will enjoy the intellectual challenge Petherbridge delivers. On another note, Dorothy L. Sayers married Arthur Fleming in 1926, contrary to another reviewer's claim that she never married. For a more complete bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Sayers

Undoubtedly one of the Beeb's best classic British cozy adaptations, the casting of this series is spot on, which makes up for any wobbliness in the adaptations. STRONG POISON and especially HAVE HIS CARCASS (thank you Rosemary Anne Sisson!) are a delight to the viewer who treasures faithfulness to the books. GAUDY NIGHT, however, limited by only three 50-minute episodes maintains a narrative thread at the cost of some memorable scenes: no chess set, no dog collar, no nephew Jerry.

The DVDs are surprisingly good in video quality: the soft greyish hues of British tv tend to bring out the visibility of compression, but the datarate hovers in the 7 range, so someone did their best to keep it clean and bright. And, needless to say, this is an obvious improvement over taped-off-the-air VHS. The opening animation, adapted from the show's title sequence, is far less annoying than the majority of you-have-to-sit-through-this front pages, and the navigation is excellent: the chapter selection pages include links to all the episodes on the disc and six of the twelve chapter stops per episode (i.e., you can get to any chapter stop on the disc within 3 clicks). And miracle of miracles, chapter choices are intelligent.

Where the discs are lacking is in presenting "Extras" that aren't: a few background texts about the principal cast and promotional trailers for other products; and virtually identical offerings on all three discs. Either give me real extras (like the MYSTERY! Petherbridge interview footage, photos of Petherbridge and Emily Richards in the Lyric Hammersmith BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON, or even descriptions of the 1940 MGM Robert Montgomery BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON aka "Haunted Honeymoon" which has amusingly awful lines in it like: "I'm Lord Peter Wimsey. And this is my wife, Lady Wimsey...") or stop teasing me.

I loved these mysteries when they were on television. I was greatly disappointed when I discovered that many of the scenes in "Gaudy Nights" that developed the relationship between Lord Peter and Harriet had been cut out. It was a real shame to have destroyed the integrity of the story, and the video should have been listed as "Gaudy Nights, severely edited". The other two episodes I enjoyed very much.

The Harriet Vane chronicles are perhaps the finest in the Peter Whimsey series, with Gaudy Night its crown jewel. But the strength of the books, their powerful internal characterization, is the very thing that poses difficulties for the screenwriter. I dreamed of a film version, but didn't believe anyone would even attempt it. Yet here it is. BBC the Valiant brought the thing off, and they did it with style.

Harriet and Peter are perfectly cast. I was particularly impressed with Harriet in the first 20 minutes of Strong Poison. Without a word of dialogue, she held attention; it's easy to see why Peter fell, and fell hard. (And she does look superb in wine red.) Peter is the wise fool, and looks the part. I'll not give away a single moment, but ration your breath- you'll be needing it. Quiet he is, but he'll steal your soul in a pinch.

Oh, and Bunter, my Bunter. He doth make the heart merry.

For those of you who worry about losing the complicated themes in Gaudy, do not fear, they are all present, on one level or another, and are worked wonderfully. As it's my favorite book of the trio, I do feel the need to comment on several (excusable) flaws- absences of the likes of St. George, chess set, and dog collar were felt, but necessary to the length of the piece. And important words placed in the mouths of the wrong characters were jarring, but justified in the end. Gaudy's starring theme is integrity. The BBC lets it shine.

On the whole, they are well worth the investment. As with the books, you can take them by turns for mystery, philosophy, or romance- or for a tasty blend of the three. As your Whimsey takes you.

Oh, wonderful day! Now my badly worn out tapes can be relegated to the dustbin!

I must congratulate BBC/Warner Home Video for the splendid job of transferring the DVD's--one never knows what to expect from DVD's, and this set looks fabulous.

All three adaptations are great, but my only nit-pick would be that "Gaudy Night" could have been expanded one more hour to include more material from the book. If you've not read the books, and like this series, you'll like these adaptations anyway, even after reading the books!

Petherbridge makes a very convincing Lord Peter--much more believeable than Ian Carmichael in these adaptations featuring the marvelous Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane. I can't see Carmichael as a love interest, but Petherbridge is the quintessential Lord Peter--witty (he does talk "piffle" rather well!), charming, brilliant, and vulnerable underneath the surface. One of my favorite scenes is where Harriet tries to send Lord Peter away, during a prison visit in "Strong Poison"--the pain and hurt that he is feeling is expressed so well in his face, with a minimum of gestures that it brings tears to your eyes. The interaction of Petherbridge and Walter is very convincing, and they relate so well to each other. It's a treat to see them together.

And, Richard Morant as Bunter, although perhaps a bit young for the part, does a great job as well. He's a perfect foil for Lord Peter, with just the right amount of sarcasm at just the right times, and the ability to do a bit of sleuthing on his own when needed.

A great boxed set, and not to be missed.

I never thought I'd see this series again, but miracle of miracles, The Powers That Be have released it and on DVD, no less! I first saw these episodes on PBS in the late eighties when I was entering junior high school. I've been watching those Friday night mystery programs on PBS for as long as I can remember, and no one can top these three adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayer's three most popular Wimsey novels: Strong Poison, Have His Carcass, and Gaudy Night. Absolutely brilliant performances by Edward Petherbridge as my quintessential Lord Peter and Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane. I hope that now this much-loved series will receive the long-awaited praise and recognition it richly deserves.

I have been waiting for the video release of these programs since I originally saw them on PBS--writing letters and making phone calls to PBS, BBC, Acorn, and anyone else connected with the series. After all of that, I was afraid that the programs wouldn't live up to my memory of them. They exceeded my expectations.

"Strong Poison" and "Have his Carcass" are excellent dramatizations--they manage to stay faithful to the important aspects of the book's plots while at the same time bringing the characters to life. Sayer's original stories contained dual fascinating puzzles-the mystery plot line and the delicate development of the relationship between the two main characters. The growing connection between the couple is vividly portrayed--you can see why they fell in love with each other (eventually). "Gaudy Night" takes more liberties with the plot line (from what I've heard it was originally planned as a longer program). Some of these are understandable adaptations of the book's lengthy plot. There is a rather disappointing tendency by the story adaptor to try and turn the love story between Harriet and Lord Peter into an over-simplistic Hollywood style romance, but enough of Sayer's original dialogue-and some fine acting-remain to keep the program from degenerating into a just another TV romance.

Harriet Walters brings the moody Harriet Vane to life. In some ways, it's easier to understand the character's sudden outbursts of temper and stubborn resistance to Wimsey's approaches in the dramatizations than in the books. Edward Petheridge is a wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey-he manages to convey the sensitive man hidden by the silly manner very well. He has the voice, appearance and style of Wimsey down pat. Richard Morant does a fine job of conveying the valet Bunter's relationship with Lord Peter--a mix of deference, impudence, and genuine affection. The visual imagery, settings, and direction of the programs are excellent. Nothing jars you out of the late 1920s/early 30s period.

All in all-the programs were worth the wait.