Clouds of Witness

Dorothy L. Sayers writes many non-fiction books however among her best fiction 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 on PBS. The first thing I notice 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 into 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.

Lord Peter must prove the innocence of his brother, The Duke of Denver, who is accused of killing The Fiancé of his sister Mary, Cathcart.

It's a terrific series, if you enjoy intrigue, suspense and mystery, then you will love this series, over forty years old it still offers so much. I compare this to modern day dramas, and it is superior in almost every way, plot, acting, sets, costumes, and the fact that the story has a clear start, middle and conclusion.

Wimsey is described as being similar to Sherlock Holmes, and he is, he's just a bit more upper class, a bit more refined, but equally as sharp witted.

Some great scenes, including a dear death experience in a bog, but best of all is the final episode, which sees a court room showdown, it is pretty spectacular.

I love that we get to see Lord Peter's family, they really are a bunch of characters, wonderfully upper class, but all different, all characters. Absolutely love Helen, she's hilarious.

It is excellent from start to finish, 9/10.

Of the three I have seen, "The Nine Tailors" gets a 10, no doubt about it. I'd have to give "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club" a 9 just because it isn't The Nine Tailors and I don't give 10s willy-nilly. So that leaves an 8 for this episode due to a few minor objections. It's been so long since reading the book that I don't recall whether it is responsible, or the production. But in any case...

In short, "Clouds of Witness" is a bit over-the-top. First, it gives us several quite histrionic scenes among members of Wimsey's family. Second, Wimsey heedlessly gets himself thrice into really life-threatening situations, from which he emerges as improbably as a James Bond or an Indiana Jones. Thirdly, a few critics call Wimsey "obnoxious" or "insufferable." While I don't at all agree in general, thinking he makes an exemplary case for the leisure class and would be a wonderful friend to have, in a few scenes here he deserves that criticism. I didn't admire his jaunty casualness in the House of Lords, after his derring-do has made national headlines, in conspicuous contrast to the solemn punctilium of all his peers. The impression is that he doesn't belong there. Wouldn't a real English gentleman and Lord go along with protocol as far as possible for courtesy's sake, even if he were to have a good laugh about it later?

It's great entertainment and recommended, even if a few false notes leave it slightly below its companions.

Why can't we (the British) make period mystery and drama like this any more? Everyone is superb, especially the Duke and his freeze-dried Duchess, who despite her stiff upper lip is attractive and sympathetic. Only Lady Mary lets the side down with some atrocious acting. She calms down for the trial scene, though. The costumes and interiors are perfect, but the actresses and make-up department just couldn't bring themselves to use the authentic bright red lipstick. I never noticed the Conan Doyle references before: Lord Peter says he's been chased by a 'hound of the Baskervilles', and falls not into the Great Grympen Mire but into Grider's Hole. And that's not all that's pinched from the 'Hound'.

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I had the relatively unusual experience of watching this dramatisation very shortly after listening to Ian Carmichael's reading of the audiobook of "Clouds of Witness", and was struck by the virtual absence of departures from the source material. As this is rare for TV/film adaptations, I do consider it worth mentioning. As with at least one other reviewer here, I found Lady Mary Wimsey's portrayal distracting at best, annoying at times, and unsure whether to blame actress or director, so will split the difference by mentally sharing responsibility between the two. Apart from the apparent age difference between Ian Carmichael and Lord Peter (which he himself notes on occasion), his performance of the role is extremely good, owing in large part, I suspect, to his familiarity with the source material and long championing of this series, of which I only recently learned. There is much to be said for labors of love, and clearly, this is one. The DVD set also includes "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club", plus an interview conducted in 2000 with Carmichael and additional information about his career and that of author Dorothy L. Sayers.