Lord Peter Wimsey: Clouds of Witness [1972] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Based on the series of novels written by Dorothy L Sayers in the 1920s and 30s, Lord Peter Wimsey was dramatised for TV by the BBC between 1972-5. Ian Carmichael, veteran of British film comedy, played the genial, aristocratic sleuth, Glyn Houston was his manservant Bunter. The pair are similar to PG Wodehouse s Jeeves and Bertie Wooster (whom Carmichael played in an earlier TV adaptation) though here the duo are equal in intelligence, breezing about the country together in Wimsey s Bentley and stumbling with morbid regularity upon baffling murder mysteries to test their wits. Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, and the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series and ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by and large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent and the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle. There were five feature-length adaptations in all. Clouds of Witness sees Wimsey investigate the death of his brother the Duke of Denver s fiancée. --David Stubbs

Misleading Amazon Description - Viewers beware. On the Amazon web site the cast list is entirely wrong. This is not a Petherbridge Wimsey but a Carmichael Wimsey. It remains a wonderful DVD. It is faithful to the book and grips one just as tightly. However I find Carmichael plays Wimsey with less depth than Petheridge. Wimsey is a somewhat tortured soul and this is not a Carmichael expertise.

Well done Lord Peter Wimsey - 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 that can now be found on DVD. 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.Now I watch the one I missed in PBS. The first thing I notices was that Ian Carmichael talks much faster than Petherbridge. And all the people seem older. Of course Peter was supposed to be older when he met Harriet. Lord Peter returns from Corsica. To find his older brother the Duke of Denver (David Langton) practically accused of murder. What is worse is his brother is not talking. So it is up to Peter to find out what happened and clear his brother.In the process he puts his foot in it and practically gets all his relatives and friends accused. As with all Sayers’ stories nothing is simple there are overlapping plots and foolish deeds, as if Peter can not figure them out. On the side we learn a little about English society and ballistics.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.I am glad they finally made a DVD version. However the one I watched was the tape series and I swear just as soon as you turn it on the part (episode) is over and it is time for the next tape as the story moves very fast. This item is worth purchasing as you will want to replay it often.

Gerry, you ve killed him! - Lord Peter (Ian Carmichael) returns from Paris after reading that his older brother the Duke of Denver (David Langton) practically accused of murdering Capt. Dennis Cathcart (Anthony Ainley) the soon to be husband of Lady Mary Wimsey (Rachel Herbert), Peters sister. What is worse is his brother is not talking They have to prove I did it. So it is up to Peter to find out what happened and clear his brother.In the process he puts his foot in it and practically gets all his relatives and friends accused. As with all Sayers stories nothing is simple there are overlapping plots and foolish deeds, as if Peter can not figure them out. On the side we learn a little about English society and ballistics.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 on video tape, 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.Now that I watch the one I missed in PBS. The first thing I notices was that Ian Carmichael talks much faster than Petherbridge. And all the people seem older. Of course Peter was supposed to be older when he met Harriet. I swear just as soon as you turn it on the part (episode) is over and it is time for the next DVD as the story moves very fast. This item is worth purchasing as you will want to replay it often.

Truly fascinatin don t ye know! - It was SO good to see Lord Peter back on the screen - I bought this video just last week - and sat down to watch one episode - five hours later I was once again in the fascinatin unreal world of Wimsey - the plot was a delight, Glyn Houston was spot on as Bunter but ten stars to Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter - he will be forever THE LORD PETER for me - I m just thrilled I ve got him on tape and can order more in the series - when can I get my favourite FIVE RED HERRINGS - it has the most amazing plot twists! Hats off to Lord Peter!

AT LONG LAST WIMSEY IS BACK! - At long last, after 25 years of badgering the BBC Acorn Media have given us fans what we wanted. Ian Carmichael IS Lord Peter Wimsey. He matches the sense of fun evident in the books, the wit and above all the sheer charm of Wimsey. Let s have the rest: Unpleasantness at The Bellona Club, Murder Must Advertise, The Nine Tailors and last but not least Five Red Herrings.Superb stuff!

Lord Peter Wimsey: Clouds of Witness [1972] (REGION 1) (NTSC)