Have His Carcase, Lord Peter Wimsey, Anglophile Friday

Three of the Dorothy L. Sayers 'Lord Peter Wimsey' novels, set in the 1930s England, were made into movies in the late 1980s, starring Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter (both Shakespearean actors). In the book, 'Strong Poison,' Harriet, a mystery writer, had endured a harrowing murder trial, having been accused of poisoning her ex lover. In the end, she was acquitted, thanks in part (in great part) to the indefatigable super sleuth Lord Peter Wimlsey, aristocratic, witty, and ... persistent in his attempts to persuade Miss Vane to marry him.

No deal. She decided that what she needed more than to get into another relationship was to head out to the West Country to clear her head, try to forget the past hideous months, and begin work on her newest novel, 'The Fountain Pen Mystery.'

 Harriet, backpack and sensible shoes, 
walking along the coast of The West Country

But where is that coastline in the photos?

Where was Have His Carcase filmed??

I have been wondering that ever since I saw the movie.  Wouldn't it be fun to discover the location and walk along that coastline.

 Harriet Vane

'whilst working on the plot of her latest novel...'

Harriet closes her eyes to think, and like most of us, soon falls asleep.

Many times I've looked at various sites on the internet, trying to find the answer to my question, but all was in vain (get it? Vane.)

When Harriet awakens, she hears vultures (or some bird of prey), and looks up to see them circling overhead. She also notices that the tide is coming in, and eventually discovers a man, presumably asleep, on [Flatiron] rock. In an attempt to wake him so that he doesn't get trapped by the tide, Harriet climbs the rock and discovers much to her horror...a bloody body whose throat had been cut.

NOTE:  In response to Vee's comment below, the only blood shown is in the few seconds that we see the body on the rock and then much later in the movie when Lord Peter, Bunter, and Harriet are reviewing the sequence of events. Only a few seconds, and you can always fast forward through that. I don't like to see blood either. :-) 

 Harriet Walter, doing the best job I've ever seen 

of someone being totally repulsed by a horrid sight.
You've got to watch this to believe it.

With the tide coming in and no other options available to her, Harriet takes photos of the body, tests one of the shoes against a footprint on the rock (or beach), and picks up a straight-edge razor that was near the body,

 Harriet Vane, hands spattered in blood

and manages to pull a glove off one of the hands. These items she puts into her backpack (I'm sure the Brits have a better word for it, like satchel or something,) and heads down the road to find the nearest place where she can telephone the London newspaper (to give them the scoop on the bloody body on the beach, and get a little promotion for her new novel at the same time)...and the police.

Lord Peter and Harriet Vane

Back at Flatiron Rock, the scene of the crime.

 Lord Peter, Bunter (his valet) and Harriet Vane,

wondering why the expensive razor of a prominent barber (Endicott)

would be found on a bearded man who wore shabby footwear and couldn't afford a new hat.

Having Tea at The Resplendent in Wilvercombe

You'll have to watch the three movies, 'Strong Poison,' 'Have His Carcase,' and 'Gaudy Night,' if you want some seriously good mysteries. All the Lord Peter Wimsey books by Dorothy L. Sayers, and there are several, make great reading. But if you enjoy great costuming, as I do, track down the DVDs.

 BUT WAIT!

I got carried away in the telling of the tale.  The whole point of this post was, that after searching for what seemed ever - to find the filming location of 'Have His Carcase,' I discovered it just the other day, online.

On a site called, VulpesLibris  in an interview with Edward Petherbridge, he mentions, "It was the end of a happy collaboration; the early mornings in muddy car parks on location near Lulworth Cove for Have His Carcase..."

And, coincidentally, I had just recently heard of Lulworth Cove for the first time. Last week, Mike Biles wrote about Lulworth Cove on his blog. So now, if anyone else wanted to know where Have His Carcase was filmed, it was at Lulworth Cove in Dorset. And if you want some great photos and a fun and witty post, find it at A Bit About Britain.

Mystery solved. Finally.

As for Have His Carcase, you'll have to read (or watch) it yourself to see how it ends - and for the sheer pleasure of hearing Lord Peter talk 'piffle.'

All photos in this post are from the BBC DVD of Have His Carcase, except for the one below, which was from the UK Telegraph.

By the way, Downton Abbey fans would recognize Harriet Walter in another recent role she played, that of Lady Shackleton.

Lady Shackleton and the Dowager Countess

at Tea

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