Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)

To begin, I enjoyed this miniseries. The setting was incredible, it was shot wonderfully, and I'm a fan of a lot of the cast members. However, it's very clear that this takes place only at the shallowest level of the Pride&Prejudice world. The characters share the same names and relationships (for the most part), but there were scenes that were so out of character that it jars you out of the action for a moment. For instance, Georgina collapsing to the floor sobbing in front of servants is just too far from believable, especially considering the cause of her tears. (She's upset, yes- but upset enough to ignore all of the manners and excessively uptight social restrictions she grew up with? Hardly.) Elizabeth's wit peeked through at a few points, but overall she was far too passive for the character- she was afraid to contradict Darcy, which goes directly against a pretty large portion of their relationship in the novel. He also reverted back to the bullheaded character he was when the two first met, which erased a lot of characterization and also became a little confusing when the character jumped around from being open to Elizabeth and ignoring her. Jenna Coleman was excellent, and while her self-awareness was a departure from the book it was one that I loved. The secondary characters introduced for the mystery (namely Will and his family) were interesting and played well. I do wish there had been less anachronisms in the trial, but it could have been far worse and somewhat fit Henry's characterization as a man ahead of his time. Overall, a 7/10 and a fun watch once you separate it a bit from the novel it draws its characters from.

I have long been an admirer of great writing, and the works of Jane Austen and PD James are among my favourites. But sadly, this series was not. Other commentators have described many of the objections to costume, plot and characters, and I can only agree. There seemed little of the 'sparkle' and panache that was evident in Austen's writing, and particularly apparent in Andrew Davies' memorable Screen Dramas. PD James is one of the best crime writers our country has ever known - and we can be proud of so many - but whilst crime is her forte, period drama in the fashion of Jane Austen is not. So, after reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in which she created such vivid characters and credible dialogue, in-keeping with the period and the strata of society, we could be forgiven for expecting more of the same though, sadly, not from the late Jane Austen of course. Perhaps it was one of Austen's skills to give us so much, but leave us hungry for more....To do justice to PD James, Jane Austen is an extremely hard act to follow. And, while Ms. James has a proved track-record in her own genre, and did a splendid job on its' own merit, it seems likely that most viewers would be familiar with Jane Austen's work and, almost certainly, Andrew Davies' memorable and excellent TV dramatizations. If there be criticism of the TV version of 'Death Comes to Pemberley', then it must rest as much with the writer who, curiously, is not credited on IMDb? It is a rare skill, indeed, to take good writing on the page and translate it into the different medium of television. Many works of PD James have proved successful on television but, regrettably, this is not the best. She has taken Jane Austen's characters, and woven a skillful plot that stands well on its' own merits, but it's not Jane Austen. Unfortunately, using Austen's characters only makes us expectant of her style and her words, and sadly, they are not there. I'd happily watch it again, but maybe next time I'll do so expecting a good PD James, which it is, rather than a pastiche of Jane Austen.

you would know who Captain Denny's murderer is and why Denny was extremely angry with Wickham. You would know that the story came to a satisfying end; and there was never an estrangement between Darcy and Elizabeth; that they have two sons - Fitzwilliam and Charles; or that Mrs. Bennet never arrives at Pemberley being her idiot self, and finally you have the pleasure of reading about the Gardiners and their home on Gracechurch Street. In the book - Hardcastle never discovers the real reason Wickham was in Pemberley grounds, he never learned about Wickham's affair with Louisa Bidwell because he doesn't care - that is who his character.Death Comes to Pemberley was PD James tribute to Jane Austen and reads extremely well - finished it in about 3 hours because PD James knows how to tell a story, keeps you engaged and I have to say she skillfully continued the Pride and Prejudice story that was about 8 years after Darcy and Elizabeth marry.But alas, the PBS series made a hash of an excellent book and created something that doesn't fit the characters we know and love from Pride and Prejudice. I wonder if it was done all for an assumed need to modernize? The only reason I'm not trashing the entire series is well the acting isn't bad for what is it - otherwise if you want to enjoy an awesome tribute to Jane Austen - I highly recommend the book.

The premise of DEATH IN PEMBERLY is a twentieth century murder mystery set in the milieu of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Many scenes are set in Pemberley. In the Austen novel this is the birthplace of Darcy and Georgiana and the home to which Wyckham was brought as a child and Elizabeth Bennett upon her marriage. Several other novel characters appear among them Fitzwilliam,Denny, Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter, Lydia, Jane, the Bennett girls' mother and Mr. Bingley's sisters. Many quotes from the novel are said by characters at least six years after Austen intended them in the novel an anachronism to be appreciated by some and not by others. Within this context the murder mystery which is quite good in itself is set six years after the novel bringing in events unrelated to the novel which may please some and disappoint others.