Death comes to Pemberley (TV Series)

(Amazon UK link)

I had not heard of ‘Death Comes to Pemberley’, but my son and his wife watched the mini series and read the book, and loved them so much that they gave the DVDs (and the book) to me for Christmas. We decided to watch the DVDs over three weeks - it’s three hour-long episodes - and while I was a tad dubious at first at the thought of a sequel to ‘Pride and Prejudice’, we both enjoyed it very much.

The series was made by the BBC who always seem to be good with period dramas. As such, the settings and costumes seemed entirely authentic. The dialogue wasn’t really that of Austen - the book on which this is based was written by PD James - but it didn’t much matter. And while the storyline is rather far removed from ‘Pride and Prejudice’, or anything else Jane Austen wrote, it has a ring of authenticity.

The story begins with Darcy and Lizzie, now married for ten years or so, planning a huge ball. The domestic staff are very busy and Lizzie clearly on good terms with them, as well as being an efficient manager. However my only real problem with the films is that Lizzie - Anna Maxwell Martin - seemed too old. I gather the actress is around the same age as Matthew Rhys who played Darcy, while she should have been rather younger, but her manner and assurance didn’t feel like those of Elizabeth Bennet; yet her clothes were dreary; it looked as though she either never changed, or had several identical plain dresses.

However it’s a minor complaint, and I soon got used to this very different portrayal of a main character. Her younger sister Lydia, I thought, was brilliantly cast (Jenna Coleman) and has exactly the right amount of frivolousness and self-centredness. She is possibly the best Lydia I have seen. The Bennet parents are believable too, and the local magistrate (Trevor Eve) is excellent in his role. Best of all, in my view, is a cameo appearance of the supercilious Lady Catherine, who was perfectly portrayed by Penelope Keith.

Back to the gist of the story: Lydia’s husband Wickham (Matthew Goode) is determined to take his wife to the ball even though they are pointedly not invited. Events in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ made it impossible for the Bennets to receive Wickham although Lizzie tries to remain in contact with her sister. They’re driving through the estate when Wickham’s friend Denny suddenly rushes out of the coach. This leads to the tragedy which has been foreseen in the earlier scenes, and which was expected, given the title.

Wickham is suspected of violence, and most of the rest of the story involves the investigations, although there are other side stories which turn out to be more significant than I realised at first.

I found the ending quite tense, and the conclusion perhaps a tad too neat and tidy, but it all works well even if ardent Jane Austen fans disapprove of it.

The rating is 12, possibly due to the violence, or the implications of immorality;  or possibly due to a fairly tame scene of intimacy towards the end of the book. Sadly there are no ‘extras’.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Hampstead (Diane Keaton)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often I browse my recommendations on Amazon, and come across films I have never heard of. That happened earlier in the year when it suggested I might like ‘Hampstead’. Diane Keaton stars, and I have liked some of her other films. The reviews were mostly positive, so I put it on my wishlist and was given it for my recent birthday.

There seems to have been quite a spate of films about middle-aged or elderly people in recent years. Or perhaps it’s just that I’m seeing them because I have liked or bought others. On the whole we like them, as we’re in that stage of life, and this was quite a positive one on the whole.

Keaton stars as the recently-widowed Emily who lives in a pleasant block of flats in Hampstead in the UK. She’s a bit of a misfit; the only American, in the area, although she has evidently lived there for many years. The other upper-middle class very British women in the building try to involve her in their community meetings and campaigns, but she’s not really all that interested. Nor does she want them to introduce her to suitable gentlemen friends…

Wandering around the neighbourhood she comes across a shack where it’s rumoured an old tramp lives. And indeed, when we first meet Donald (Brendon Gleeson) he’s just received a letter from the council, asking him to leave. He has a flourishing garden and isn’t doing anything wrong… but he looks like a down-and-out.

So the main part of the story is about these two misfits meeting, irritating each other, becoming unlikely friends, and learning surprising things about each other. It’s also about a battle to save Donald’s home, one which catches the imagination of the local people and gets quite out of hand. At a deeper level it’s about pride, and independence, and the importance of accepting help sometimes. It’s also about being free to be oneself, to flout conventions, to move beyond the strict confines of society’s expectations.

Diane Keaton’s role is not very different from other parts I’ve seen her in, but she does it very well and her personality fits that of Emily ideally. I didn’t remember seeing Brendon Gleeson anywhere else; he is wonderful in his role, and there’s quite an onscreen chemistry between the two. Other characters are somewhat caricatured in their enthusiastic snobbery or downright unpleasantness, but that allows for some comic moments; the pace is excellent, I thought, and the whole well scripted and beautifully made.

Sometimes I didn’t catch all the conversation. It wasn’t that Keaton’s accent is hard to understand but there was quite a lot of muttering. Perhaps that was intended, so as to give the impression of conversation rather than any important dialogue. I don’t think I missed anything.

The rating is 12, which we thought about right. There’s a fair amount of bad language, although I don’t recall anything else that would make it unsuitable for children; there's a love story but it involves implications rather than anything explicit. However it’s unlikely to be of much interest to anyone below the age of about thirty. Overall we enjoyed it very much.

Apparently this film is based on a true story, but we decided not to watch the extras so don’t know any details.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's DVD Reviews