This is a very exquisite mystery based on one of Dorothy Sayer's Peter Wimsey Novel's. It's the second one involving Lord Peter Wimsey with Harriet Vane, a fictional mystery writer. Vincent Price in his introductory discussion notes that it appears that Vane is representative of Ms. Sayer.
The story seems to be simplicity in itself. A dead man is found laying on a rock next to the shore on a beach in the English West Country. Author Vane, who is on a hike in the west country is trying to get her recent issue of escape from a murder conviction out of her system. While hiking down on the beach at low tide she sees a man supposedly sleeping on a rock which is locally noted as Flatiron rock. After she yells a warning that the tide is coming in and he doesn't respond she goes to the rock climbs up to wake him and discovers he is dead with a cut throat still bleeding.
The solution of this mystery, who and why, is discussed in this and the next three episodes, and it's a very involved and at the same time a very interesting mystery that is only solved in the end by the cooperation of Lord Peter and Miss Vane the local police and most importantly by Lord Peter's Man servant.
The details are interesting and though somewhat easy to follow left me a bit befuddled at the end. I'm not quite sure who committed the crime which local police consider as a probable suicide. The viewers have long decided that along with Miss Vane and and Lord Peter that it's a case of murder. There is also some international intrigue along with local issues driving the story.
I had not planned on reviewing the series after I reviewed it for the first time in over twenty years from a copy I downloaded from my TV set way back when the program came out in 1987. I had turned to IMDb for the information I needed only to discover there is no information, so I can't tell you who plays Peter Wimsey nor Harriet Vane. I only note that in the former it was not Ian Carmichael who played the role in other years or Miss Vane who was also played by a actress named Harriet. I'll have to view the VHS tape again to reconcile these issues and perhaps better understand who actually did the deed. There are several familiar supporting players who those who like British film productions will recognize. I will note one other thing that was of interest to me. There is a dance band playing on several occasions during the film. This band is led by I young woman pianist who is known as Peggy Waterman. Her band is called the Water Melons.
The story seems to be simplicity in itself. A dead man is found laying on a rock next to the shore on a beach in the English West Country. Author Vane, who is on a hike in the west country is trying to get her recent issue of escape from a murder conviction out of her system. While hiking down on the beach at low tide she sees a man supposedly sleeping on a rock which is locally noted as Flatiron rock. After she yells a warning that the tide is coming in and he doesn't respond she goes to the rock climbs up to wake him and discovers he is dead with a cut throat still bleeding.
The solution of this mystery, who and why, is discussed in this and the next three episodes, and it's a very involved and at the same time a very interesting mystery that is only solved in the end by the cooperation of Lord Peter and Miss Vane the local police and most importantly by Lord Peter's Man servant.
The details are interesting and though somewhat easy to follow left me a bit befuddled at the end. I'm not quite sure who committed the crime which local police consider as a probable suicide. The viewers have long decided that along with Miss Vane and and Lord Peter that it's a case of murder. There is also some international intrigue along with local issues driving the story.
I had not planned on reviewing the series after I reviewed it for the first time in over twenty years from a copy I downloaded from my TV set way back when the program came out in 1987. I had turned to IMDb for the information I needed only to discover there is no information, so I can't tell you who plays Peter Wimsey nor Harriet Vane. I only note that in the former it was not Ian Carmichael who played the role in other years or Miss Vane who was also played by a actress named Harriet. I'll have to view the VHS tape again to reconcile these issues and perhaps better understand who actually did the deed. There are several familiar supporting players who those who like British film productions will recognize. I will note one other thing that was of interest to me. There is a dance band playing on several occasions during the film. This band is led by I young woman pianist who is known as Peggy Waterman. Her band is called the Water Melons.
