Customer Reviews

Lord Peter Wimsey - Murder Must Advertise [VHS]

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It took only a quarter century to catch up with <Lord Peter Wimsey: Murder Must Advertise> and I am eternally grateful to Acorn Media for making it available, along with "Clouds of Witness" and "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club."

Yes, "Five Red Herrings" and "The Nine Tailors" are due soon. Having read the book several times, I can say that the dramatization is not only faithful to the plot but also to the comic tone of the original. Sayers herself did work in an advertising agency and she perfectly catches the chaos, the frustrations, and the high spirits that pervade such an establishment.

Even more on video than in the novel is each character fully realized. When Wimsey (working under an alias) first enters the secretaries' room, the more flamboyant of the women (played by Fiona Walker) is found coffee cup high in the air and sheet of advertising copy low in hand, thereby establishing her character perfectly. She can also quote Latin tags and Shakespeare with colloquial ease. The stuffy head of the firm, Mr. Pym, is played by Peter Pratt, well known to Gilbert & Sullivan buffs as the comic lead at the D'Oyly Carte several generations ago. The ubiquitous Peter Bowles plays the villainous Major Milligan as a dope dealer to the "bright young things" who still knows when to apologize for rudeness. Mark Eden continues his role as Chief Inspector Parker, now Wimsey's brother-in-law since marrying into the family after the "Clouds of Witness" case. If I cannot warm up to Lady Mary (Rachel Herbert), it is perhaps because of her smugness that tries to be charming but (for me) just misses.

Possibly the best realized character is Bridget Armstrong's Dian de Momerie, the fading sexpot who knows she is doomed by her associates, her drug taking, and the ravages of time. Armstrong turns what could have been an utterly cliched role into a sympathetic and believable one.

And of course, Ian Carmichael is the same bubbling amateur sleuth of the first two mysteries, always ready to apologize for forgetting he has advantages over most of the others. The plot combines a simple whodunit with a complex howsitdun; and if you pay close attention to the most seemingly inconsequential lines in the first reels, you will appreciate all the more the solution in the last one. I will reveal none of the plot here, except to say it is a lot of fun.

The production budget is below that of the Poriot series, but the period feel is just as good. By the way, when Wimsey (in disguise) is compared with Bertie Wooster, the script writer might be indulging in an inside joke: Ian Carmichael did play Wooster in a series on British TV and that association nearly cost him getting Wimsey after he himself suggested it to the powers that be!

Murder Must Advertise is, perhaps, the most entertaining of the five Lord Peter Wimsey videos now available to the public. Lord Peter goes undercover as Death Breedon to take a job as a copywriter for Pym's Advertising Agency to help Mr. Pym discover if foul play caused the death of Victor Dean, an employee of the agency. As Death Breedon Lord Peter shows his comic side as he obviously enjoys having fun with the various employees at Pym's. But more often than not there is purpose behind the humor as Lord Peter carefully sifts through a variety of clues and determines that Victor Dean was, indeed, murdered. Catching the killer is not so easy and draws Lord Peter into the world of the drug dealing de Momerie crowd. His various encounters with Dian de Momerie are highlights of the video.

Ian Carmichael was born to play Lord Peter. Add to that statement the obvious care with which Carmichael prepares for each scene and you have always in each video of the series a carefully orchestrated and meticulously delivered performance.

I now own two DVD versions of this series and wish I had been able to purchase the entire series in that format. As a bonus in the two DVDs that I do own, Ian Carmichael is interviewed and talks about his career and his work portraying Lord Peter. I would have liked for the interview to be longer, but it appears as if the producers cut the interview into parts to put into the various titles of the series.

In any format, I can highly recommend Murder Must Advertise along with each of the remaining titles in this series which is now complete.

This DVD, along with The Nine Tailors, is one of my two favorite of the Lord Peter Wimsey series starring Ian Carmichael that were first produced in the mid 1970s. In Murder Must Advertise Lord Peter works incognito, using his two middle names Death Bredon as an alias, at an advertising agency in London. His purpose is to solve a puzzling mystery surrounding the death of an employee at the agency, shortly before that employee was to reveal some shocking information about criminal activities at work. The story is classical Sayers, with plenty of red herrings to mislead and beguile you. It has an additional charm in that it gives a good view of what life must have been like in an advertising agency in Britain in the 1930s (Dorothy L. Sayers worked in such an agency before creating Lord Peter, so the give and take of office life rings true. You also get a glimpse of the sordid world of drug dealers and the unhappy frivolity of the Bright Young Things. I also enjoyed Peter's sparkling sister Lady Mary and his snobby sister in law the Duchess of Denver The mystery itself is well told and comes to a satisfying conclusion. The DVD also has a nice interview with Ian Carmichael and some Wimsey/Sayers trivia

I strongly recommend this DVD to all those amored of a cracking good yarn. The plot is well written and the players deliver their parts exquisitely. I had listened to BBC cassettes of this mystery for over 12 years before finally getting to see the TV version and I was thrilled with Ian Carmichael's portayal of Lord Peter Wimsey. There are some familiar faces in the cast, including Christopher Timothy, Peter Bowles, Bridget Armstrong, and Paul Darrow. The dialogue is so smart and effective throughout the show. The plot revolves primarily around who (if anyone) killed Victor Dean, a copywriter at Pym's Advertising and secondarily about the drug ring Chief Inspector Parker is pursuing. To see how they are related, you will have to watch the mystery unfold. If you really appreciate good English mysteries, you'll watch this show more than once, I have!

I enjoy Murder Must Advertise and The Nine Tailors the most of all of Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. In Murder Must Advertise Lord Peter spends some time undercover in an advertising agency which is apparently being used in a cocaine smuggling operation. One murder has already occured, and more seem likely.

