Inspector Morse: Last Seen Wearing

Starring:John Thaw
Studio: Bfs Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
This 1988 British telefilm from the second series of the long-running mystery Inspector Morse sends Morse (John Thaw), that cultured curmudgeon of a police detective, on the six-month-old case of a missing schoolgirl. "She's dead," he proclaims, dismissing the case as a dead end and a waste of time, but true to form he investigates with his trademark relentlessness and uncovers something he didn't expect--a conspiracy at the girl's private school resulted in murder.

Amazon.com

This 1988 British telefilm from the second series of the long-running mystery Inspector Morse sends Morse (John Thaw), that cultured curmudgeon of a police detective, on the six-month-old case of a missing schoolgirl. "She's dead," he proclaims, dismissing the case as a dead end and a waste of time, but true to form he investigates with his trademark relentlessness and uncovers something he didn't expect--a conspiracy at the girl's private school resulted in murder.

Still early in the series (it lasted until The Remorseful Day in 2000), we find Morse still getting comfortable with his young partner. Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately) is a family man who would rather head home at the end of the day than drink a pint with his partner. Morse is up to his old tricks, sneaking scotch in coffee mugs at crime scenes and taking beer breaks, and Thaw plays the loner detective without a hint of self-consciousness. And in the best tradition of British TV mysteries, this crime is solved not with shootouts or car chases, but by relentless investigation and sheer brainpower (helped along by a couple of pints of ale). Elizabeth Hurley (Austin Powers) and Julia Sawalha (Saffron from Absolutely Fabulous) have small parts as schoolgirls questioned by Morse and Lewis. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Sexuality and Sin.......2006-12-13

A teenager has gone missing - Morse believes she is dead - Lewis believes she is alive. The plot builds from there with a woman, other then the teenager being murdered. The involvement of a girl's school leads us to various behavioral patterns, heterosexuality, bi-sexuality, homosexuality all adding to most interesting plot lines, and confusing Morse no end. Additional complications are introduced with Catholicism and abortion. Not much opera here - our only compensations are some chamber music which Morse is relaxing to while reading Thomas Hardy at the very beginning of the story and an orchestral excerpt from Die Walküre just prior to the ME Max's excellent analogy he poses to Morse. While both are sipping a pint at a local pub Max asks Morse if he understands what it would be like to lose a child, when Morse answers no, Max suggests he grasp the situation by envisioning he (Morse) cannot find his copy of "The Ring". Morse's reply will be found in the video. There is very little icing aside from brief exchanges relative to flowers and first editions. A fine plot carries this episode despite the lack of topping which we have come to expect.

Cultured Curmudgeon--Character Study.......2006-07-10

What I particularly enjoyed about LAST SEEN WEARING is the character study of Endeavor Morse, Detective Chief Inspector of the Thames Valley Police Department, serving Oxford.

In the opening scene, Morse is reading Thomas Hardy, one of the brooding classics of English Literature. But construction noise (by a firm that later turns out to be tied into the case) disturbs him and he goes into work--where he continues to read Hardy, and ignore the files that his eager Seargant attempts to thrust into his face.

The pathologist, in trying to get Morse to feel the pain of the parents' loss of their daughter says, "Imagine that your copy of the Ring Cycle [Wagner's interminable opera] was destroyed and it was your only one." Yes, as the editorial review says, the "cultured curmudgeon." I love it!

Morse's lined face, slight paunch, in-need-of-a-haircut and always in need of a drink gives us a completely different portrait than, say, the dapper Poirot. When Morse confronts the contractor, the man says, "Oh no, are you the one who drinks?" Morese doesn't miss a beat to confirm or deny, but simply says, "Are you the tyrant?"

His boss asks Morse if this flu of his is really a depression. Though Morse denies it, this seems likely. He seems burnt out, and doesn't really snap to in the case until a real body is found to galvanize his attention.

The story is amazing in crime literature in that it has a happy ending of sorts!

