Gaudy Night

• Genre: Mystery
• Movie Type: Whodunit
• Themes: Private Eyes
• Release Year: 1987
• Run Time: 150 minutes

Plot

The third (and last) of the Edward Petherbridge-Harriet Walter Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, Gaudy Night focuses its spotlight on Walter's character, Harriet Vane. Lord Peter continues to be infatuated with her and proposes frequently, but Harriet, though fond of him, cannot accept. While he is away on some foreign service work, Harriet goes to a reunion (aka a "gaudy") at Shrewsbury College in Oxford and finds herself involved in a mystery. Someone has been sending anonymous letters to students and faculty members and playing dangerous pranks. Harriet suggests that this is a matter for the police, but as the headmistress wants to avoid any scandal or publicity, Harriet agrees to help find the culprit; but when violence erupts, she calls on Lord Peter to help her get to the bottom of things. Between the two of them, they resolve the matter, as well as the question of their own future plans. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide