Death (dum, dum, dummmm) Comes to Pemberley

Death Comes to Pemberley is a murder mystery 3 episode mini-series that incorporates characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It was broadcast on BBC One in December 2013 and in the US on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery in the fall of 2014. It is based on the 2011 novel by P.D. James of the same name.

Death Comes to Pemberley stars:

Anna Maxwell Martin (of Bletchley Circle which I wrote about here and here) as Elizabeth Bennet Darcy;
Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald of Doctor Who) as Lydia Wickham;
Matthew Rhys as Fitzwilliam Darcy;
Matthew Goode (of The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch) as George Wickham;
Tom Ward (of “The Snowmen” episode of Doctor Who) as Colonel Fitzwilliam;
Eleanor Tomlinson (previously in The Sarah Jane Adventures and as Isabel Neville in The White Queen which I wrote about here) as Georgiana Darcy;
and James Norton (of the “Cold War” episode of Doctor Who) as Henry Alveston.

Rhys and Maxwell Martin as Mr. and Mrs. Darcy

Six years after the events of P&P, Death Comes to Pemberley begins with Mrs. Darcy (and to a lesser extent Mr.) planning for the annual “Lady Anne Ball”. Georgiana Darcy (Mr. Darcy’s younger sister) must choose between two suitors – Colonel Fitzwilliam and Henry Alveston. Alveston arrives along with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet for the upcoming ball. While Mrs. Darcy is visiting the kitchen checking on menu preparation, two female servants rush in, claiming to have seen “Mrs. Riley’s ghost” in the woods. We later learn this is a local superstition based on real people. Mrs. Riley’s son was hanged for poaching and it is said that her ghost appears in the woods whenever there is going to be a death or some misfortune.

Mariah Gale in Death Comes to Pemberley

The afternoon before the ball, Mrs. Darcy is visiting a sick neighbor and meets up with a “mad woman” in the woods, played by Mariah Gale. She portrayed Ophelia to David Tennant’s Hamlet which I wrote about here. That evening we see Mrs. Darcy’s sister Lydia, her ne’er do well husband George Wickham and their friend Colonel Denny in a carriage. We learn later that they are on their way to Pemberley to “crash” the party or, as Lydia describes it, “a jolly surprise”. When Denny leaves the carriage, Wickham follows. We next see Lydia arriving in a speeding carriage, hysterically crying and saying she heard gunshots.

Lydia and George Wickham with Colonel Denney

Darcy and company organize a search party and Mrs. Bennet attempts to “comfort” Lydia. Mrs. B is not so good at comforting as it takes the following form. “Lydia, we must try to remain positive, my dear, and hope at least that he died in a duel.” Over Lydia’s sobbing, she continues, “It’s such a noble way to die!” Lydia continues crying until she realizes her trunk is still in the carriage. She asks them to get it so her ball gown won’t be creased.

Even though Lydia and Mrs. B. are less than concerned about Wickham and Denny, Darcy and company search the woods for them. Alveston stays behind. Darcy & Co. eventually find a (recently) dead Denny and a (very) drunk Wickham. Wickham is ultimately arrested for the murder of his friend Denny and we spend the next couple hours figuring out “whodunit”.

Anna Maxwell Martin as Elizabeth Bennet Darcy

This movie was well done and quite entertaining. The actors, especially Maxwell Martin and Coleman, are very good. Doctor Who’s Jenna Coleman does a great job of making Lydia, who is usually a very unlikable character, into a sympathetic one. Maxwell Martin does a good job portraying what an adult Elizabeth Bennet might be like: in charge of Pemberley, fair to their employees yet still feisty and willing to tease Darcy.

Jenna Coleman

Death Comes to Pemberley was recently shown on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery. It isn’t currently available on Netflix or any of the other streaming services. It is available to buy though. The book is available to purchase, both used or new, online as well as at libraries everywhere.

