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.