Ian Carmichael makes an excellent and energetic Lord Peter. This series, which was originally filmed in the mid 1970s, has held up extremely well. The scenes shot in the advertising agency are really funny (Sayers worked in such a firm for awhile so her descriptions really read true), and the depictions of the Bright Young Things are amusing as well. The mystery itself is neatly played out. All in all, a truly satisfying viewing experience.

Victor Dean (Robert Hamilton) writes "There is something going on in the organization that is very undesirable and might lead to serious consequences,"

Shortly after that Victor Dean spirals to his death. An accident?

It may be coincidence but to be on the safe side Mr. Pym (Peter Pratt) of Pym's Advertising Agency heirs a privet detective "Death Breen" to secretly find the answer. Mr. Breen poses as a beginning copy writer and gets to know the staff. We notice that Mr. Breen is too well dressed for the part and looking closer we recognize him as...


Lord Peter (Ian Carmichael) used the address of the empty apartment owned by his brother-in-law Chief Inspector Parker (Mark Eden) and sister Lady Mary (Rachel Herbert)

While Lord Peter is doing his investigation of the mysterious doings at Pym's, Chief Inspector Parker is investigation dope smuggling. Their paths cross frequently.

Is there a link?
And was Victor Dean just a victim of an accident?
Watch and find out.

You may notice that Ian Carmichael is really showing his age in this film and is just a tad old for the part.

They took the time to put just about everything relevant from the book in to this production. There were a few exceptions but not worth bothering about. The production is complete enough that you do not have to read the book.

Dorothy L. Sayers writes many non-fiction books however among her best is the Lord Peter Wimsey series. I came to this series sort of though the back door. My first taste was the BBC productions with Petherbridge as Lord Peter, which can now be found on DVD and as a set of Lord Peter stories. So I read all of Dorothy's books containing the relationship of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Now it is time to go through the whole series.

This item is worth purchasing as you will want to replay it often.

Lord Peter Wimsey - Clouds of Witness

I'm probably biased, as it was the first Peter Wimsey adaptation I saw. Very true to the book, which is also my favorite Wimsey novel, and all the actors fit their roles well. Of note: Paul Darrow from BLAKE'S 7, Christopher Timothy from ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL (a very different character here as opposed to his laid-back James Herriott role!), Peter Bowles from THE IRISH RM and TO THE MANOR BORN. The advertising agency sequences are wonderful--things in the advertising business haven't changed much! Some reviewers say Ian Carmichael was too old for the role and enjoy the Edward Petherbridge stories more, but I particularly liked Carmichael's portrayal of Lord Peter and can forget his age in his skill in playing the part.

Ian Carmichael owns the role of Lord Peter Wimsey in the marvelous BBC adaptations of the classic mystery novels by Dorothy L. Sayers. Buy this one. Buy the whole series.

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) wrote comparatively few mystery novels, but they were more than sufficient to make her as widely admired as the more prolific Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh. MURDER MUST ADVERTISE was published in 1933; fifty years later it at last reached the television screen with a 1973 BBC production. The series starred Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, Sayer's titled sleuth, which he played in several BBC adaptations of Sayers novels.

Now, there will no doubt be the pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth when I say this, but Sayers was what you might call a very literary writer, by which I mean that her way of telling a story was more important than the details of the story itself, and her sharp humor, her clever plots, and her intriguing characters have never translated to the screen very well. This is as true of this series and these actors as they are the other attempts to put the novels on screen. It doesn't work well because what usually emerges on film is a lot of people sitting around drinking tea and chatting, and few things can be more dull than that.

MURDER MUST ADVERTISE isn't quite that bad, but the simple fact of it is that you probably won't be able to follow it unless you've read the novel first. And make no mistake: although she herself was a little ify about it, this is one of Sayers' best works, the tale of a young man working for an advertising agency who suddenly falls to his death down a spiral staircase. Was it accident? The office would like to think so. Was it murder? Well, there is a suggestive letter he was writing not long before his death. The agency soon calls in Lord Peter Wimsey, who disguises himself as working man Death Bredon, takes a job as a copywriter, and soon finds himself up to his monocle in a drug trafficing scheme that is somehow worked out the ad agency's office. But how? And by who? And what does all this have to do with the murdered man any way?

The whole thing is very, very BBC series of the period, if you know what I mean: everything is quickly done, and it is easy to spot where they really should have done a re-take or two; everything is very inexpensive, and the costumes and sets are never entirely convincing. But we must give the show its due. Director Rodney Bennett keeps it moving at a fast clip, and writer Rodney Bennett has done as good a job possible adapting the story for the screen--fans of the novel will recognize large chunks of the dialogue and many of Sayers most memorable zingers lifted directly from book to script. Although he lacks Wimsey's icy quality, Ian Carmichael isn't bad as Lord Peter, but on the whole I would describe the actors as expert instead of gifted. The DVD has little in the way of extras, but it does offer an interview with Carmichael that is rather fun.

When all is said and done, this really is probably as good as a film adaptation of a Sayers novel can be--and although the 1987 series starring Edward Petherbridge had its own charms and failings, this series comes out slightly ahead on the cast, writing, and direction. Recommended, yes, but only for those who are already fans of Sayers novels.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

If you enjoyed the book, you will probably love this. The period atmosphere feels spot on - a relaxed approach that barely conceals the fiendish machinations beneath.
For us, Ian Carmichael is a perfect reincarnation of Sayers' sleuth and the screenplay remains substantially faithful to the book. The rest of the cast is excellent, and the difficult role of Diane de Momerie is particularly well played by Bridget Armstrong. Sayers would have loved this performance, we feel certain!

Recommended to all who enjoy the 'Lord Peter Wimsey' detective tales, and for those who would like to give one a try. It's a cracker!