Lost in Austen

“Lost in Austen“, a TV miniseries from 2008 starring Jemima Rooper, really tests your ability to ignore reality and buy into a premise. But if you manage to do so, you will probably enjoy this cute little movie about Jane Austen. Well it’s not actually about Jane Austen, it’s more about a Jane Austen fanatic. Either way, it’s enjoyable.

Amanda, an ardent Jane Austen fan, lives in present day London with her boyfriend Michael, until she finds she’s swapped places with Austen’s fictional creation Elizabeth Bennet.

It is a truth generally acknowledged that we are all longing to escape. I escape always to my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. I’ve read it so many times now, the words just say themselves in my head, and it’s like a window opening. It’s like I’m actually there. It’s become a place I know so intimately. I can see that world. I can touch it. I can see Darcy.

And so begins “Lost in Austen”, starring Jemima Rooper as Jane Austen fan Amanda Price. She is bored with her life and escapes into Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice.

I have no right to complain about my life. I mean, it’s the same for everybody. I do what we all do. I take it on the chin and patch myself up with Jane Austen. I know I sound like a terrible loser. I do actually have a boyfriend. Sometimes I’d rather stay in with Elizabeth Bennet.

And stay in she does, drinking wine and reading P&P, until her boyfriend comes by, drunkenly proposes (with a beer tab) and then passes out on her sofa.

She tries to explain her love of Austen to her mother, “I love the love story. I love Elizabeth. I love the manners, and and the language and the courtesy. It’s become part of who I am and what I want. I’m saying, mum, that I have standards.”

Amanda hears some noises coming from her bathroom and discovers a stranger in her bathtub. The stranger introduces herself as Elizabeth Bennet – and then promptly disappears. She later finds Elizabeth Bennet (played by Gemma Arterton) turning her bathroom light on and off. “You see, I am a real person and you are a pretend person…You are a character in a book.” But then she is curious enough to go through the little door in her bathroom….which leads to the upstairs of a house. The door of course closes behind her and she can’t get back to her own apartment. And thus Amanda Price is suddenly a guest in the Bennet household.

This movie is quite entertaining, provided you buy into the premise. If you can suspend your doubt for a bit, you’ll enjoy Hugh Bonneville, who plays Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham on Downton Abbey as well as Captain Avery in Doctor Who. Bonneville portrays Mr. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet is played by the amazing Alex Kingston (River Song of Doctor Who).

Mr. Bennet: Large gatherings of society bring me out in hives. As do small gatherings.

Bonneville as Mr. Bennet

Kingston as Mrs. Bennet

We also meet Mr. Bingley who apparently is a “pleasant enough fellow, not strong on brains” as well as the other Bennet daughters, Jane, Lydia, Kitty and the (predictably) bespectacled Mary. The portrayal of the Bennet daughters is spot on – each one looks exactly how I think she should. And that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?  Tom Mison who portrays Mr. Bingley is also quite accurate.

Elliot Cowan, who plays Mr. Darcy, looks the part and has all the arrogance we’d expect. Mrs. Bingley does not take to the new girl as she is taking attention away from her daughters, who she needs to marry off. And because Elizabeth Bennet is not present, she cannot meet Mr. Darcy, which of course ruins all the events of the novel.

Arterton, Rooper and Cowan as Elizabeth, Amanda and Darcy

One of my favorite actresses, Lindsay Duncan, plays Lady Catherine de Bourgh, one of my favorite characters ever. Lindsay Duncan has been in: Doctor Who as Adelaide Brooke, in Mansfield Price as Lady Bertram and Mrs. Price and in Sherlock as Lady Smallwood. In 2009, she was appointed CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for services to drama.

Duncan as Lady Catherine

I won’t tell you any more of the plot. You’ll have to watch the movie yourself. I will share some of the lines I found enjoyable. If you can imagine a 21st century woman immersed in Pride and Prejudice, you will realize that there are many options for laughs.

Amanda Price: I’d quite like to clean my teeth. Is that possible?
Jane: Of course. The instruments are already before you. See, I brought birch twigs, powdered salt and a fresh block of chalk.
Amanda: Right. Thank you. Splendid.

