In Death comes to Pemberley (2013), based on the book by P.D. James, the characters of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) are caught in a murder case investigation.
This sumptuous BBC period whodunnit is available since October 12 on French Region 2 DVD from Koba Films.
English crime writer
P.D. James (
Phyllis Dorothy James, 1920-2014) is best known for the
Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries (1),
14 novels published between 1962 and 2008.
Her other works include
The Children of Men (1992), adapted as a 2006 film directed by
Alfonso Cuarón.
Death comes to Pemberley (2011), her sequel to
Pride and Prejudice, is born from her love of both
crime fiction and Jane Austen. Of course, Austen is a television favourite and the 1995
BBC adaptation of
Pride and Prejudice (2), starring
Jennifer Ehle as
Elizabeth Bennet and
Colin Firth as
Fitzwilliam Darcy, is a reference.
« It is a fine Pemberley tradition for the master of the house to be irritable on the eve of the ball. »
Aired in three parts on
BBC One during Christmas 2013 and later in 2 x 90 minutes on American network
PBS,
Death comes to Pemberley is directed by
Daniel Percival (
Strike Back,
The State Within) and written by
Juliette Towhidi (
Calendar Girls).
Elizabeth and
Darcy have been happily married for 6 years and they have a young son,
Fitzwilliam.
Elizabeth prepares the annual
Lady Anne Ball at their magnificent
Pemberley estate (
« Ah yes, the chaperones' chairs. Yes, we ran short last year, Mrs Reynolds. ») Darcy’s younger sister
Georgiana has two suitors, her cousin
Colonel Fitzwilliam and
Henry Alveston, a young lawyer. Elizabeth finds time to visit the Bidwell family as
Will, the son of of Darcy's head coachman
Mr Bidwell, is dying.
Later the Darcys welcome
Mr and Mrs Bennet, Elizabeth's parents. Married to the ne'er do well
George Wickham (
« Am I never to get that man out of my life? »),
Lydia, their youngest child, is not invited. But on the eve of the great day she tumbles out of a carriage screaming murder and leads Darcy's search party into the Pemberley woods. There, her husband is found near a dead man, covered with his blood. Darcy has to inform
Sir Selwyn Hardcastle, the local magistrate. Thanks to its source material and a convincing cast,
Death comes to Pemberley successfully combines two of the most popular TV genres: period drama and crime/detective drama.
« You've brought such laughter to Pemberley, Elizabeth. »
Starring Welsh actor
Matthew Rhys (
The Americans,
Brothers and Sisters) as
Darcy,
Anna Maxwell Martin (
The Bletchley Circle) as Elizabeth,
Matthew Goode (Wickham),
Trevor Eve (
Sir Selwyn),
Jenna Coleman (
Doctor Who) as Lydia,
Rebecca Front (
Lewis) as Mrs Bennet,
James Fleet (Mr Bennet),
Eleanor Tomlinson (Georgiana), etc.
James Norton, who plays
Alveston, stars in
ITV's detective series
Grantchester. Colonel Fitzwilliam is performed by
Tom Ward (
Silent Witness), who played
Lieutenant Chamberlayne in
Pride and Prejudice. Is there a ghost in the woods of Pemberley? Why is poachers a "delicate ground" between the Darcy and Hardcastle families? Who is the mysterious
Mrs Younge?
Produced by
Origin Pictures with
Masterpiece in association with
Far Moor Media and
Lipsync Productions. Supported by the
Yorkshire Content Fund,
Screen Yorkshire and the
European Regional Development Fund. Exec produced by
Ed Rubin,
Joanna Blackie and P.D. James.
David M. Thompson and
Eliza Mellor are the producers.
Steve Lawes is the cinematographer. Music composed by
The Insects (
Tim Norfolk and
Bob Locke). Filmed in
Yorkshire and
Derbyshire (
Chatsworth House was used as the exterior of Pemberley). The one-disc DVD set of
Death comes to Pemberley from
Koba Films contains the 2 x 90-minute version with the original dialogue track, subtitled or not.
(1) Roy Marsden portrayed
Adam Dalgliesh on television from 1983 to 1998 for
ITV.
Martin Shaw played the character for
the BBC in 2003-2004.
(2) Available on French Region 2 DVD from
Koba Films.
http://www.kobafilms.fr/series-tv/428-pemberley-5051889586968.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/pemberley
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10513639/Death-Comes-to-Pemberley-behind-the-scenes.html
