A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery (1987) User Reviews

A Mystery and a Love story

[treebeardman · 7/10 · 19 July 2010]

Written and set in the 1920s, Lord Peter Whimsey and Harriet Vane go on adventures solving mysteries while falling in love. Lord Peter (Edward Petherbridge) is an aristocrat with links to the British Government, he is an accomplished musician and dancer. Harriet Vane (Harriet Walter) is one of the first women to graduate from Oxford (like the author) and a writer of mysteries (like the author). So many people see Harriet and a representation of Dorothy L. Sayers while Peter is her fantasy partner. Peters manservant Bunter (Richard Morant) is always on hand to assist.

The 52 minute episodes are sometimes shown in groups. First is Strong Poison where Harriet is a suspect. Episode 1,2,3 Then Have His Carcase where they find a body in Dorset Episode 4,5,6,7 Lastly Gaudy Night, Harriet goes back to her Oxford College to find who is writing threatening letters to the staff.

fine adaptation of various Dorothy L. Sayers mysteries

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 2 December 2018]

Lord Peter Wimsey, an aristocrat and amateur sleuth, meets with crime novelist Harriet Vane. They do not meet cute - on the contrary - and the harshness of these first encounters casts a very dark shadow over their relationship. Still, Wimsey is convinced that he has finally found his equal and soulmate. Will he succeed in winning the heart of his beloved, who has good reason to fear and distrust men ? And, while we're at it, will both our sleuths solve the various crimes Fate throws their way ?

The series is based on a number of mysteries featuring Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. It's an intelligent, careful adaptation, made with a great attention to (period) detail. Both Wimsey and Vane are given nicely human and humane faces : the viewer can believe in their existence, just as he can believe in their predicaments or their complex relationship.

Still, there are minor shortcomings here and there. "Have his carcase" (a wonderful title, that) is well-made, but lacks some of the underlying darkness and horror present in Sayers' novel. "Gaudy night", again, is well-made, but one gets a sense that it underwent some serious pruning and cutting. In the novel, the malignant soul plaguing a university for women is quite dangerous, threathening the life and sanity of innocent people ; here the culprit's activities are more of a poltergeist nature. The resulting episodes are more tame and monochromatic than the novel, which contains some memorable incidents and riveting set pieces.

But : overall a nice series, well worth your time and effort. And for those of you who are yet unfamiliar with the work of Dorothy L. Sayers : run, don't walk to the nearest bookshop !

Wonderful characterisation and period detail

[jacqueestorozynski · 10/10 · 13 March 2015]

I have been looking for this series since I caught a small piece on TV years ago. Suddenly, there it was on the Drama channel and as far as I'm concerned it could do no wrong. Edward Petherbridge as Lord Peter is wonderful, his witticisms and desire for Harriet in the stories is so believable. He doesn't need to speak for it to be written on his face. Although I am not a fan of Harriet Walter, in this piece she was exactly right. I am so disappointed that only three of the stories were made, I just wanted them to continue into the couple being married etc. I have no desire to see the Ian Carmichael production as for me Petherbridge is the definitive Lord Peter. The story lines unravelled slowly with great attention to period detail and the polite formal behaviour of the time. Wonderful! My only criticism is that in the last story Gaudy Nights there was not enough of the couple together and too much of the the ladies in the university having intellectual debates. Then it was rounded up too quickly in the last few minutes, Harriet agrees to marry Lord Peter in a couple of seconds. However, Petherbridge's acting was impeccable and you really believed he was afraid to ask her as it would be the final refusal. I could watch the episodes again and again.