Not impressed so far.
Got bored....
shareI rather liked it.
And Matthew Rhys is gorgeous....
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
MovieChat Forums > Death Comes to Pemberley (2014) Discussion > Not impressed so far.
Took forever to start, but I was glad to see Matthew Rhys as Mr Darcy. Of course this is just the start of it, next episode will reveal the several 'secrets' that were being kept.
shareAlthough it didn't grab me as I thought it would, I hope the issues I have with the story will resolve themselves as the remaining episodes play out.
I loved Matthew Rhys as Darcy, and this adaptation did a good job of showing that Darcy has kept some of his serious side, even though he's more relaxed than the bachelor Darcy was.
I don't dislike Anna Maxwell Martin as an actress, but I think she's been short-changed here. Rather than looking like the mistress of Pemberley, the make up (or lack of it) makes her seem tired and aged her. She's supposed to look younger than her husband, not older than him. Also, I couldn't understand why she would dress so plainly. I realise that Mrs Darcy wouldn't be wearing her best clothes for walking through the estate, but the choice of costumes seemed more fitting to Miss Bennet than Mrs Darcy, and added to the overall "tired and plain" impression.
I agree, Matthew Rhys was a good Darcy. I had problems reconciling this Elizabeth with the other movie Elizabeths. She seemed very plain and poorly dressed, and didn't have that spark she used to. Maybe that's what married life did to her. I'll watch to see what happens; hopefully it will get better.
shareMaybe that's what married life did to her.
Most people who have read Pride and Prejudice will reach the end and assume they're both going to have a happy life together. No one imagines that Elizabeth is going to end up looking so old and tired, and lose that "spark" that made her such an iconic character. I don't think the producers have quite understood what makes P&P such a perennial favourite.
Like you say, it might improve. If it doesn't this will be a "watch once" kind of thing, rather than something I revisit occasionally on DVD. share
I couldn't agree more! As I've just said in my review, Anna Maxwell-Martin looks like a woman permanently worried over the gas bill - where's the sparky vivacious Elizabeth Bennett gone? She looks like she has too many kids and not enough money, rather than being the loved and wealthy mistress of Pemberley! Darcy isn't particularly impressive either, IMO, and, unlike some, I see no "spark" between the couple. Maybe Darcy should have married Lady Catherine de Burgh's daughter after all!
BriarRose
Growing old disgracefully
unlike some, I see no "spark" between the couple
Sorry to say, I don't either. I know they've been married five or six years at this point, but it's kind of ruining my fantasy a bit. When they get married at the end of P&P you assume they're going to be happy together forever. I never read the book this is based on, but if someone told me that their life would be thrown into turmoil by a tragedy, I would expect it to bring Jane Austen's couple closer together, not tear them apart. The book version of Elizabeth would have fought to keep family together at this time, even if taciturn Darcy had tried withdrawing, but this PD James version of Elizabeth seems terribly passive by comparison. share
Slow to get going, paced rather ponderously and I thought the music was very dull. But, I did like it... Anna Maxwell Martin's never less than excellent and it looks gorgeous - fab costumes, locations, etc.
shareI'm intrigued -- but I don't "feel" that Anna is Lizzie, and it's not her fault; I think the writing has made her a bit too dour and serious, not at all the witty, fun-loving Lizzie of P&P. Everyone else seems bang-on, though, and I quite like this Darcy.
shareAgreed Katharine! She's miscast, but I'm not sure I care for this Darcy either, though.
George Lucas talking about: 'Hey, give it to me, I'll fix it. I'll make 20 more of them'
AMM isn't miscast. It's the script, based on the book, that's wrong. If PD James had written a proper Lizzy, AMM could have played her. The book is just all wrong.
shareWell, she just doesn't look the part that as written in P&P. Besides that, when you compare all the other Elizabeths especially Keira Knightley, you see why this casting is disappointing.
Yes the script also is depressing and dour. It would take a miracle to make me believe this has any relation to Austen's P&P which is a masterpiece.
Instead of 5 or 6 years after their marriage, this seems like they've been married 15 or 20 years. The story so far is very slow and boring. I think they stretched it out too far.
shareShe is miscast. From the way she looks to the way she carries herself to pretty much everything.
I read a comment elsewhere that there's a reason she usually plays "dying of consumption girl", the working class characters. Fine Georgian era lady (gracing the halls of a filming location that is actually home to dukes) is unbelievable for a million reasons.
I like it so far (and I only have the last half of the last episode to go). And I don't think that any character was miscast.
Intelligence and purity.