--Janet Grace Riehl, author "Sightlines: A Poet's Diary"

Inspector Morse : "Last Seen Wearing".......2002-10-23

If you own this episode on VHS there is no reason to purchase the DVD version. I am a big Inspector Morse fan and find this to be one of the better episodes but the DVD itself is horrible.
I cannot believe how a show as popular as Inspector Morse can be turned into such a shoddy DVD. The DVD contains no extras (although some newer episodes do contain laughable text trivia, ha!) The transfer is mediocre at best, and lastly the packaging is cheap. I recently purchased "Brideshead Revisited" on DVD, wonderful transfer, wonferful packaging, many extras including a booklet. Is it really too much to ask that the series be treated with a little respect, how about some extras behind the scenes footage? a director or author voice over? maybe an interview with some of the surviving cast? Its just dreadful in every respect. I can only hope the series is issued again by a company with more taste.

Another horrible transfer!.......2002-01-07

I am sure that many of the Ispector's fans waited impatiently for the series to be released on DVD. I made a fatal mistake of selling my VHS collection.
Beware! This transfer is a disaster!
Conclusion: Stick to your VHS for now!
Note: same thing with Brother Cadfael DVDs. Is it the London fog or what?

The first Morse I remember seeing, a good one.......2001-10-02

This is the first Morse story that I can actually remember seeing and as with all of the others it is a good story well worth watching. I would say that even a person who doesn't think they'd like an English murder mystery should try it. I would never have recognized Elizabeth Hurley in an early role as a school girl, Julia Sawalha(also present) was more appealing to me.

Average customer rating:

Selling the Silver: Morse Would Understand
The final Morse
BFS Cropped this WIDESCREEN episode.
A REMORSEFUL ADAPTATION
Morse's End Predates John Thaw's by Only a Few Years

Inspector Morse - The Remorseful Day
Starring: Inspector Morse
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Inspector Morse - Death Is Now My Neighbour
Inspector Morse - The Wench Is Dead
Inspector Morse - The Daughters of Cain
Inspector Morse - Deadly Slumber
Inspector Morse - Twilight of the Gods

ASIN: B000056T50
Release Date: 2001-02-03

Amazon.com

An unsolved murder case is reopened after a suspect is released from jail, but when he and two of his associates are found dead, detectives Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis face one of their most difficult investigations, and Morse's involvement may be more personal than he is willing to admit.

The final case for British television's best-loved detective is suffused with melancholy. Years of stress and far too much beer have taken their toll, and Morse is a sick man. Popping pills, wincing with pain, and drinking in spite of doctor's orders, Morse keeps going because he is obsessed with bringing criminals to justice. It's impossible to imagine him in retirement, but his vocation has ruined his health and now threatens his life.

The complex relationship between Morse and his partner has always been at the heart of the show's success, and at the beginning of "The Remorseful Day," that relationship is even more strained than usual. Lewis is furious when Morse takes over his investigation into the multiple murders, and the ailing Morse is more irritable than ever. But in spite of all their differences the two men complement one another and they are soon working together again. When this final episode moves into its final act Kevin Whately's performance as the faithful, underappreciated Lewis is deeply moving, providing a fitting coda to their enduring partnership.

The accompanying documentary includes behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with many of the distinguished actors who have appeared in the show over the years, and comments from Morse's creator, Colin Dexter. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews:

Selling the Silver: Morse Would Understand.......2006-08-14

The opening shot shows the family silver, lovingly and lusciously photographed. . . the camera pans out to see the rest of the Great House and its more tawdry doings.

The sandwich of the story is intricate, multi-layered, and shows the shifting powers of Morse and Lewis as Morse declines physically but continues to mentor Lewis up to the last possible moment. The series has always focused on the character of Morse and the relationship between the two detectives, but this episode brings both these strands home beautifully.

Then, at the end, Lewis speaks to the daughter who had to sell the family silver we saw in the opening shot (to pay off a blackmailer). It's an upper class shame that she doesn't feel Lewis fully appreciates. "Morse would understand," she says. And he would have.

Morse understood everything with such subtlty. That is what great books and literature and a lifetime of melacholy can train you for. . . being open to the clues of the world. May we all take heart from the life of this fictional character.

--Janet Grace Riehl, author "Sightlines: A Poet's Diary"

The final Morse.......2005-09-18

A very good conclusion to the Morse TV series.

As always, John Thaw is excellent as the Chief Inspector. And Oxford is delightful.... The background music adds to the touch of the mystery.

The book written by Colin Dexter has been adapted. Fans of this, could also get the book or book on tape, to read the extended story.

BFS Cropped this WIDESCREEN episode........2004-08-21

This great closing episode of the great series by the great John Thaw has one flaw, the picture has been cropped to fit a full-frame 1:33-1 screen.

By the time this episode was produced, England had switched over to the 1:85-1 wide-screen telecast. Currently PBS is showing this in its original wide-screen format so I was able to compare the pictures. This razor sharp DVD is indeed cropped on the sides.

Fortunately the producers realized that it would be shown cropped in some markets. So nothing important is framed at the sides of the picture, the action all takes place in the center of the picture. You will not know any picture is missing unless you see the wide-screen version. It is just a shame that BFS decided not to release an anamorphic wide-screen edition!

Everything else is excellent about the disc. A sharp clean picture with solid colors, clear sound, and bonus material!

A REMORSEFUL ADAPTATION.......2002-07-19

There's been a murder here, but it's not the one you think. The adaptation of Colin Dexter's "The Remorseful Day" has left a stinking corpse of what was a masterful story, an exquisite exposition of the "Parsifal" like heart of Endeavour Morse. The culprits? Rebecca Eaton and her doltish cadre of American PBS writers who have distinguished themselves in missing the entire point of the book.
Mind you, if you have not read the book, you'll enjoy this video. All the great elements are there: John Thaw essays Morse brilliantly, Kevin Whately turns in a terrific performance as Lewis, although he is compelled to deliver a totally ridiculous and melodramatic "Morse is dead!" proclamation. He acquits himself and moves on. All the supporting players, the family intrigues, the score, the filmwork - all executed brilliantly. So, you'd have little reason to suspect something is awry.

But there is and it is as great a disservice to a book as I can ever remember. Now, that argument can be made about a lot of transfers from book to film, but in this case, and with this series, which has been so faithful to Dexter's works, it is just incomprehensible. I can only conclude that it is due to the American fascination with smoothing out any sense of nuance in order to champion the easily digestible. I should tell you where the crime lies, but that's not fair to anyone who really would enjoy what actually happened in the story. Suffice it to say that much of the story turns on the Parsifal legend, and how in fact the pure of heart are vindicated with vision of the grail, whatever form that grail may take. So, Endeavour Morse is vindicated in a coda that lingers with you long, long after you put the book down. Throughout the film, there are efforts made to quote not only Wagner's theme for "Parsifal", but Han Knappertsbusch's direction of it in the 1962 score. Why? Well, Morse makes reference to it in discussion with Lewis, and it fits with the T.S Elliott quote that includes the title of the story, plus Knappertsbusch was himself the most Morse like of conductors in every way imaginable, and in 1962 was well aware that he was dying. So with all of the main clues in tact, why on earth Eaton and her merry band of nitwits elected to miss the point is not only unimaginable but unforgiveable.

Certainly, enjoy this DVD for what it is. I assure you that if you read the book, you will want, as I want, to grab the murderous crutch and shove it where PBS don't broadcast. The most heinous murder in Oxford was committed in Boston. Shame on Eaton. Perhaps one day Dexter will insist on a reshoot, although Thaw is not well, and Whately may have no interest in any further casting as Lewis. Somehow, the record, as it is in the book, needs to be set straight.

Morse's End Predates John Thaw's by Only a Few Years.......2002-02-23

Sad to see that the great actor, John Thaw has passed away from esophageal cancer.

This episode is on par with all of the other great episodes of this outstanding series. Thaw's portrayal of an intellectual, world-weary British detective who confronts often complex and involved cases of murder and other crimes.

Now episode to this point really brought home to me how much I loved Inspector Morse. I was actually quite angry to see the great Inspector face such health problems (an understatement), but in light of John Thaw's actual illness, I guess it is to be expected.

My only regret is that there are not 100 more episodes hidden away somewhere. Inspector Morse and John Thaw will be sorely missed.

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