The screen plays for Ian Carmichael's performances are so much better than the ones for Edward Petherbridge's performances. It seems the writers were more faithful to the character of Peter Wimsey as performed by Carmichael. Maybe the writers were more familiar with the period that the stories occurred in and less inclined to embellish the stories with more modern attitudes. I saw the same problem in the Miss Marple videos. Those with Joan Hickson were so much better screen plays than those of the other actresses who played the Miss Marple character.
Edward Petherbridge (and cast members) speak these beautifully scripted lines SO perfectly...showing the character's intellect and heart! (As does Ian Carmichael) They are equals.
"Well, I'll give the footmen orders to admit you. You shall always find me at home". I love it. That's something I could see myself saying if I thought of it. My husband always called me the ice princess , laughingly, for delivering lines like that, lol. Since I'm British by nationality, I just told him it must be genetically hardwired into me; therefore, I am not to blame, lol. She's brilliant.
Much prefer Petherbridge as Wimsey. His age and appearance are closer to the book and he behaves more like a younger man. For me Carmichael is fine but looks and was too old for the part. Enjoy both though.
Ian Carmichael is much better with the comedic aspects- his side glances and 'looks' are excellent and add hugely to what could otherwise just be a radio show on TV
@@christopherloughlin9430 Petherbridge was actually not much younger than Carmichael when he took the part, but he comes off as more dashing. You can see the steel under the upper class twit act. I don't know what the male equivalent of matronly is, but whatever it is, Carmichael couldn't help edging close to it in his portrayal. Yet with Petherbridge's Wimsey, you can see how the other characters might not see past the silly toff smoke screen. Not so with Carmichael's Wimsey, it's almost like intellectual vanity won't let him carry on the act too long.
Either was/is fine with me. What I couldn't take was Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane, when they first came out. Rewatching only confirms my earlier bias. Francesca Annis at that time of her carreer would have been better.
I agree, I’ve read several books and I recall Lord Peter as being a younger man. Carmichael was quite good, but I thought he looked too old for the part.
@@rachelgarber1423 To me it looks like they "costumed" Petherbridge but Carmichael just went to a fine tailor who did a bang up job and that more refined look to me sells the character better. Also to me Petherbridge, while okay, plays Lord Peter a bit more gullible which doesn't fit well to me but either one is okay. However, I find Harriet Walter a bit severe in appearance to work for me but that may also be the costuming, although I must admit I've never found her characterizations very sympathetic.
I do wonder that Harriet did not attend her ex-lover's funeral. And how different this Lord Peter Wimsey is from that of Ian Carmichael. No sense of humour, no dashing charm. Shame Harriet Walter couldn't have appeared w Ian Carmichael. Why won't Harriet Vane marry him?
She did not attend the funeral because she had lost all respect for her ex and was hurting. This Lord Peter has a sense of humour alright, but it is far more subdued, as the situation is a lot more dire. Why SHOULD she marry him? Just because princes always marry the damsel in distress in fairy stories? Well, Sayers did not write fairy stories. :)
I know. Me too. Lord Peter Whimsey is supposed to be extremely good looking and charming. His nephew, who looks just like him but younger, is supposedly like a Greek god. I'm just not seeing it here. He isn't a man who would turn a woman's head. I know there's no accounting for taste, but still.
@@wmnoffaith1, no, he is in fact described as having a silly face and a too long nose and the like. Jerry is goodlooking, Peter is more in the "acceptable" range, but I think he should be shorter. That said, to my mind, Petherbridge gave Lord Peter his sexy back, actually. Not so much by way of looks, but by physical grace as well as other, more subtle means. When I saw Ian Carmichael in that scene on the fountain in Murder Must Advertise, I wanted to run and steady the poor man as he walked (nowhere near nimbly) along the wide rim, while in the book Lord Peter is described as being competent, efficient and graceful while climbing up to the top of the fountain. The gap between book and portrayal was disconcerting.
Download a copy of VLC; it offers a variety of aspect ratios. It's what I use and it's free. Provided you've actually recorded the video, VLC will play just about everything. Start playing the video in VLC. On the menu bar, select "video" and in the drop--down menu select "Aspect Ratio." The correct aspect ratio for this video is 4:3.