Kitty: Do you have a Psalter, Miss Price?
Amanda Price: Is that like a picnic thing for seasoning sandwiches?
Kitty: More for the recitation of psalms.

If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, you should definitely give this miniseries a try. If you’re not (yet), well what’s wrong with you? If you do watch Lost in Austen, please let me know what you thought.

Jane Austen 101

What do I love about Jane Austen? Better question would be, “What don’t I love about Jane Austen?” The only criticism I have of Austen is that she was only able to finish six novels before her death in 1817.

So for those who aren’t familiar with Jane Austen, let’s start with a brief biography and then a summary of her major works.

Jane Austen was the second daughter and seventh child of George and Cassandra Leigh Austen. She was born December 16, 1775 at Steventon, Hampshire, England. Her father was a clergyman and also ran a school for boys out of the Austen home. The family was very literary, reading often and writing as well. Jane Austen started writing as a child and, despite periods where she was less productive, she continued to write until her death on July 18, 1817 at the age of 41.

I’ve chosen to list the novels in chronological order based on year of publication. This is not the same as the order in which they were written.

1. Sense and Sensibility. Published in 1811, S&S is the story of the Dashwoods, specifically sisters Elinor and Marianne. Along with their mother, Elinor, Marianne, and their younger sister Margaret must leave their home when their father dies. The home, and its corresponding money, go to their older half-brother. Marianne has a suitor but why has he left town? Why won’t he contact her? Elinor also has a suitor but his behavior is confusing as well. Why won’t he declare his feelings to Elinor despite a very obvious attraction? And what about Colonel Brandon who also seems to have feelings for Marianne?

2. Pride and Prejudice. Published in 1813, P&P is the story of the Bennet family. Mr. & Mrs. Bennet have five girls and an estate that is entailed. When Mr. Bennet dies, his home will go to a distant male cousin. So Mrs. Bennet is obsessed with finding good marriages for her five daughters. The oldest Jane has a suitor who suddenly goes to London and seems to forget about Jane. Elizabeth gets a marriage proposal but it’s not from anyone she’d consider marrying. When Elizabeth travels north with her aunt and uncle, how will that change her life? Elizabeth Bennet is Austen’s most popular heroine.

3. Mansfield Park. MP was published in 1814 and is one of Austen’s less popular novels but I feel it is undervalued. Fanny Price is a heroine who comes off a bit “holier than thou” but, in truth, she is the only character who doesn’t do anything wrong. Fanny has a charming gentleman after her but she only has feelings for another who unfortunately has feelings for someone else.

4. Emma. Emma is my favorite of Austen’s novels. It was published in 1815, the last novel published while Austen was alive. Emma Woodhouse is the main character and this is a story of her realizing that she doesn’t actually have everything figured out. Some of Austen’s most memorable characters reside in this book, including Mrs. Bates, Mr. Knightley and Mrs. Elton.

5. Persuasion. Persuasion is the last novel Jane Austen completed. I consider it to be greatly under appreciated. It’s heroine is Anne Elliot who lost her chance at love but suddenly find she might have a second chance. Some of the more entertaining characters in this novel are Mary Musgrove and Sir Walter Elliot.

6. Northanger Abbey. NA is perhaps the earliest of Austen’s novels, though it wasn’t published until after her death along with Persuasion in 1818. Austen sold the rights to this novel under a different name but the publisher never actually published the book. After a few of her novels had been published, Austen bought back the rights to the novel, which was called “Northanger Abbey” by her brother Henry. Though it has definite flaws, NA is still Austen and therefore worth reading and reading again.

If you haven’t read Jane Austen and find yourself having problems understanding what’s what, I recommend “Jane Austen for Dummies”. It explains all the nuances and characters and makes reading Austen much easier for newbies. It is easier for some to view one of the many movie versions of Austen’s works to help understand the books. A word of caution though – many of us “Austen scholars” highly dislike some of the movie versions as the writers/directors sometimes have characters acted in ways they would never act in the novels. If you are considering viewing one of the Austen movies and want help picking a “good” one, let me know.