Inspector Morse: Twilight of the Gods (1993)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Screenplay by Julian Mitchell, based upon characters created by Colin Dexter
Directed by Herbert Wise
Starring John Thaw, Kevin Whately, John Gielgud, Robert Hardy, Sheila Gish
Singing provided by Susan McCulloch

Features:

• Biographies
  
• Selected filmographies
  
• Trivia
  

Released by: BFS
Region: 1
Rating: N/R
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Rent it, or buy it if you're a Morse fan

Inspector Morse: Twilight of the Gods finds an oddly chipper Morse looking forward to a concert by his favorite operatic soprano, Welsh diva Gwladys Probert (Gish). Meanwhile, a local business mogul, Andrew Baydon (Hardy), is donating a building to Oxford--a building that is causing quite a stir, as the designated architectural style would be much more at home in the politically incorrect Raj than in England. For his strings-attached "generosity," Baydon is being awarded an honorary doctorate, but the ceremony is interrupted when a shot rings out, hitting the lovely Probert. Morse is left to figure out why someone would want to kill this secretly cranky diva, and indeed, if she was at all the intended target after all.

The acting is of course quite wonderful. Sir John Gielgud has an all-too-brief part as a respected Oxford don, and Thaw is, as always, wonderfully cranky as the Chief Inspector. Whately has grown into his part beautifully, and Gish as the by-turns sweet and horrid opera singer is perfect. Keep a sharp eye out to catch the novel's author and creator of the Morse character, Colin Dexter, in a background shot at the banquet scene.

One of the minor highlights (lowlights?) of this episode is all the delicious, yet annoyingly accurate, academic sniping. Seeing grown men compare how many honorary degrees they have and seeing other men argue about whether or not someone should be addressed as "doctor" reminds me of what's wrong in academia (the posturing) and what's right (the ones who earn their degrees and titles).

The features list is solid for a non-blockbuster release: we get biographies of the principles, selected filmographies (major cast and crew), and some trivia (production notes and so forth). Morse and Dexter fans will enjoy this last feature, especially.

Overall, if you are interested in crime dramas, police procedurals, or mysteries, then you should enjoy Inspector Morse: Twilight of the Gods. If you love English mysteries, but yearn for something modern, then Morse and his cronies are for you. Those who know and love/hate academia will be particularly charmed, but such knowledge and experience is not at all required, as the mystery takes center stage, not the academic squabbling. Tightly plotted and well-acted, this might be one of the best Morse tales yet.