Lovejoy (TV Series) Death and Venice: Part One (1986) User Reviews

Part one

[keysam-02610 · 8/10 · 5 May 2024]

This episode is a bit all over the place because - due to there being a part two - it takes everything at a leisurely pace and so it's not all that clear what's going on, except some of the people involved are pretty hardcore nasty.

Where antiques regularly bring out the best in Lovejoy (such as in the previous episode), they seem to have a terrible effect on a great number of other people and there are several like that in this story.

They pique Lovejoy's interest - beyond the fact that they have a lot of beautiful antiques - by being responsible for the death of a friend, the injury of another and showing entirely too much enthusiasm for curtailing Lovejoy's life. So off he trots to La Serenissima to try to find out what's going on. Lady Jane correctly assesses this behaviour as reckless.

Venice is made even lovelier by the presence of the adorable and much missed Hadyn Gwynne. Her fluent Italian impresses (apparently she was genuinely fluent and for 5 years taught at University of Rome La Sapienza prior to acting) and adds authenticity to the production. Possibly as a cost reduction measure, they clearly shot the episode off season, when there's a lot more water about even for Venice - acqua alta? - and it's not terribly sunny or warm. I don't think this matters, in fact I think it adds atmosphere. We don't *see* Lovejoy fall into the canal, just his soggy return to the cafe. I gather it's not recommended, so this was probably a wise choice!

In all honesty, Lovejoy stories always struggle a bit when they take him out of his regular haunts and away from the usual ensemble cast, and this is no exception. Even Venice can't really make up for Lady Jane and co just being on phone calls &c.

Still, it is good fun overall and the episode does finally ramp up to a proper cliff-hanger, with mortal danger included.

Death and Venice: Part One

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 7 August 2018]

To Lovejoy antiques is like a drug. He overdoses when he goes to the house of Pinder, an elderly wheelchair tycoon based on Jean Paul Getty. Pinder's house has a great rare art collection.

Pinder wants to save the art in Venice, a city that is sinking bit by bit each year. Pinder wants Lovejoy's help in liberating the art and substituting them with forgeries.

However Lovejoy is wary of Pinder's granddaughter as he suspects she was involved somehow in the robbery and death of a friend of his.

Lovejoy goes to Venice, he immediately suspects that people are keeping an eye on him such as a tour guide who seems to pop up everywhere, before long Lovejoy finds himself a target.

The episode loses momentum as it goes to Venice, it spends a bit of time showing off the venetian sights. I did like Lovejoy walking on the temporary platforms as the water floods the nearby streets, something that is common in winter and spring.

I did wonder how Lovejoy managed to find his hotel so easily in the narrow alleyways, he did not even seem to be carrying a map. These days people visiting Venice have Google maps on the phone and still get lost.

The episode is notable for Ian McShane's real life wife Gwen Humble having a role. This was the last role of Oscar nominee Alexander Knox who plays Pinder.

Two of the weakest episodes of the series.

[Somesweetkid · 5/10 · 3 May 2024]

I discovered this wonderful British series on the A & E Channel in 1989 while I was temporarily staying with my grieving mother after my dad passed away.

As a result of this first viewing, I ended up following this entertaining show through all of its 5 or 6 seasons and adored the four stars playing Lovejoy, Lady Felsham, Tinker and Eric. I was overjoyed years later to find the talented Phyllis Logan playing the prim yet kindly instructive Ms. Hughes in "Downton Abbey" and followed that series through its full run as well.

Somehow though I did not recall this 2-part episode of Lovejoy, and now after rewatching both episodes, I may know why. Except for Lady Jane and the tour guide who gets shot (but thankfully not killed), the other two women who co-star are remarkably inept and unconvincing, and truthfully the two parts lack any of the spark, wit or suspense of previous or subsequent episodes.

As it turns out, Ian McShane's (then and now) wife Gwen Humble appears in a pivotal role (or two) and while she is indeed lovely in appearance, her acting is embarrassingly stilted in comparison to Mr. McShane and the late Mr. Knox.

Additionally, the Venice scenery is nice but overcast and dull, and you will recognize many locales which were more favorably showcased in David Lean's excellent 1955 film "Summertime" with Katharine Hepburn and Rosanno Brazzi.

Overall, as the other reviewers also noted, these are two of the weakest episodes of the series, but I will watch anything with the sexy, smooth-tongued Ian.

Catch him (as a twenty-something gypsy) with an also young Hayley Mills in one of his earliest roles in the 1960's film "Gypsy Girl" or as the movie was originally released: "Sky West and Crooked."

Not Good

[skinnybert · 5/10 · 23 March 2023]

While not nearly so gawdawful terrible as the second half, aspiring viewers should be warned that even this first half is lacking in almost everything that made the previous episodes interesting: Lovejoy is quickly relocated to Venice, leaving his usual co-stars fumbling with over-the-phone roles back in Blighty, while Lovejoy himself rambles around the admittedly fantastic sights of Venice. This is enough to carry us to the end of the episode, which feels a lot like like it was made up on each day of filming, and no doubt the crew were delighted to be there. But us the viewers -- not so much. OK viewing, but if you give in to the temptation to watch Part Two, you will be severely disappointed. You Have Been Warned.