@@oldgringo2001 VLC can also play UA-cam videos without needing to download, using Cmd/Ctrl N will open a play from network screen and just paste the UA-cam URL and it will play the video with all the extra control that VLC affords, it provides a useful audio boost for low volume recordings.
I totally agree. In the books, Lord Peter is practically irresistible to women. I haven't read all of her books, but in the sequels to this, he is considered extremely good looking. This man may be somewhat attractive, but he is unlikely to turn a woman's head. He also lacks that joi du vive, and boyish charm. I think he's miscast.
@@wmnoffaith1 Carmichael and Petherbridge are both extremely talented actors and I appreciate the Wimseys they each created--but I do feel that the writers for the earlier series paid a lot more attention to the books than those who worked with Petherbridge.
@Anne Henderson Do not misunderstand me. I'm not implying in any way that Petherbridge is a poor actor. I think his delivery, mannerisms, etc. are quite well done. I'm not familiar with him, but he obviously has talent. However, I feel he was miscast for the part. For instance, I think Tom Hanks and Gary Oldman are both very talented actors, however, neither should be cast to play Sherlock Holmes or Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Jeremy Brett was the quintessential Holmes, and had the Byronic good looks to play Heathcliff, but I can't see him cast as Bertie Wooster or Jerome Jerome in Three men in a boat.
I beg to differ. To me, Petherbridge brings across far more of the subtext than Carmichael does. However, I am told Carmichael is the far better reader of audiobooks, which would not surprise me at all. He has (or had ?) a greater vocal range, in terms of both voices and dialects.
The screen plays for Ian Carmichael's performances are so much better than the ones for Edward Petherbridge's performances. It seems the writers were more faithful to the character of Peter Wimsey as performed by Carmichael. Maybe the writers were more familiar with the period that the stories occurred in and less inclined to embellish the stories with more modern attitudes. I saw the same problem in the Miss Marple videos. Those with Joan Hickson were so much better screen plays than those of the other actresses who played the Miss Marple character.
Edward Petherbridge (and cast members) speak these beautifully scripted lines SO perfectly...showing the character's intellect and heart!
(As does Ian Carmichael)
They are equals.
"Well, I'll give the footmen orders to admit you. You shall always find me at home". I love it. That's something I could see myself saying if I thought of it. My husband always called me the ice princess , laughingly, for delivering lines like that, lol. Since I'm British by nationality, I just told him it must be genetically hardwired into me; therefore, I am not to blame, lol. She's brilliant.
The "Duchess" at 18.14 is the old gal who played Mrs Pumphrey (owner of Tricky-Woo) in the original TV series, All Creatures Great and Small.
"...and may your shadow never grow bulkier." I definitely need to find a situation to use that line.
"Bless you, and may your shadow never grow bulkier." [I've got to memorize and use that line...]
Thanks for the upload. :)
thanks or posting
Dowager Duchess of Denver = Mrs. Pumphrey
Mrs Pettican (the cook) = Nursey (Bernard) from Blackadder II …
True, charmingly ditzy like Mrs P
How can I watch this at the proper ratio 4:3? It’s stretched out to fit wide screen so it’s not watchable on any device I have.
Much prefer Petherbridge as Wimsey. His age and appearance are closer to the book and he behaves more like a younger man. For me Carmichael is fine but looks and was too old for the part. Enjoy both though.
Ian Carmichael is much better with the comedic aspects- his side glances and 'looks' are excellent and add hugely to what could otherwise just be a radio show on TV
@@christopherloughlin9430 Petherbridge was actually not much younger than Carmichael when he took the part, but he comes off as more dashing. You can see the steel under the upper class twit act. I don't know what the male equivalent of matronly is, but whatever it is, Carmichael couldn't help edging close to it in his portrayal.
Yet with Petherbridge's Wimsey, you can see how the other characters might not see past the silly toff smoke screen. Not so with Carmichael's Wimsey, it's almost like intellectual vanity won't let him carry on the act too long.
Either was/is fine with me. What I couldn't take was Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane, when they first came out. Rewatching only confirms my earlier bias. Francesca Annis at that time of her carreer would have been better.
I agree, I’ve read several books and I recall Lord Peter as being a younger man. Carmichael was quite good, but I thought he looked too old for the part.
@@rachelgarber1423 To me it looks like they "costumed" Petherbridge but Carmichael just went to a fine tailor who did a bang up job and that more refined look to me sells the character better. Also to me Petherbridge, while okay, plays Lord Peter a bit more gullible which doesn't fit well to me but either one is okay. However, I find Harriet Walter a bit severe in appearance to work for me but that may also be the costuming, although I must admit I've never found her characterizations very sympathetic.
Is bunter any relation to Billy Bunter of Greyfriar's School
I do wonder that Harriet did not attend her ex-lover's funeral. And how different this Lord Peter Wimsey is from that of Ian Carmichael. No sense of humour, no dashing charm. Shame Harriet Walter couldn't have appeared w Ian Carmichael. Why won't Harriet Vane marry him?
She did not attend the funeral because she had lost all respect for her ex and was hurting.
This Lord Peter has a sense of humour alright, but it is far more subdued, as the situation is a lot more dire.
Why SHOULD she marry him? Just because princes always marry the damsel in distress in fairy stories? Well, Sayers did not write fairy stories. :)
@@g.strobl4458 Exactly.
@@g.strobl4458well said. To accepts someone's hand in marriage is a big decision. ❤
I much prefer Ian Carmichael's portrayal of Lord Peter.
I know. Me too. Lord Peter Whimsey is supposed to be extremely good looking and charming. His nephew, who looks just like him but younger, is supposedly like a Greek god. I'm just not seeing it here. He isn't a man who would turn a woman's head. I know there's no accounting for taste, but still.
@@wmnoffaith1, no, he is in fact described as having a silly face and a too long nose and the like. Jerry is goodlooking, Peter is more in the "acceptable" range, but I think he should be shorter.
That said, to my mind, Petherbridge gave Lord Peter his sexy back, actually. Not so much by way of looks, but by physical grace as well as other, more subtle means.
When I saw Ian Carmichael in that scene on the fountain in Murder Must Advertise, I wanted to run and steady the poor man as he walked (nowhere near nimbly) along the wide rim, while in the book Lord Peter is described as being competent, efficient and graceful while climbing up to the top of the fountain. The gap between book and portrayal was disconcerting.
Both are excellent. IMO.
Thoroughly disliked the moonstruck LPW.A real stretch to make it plausible.
Aspect ratio is incorrect.
Download a copy of VLC; it offers a variety of aspect ratios. It's what I use and it's free. Provided you've actually recorded the video, VLC will play just about everything. Start playing the video in VLC. On the menu bar, select "video" and in the drop--down menu select "Aspect Ratio." The correct aspect ratio for this video is 4:3.
@@oldgringo2001 VLC can also play UA-cam videos without needing to download, using Cmd/Ctrl N will open a play from network screen and just paste the UA-cam URL and it will play the video with all the extra control that VLC affords, it provides a useful audio boost for low volume recordings.
this wimsey is not convincing
Edward Petherbridge's characterization of Lord Peter lacks the human dimension given to it by Ian Carmichael. Petherbridge comes off cold and effete.
I don't agree. Both actors brought something different and good to the role. Carmichael was too old for the romantic role anyway.
I totally agree. In the books, Lord Peter is practically irresistible to women. I haven't read all of her books, but in the sequels to this, he is considered extremely good looking. This man may be somewhat attractive, but he is unlikely to turn a woman's head. He also lacks that joi du vive, and boyish charm. I think he's miscast.
@@wmnoffaith1 Carmichael and Petherbridge are both extremely talented actors and I appreciate the Wimseys they each created--but I do feel that the writers for the earlier series paid a lot more attention to the books than those who worked with Petherbridge.
@Anne Henderson Do not misunderstand me. I'm not implying in any way that Petherbridge is a poor actor. I think his delivery, mannerisms, etc. are quite well done. I'm not familiar with him, but he obviously has talent. However, I feel he was miscast for the part.
For instance, I think Tom Hanks and Gary Oldman are both very talented actors, however, neither should be cast to play Sherlock Holmes or Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Jeremy Brett was the quintessential Holmes, and had the Byronic good looks to play Heathcliff, but I can't see him cast as Bertie Wooster or Jerome Jerome in Three men in a boat.
I beg to differ. To me, Petherbridge brings across far more of the subtext than Carmichael does. However, I am told Carmichael is the far better reader of audiobooks, which would not surprise me at all. He has (or had ?) a greater vocal range, in terms of both voices and dialects.