colleenimmg Just finished watching this. I wanted to stop after the first episode, but the murder mystery lover in me forced me to watch all three. After reading these reviews, I'm happy to see that I'm not alone in hating the casting of Elizabeth Darcy. I'm sorry, I've seen this actress in "Bletchley Circle" and thought nothing negative of her, but as Elizabeth, OMG, she was horrible in so many ways: her plain, homely looks; her dreary/miserable expressions; her same old dress. I was not a huge fan of "Pride and Prejudice" but even I knew that this was an atrocity. I don't recall ever ever ever watching a show thinking "Yuck!!" every time a main character appeared onscreen..unless perhaps they were the villain. I'm sorry AMM. I don't blame you, I blame everyone else, from writing to casting to director to makeup to costuming.

Brunehaut I love P&P. This is one of the funniest book I've ever read, and I enjoy very much crime stories. So I was quite exciting when my cousin lent me the DVD, but unfortunately it left me utterly disappointed. The plot is sometimes incoherent, with big shortcuts, but I was so exciting for the miniserie that I could have easily forgiven that. Overall, it was quite a good plot, the whole part with the ill brother and the bastard baby was very welcome. No, I mostly blame both the cast and some scenes. Like I said, what I consider the most in Jane Austen is her unrivaled sense of humour. Humour which was clearly missing here : no wits, no soul, no irony, nothing but cliché drama characters. I could not recognize my dear Lizzie, so lively, so witty, so unique. I certainly think Anna Maxwell Martin was the perfect example of a complete miscat. I usually like this actress, I really do, but here she was boring, passive, her face did not reflect anything but affliction - is that TRULY Elizabeth Bennett???? It left me so frustrated, just like I was watching another cliché female character rather than the unique Lizzie Bennett. There was also no chemistry between her and Darcy. Again, I have nothing against Matthew Rhys, but he should not have been here. He was plain, and, just like Anna, always had the same face expressions. And the whole story with his great-grand-father, which could explain why he was so reluctant at his love for Lizzie in the first place, was a nonsense to me. I don't think he needed any justifications for his first behaviour, that really was unnecessary. Anyway, I think I could have done with it. I am mostly angry at Lizzie's cast.I also like very much Austen's movies' XIX atmosphere, how people talk and express their feelings in a very codified way, this other language of the body, which is much more puritan than ours. I love how they fear their first kiss etc, as it leads us to such a different time and that I love to travel in time. But none of it here : they often kiss, there is even a sex scene etc - THAT could never belong to any Austen's novels. I am not saying that it is shameful to show that or anything, simply that I simply did not feel any Austen's spirit in it. Effusions or tears were not necessary to bring emotion to the watcher, and especially not in this context! Same for the colors used to film: everything is dark, gloomy. Yes, I know, this is a murder story, but still. Hercule Poirot's show manages to be very colourful and playful with dark stories and that is why it remains so unique.I think that is all. It lost this unique Austen's taste by trying to be more "average" rather than staying in this ironic and colourful tone, and so it became "just another crime show with the same characters of every crime shows". To be fair, it was quite good, but blank and without soul, and certainly not Austen's.

Samantha Ritz I would like to start by saying I am a huge Austen fan. I've read Pride and Prejudice multiple times and the Keira Knightly version of the movie is a favorite of mine. That being said, I loved this adaptation of the Bennets/Darcys. I think the casting is excellent. As for Lizzie being too old, I disagree. Lizzy would have been close to 30, and the actress playing her is well within appropriate age. I also think her "fairness" is closer to the novel's version of Elizabeth than Keira Knightly. In this adaptation, Darcy is truly his broody self, not a pretty, sad, misunderstood gallant. The actors have been chosen not for their "beauty" but for their acting. The rest of the cast plays their parts with easy believability. The story line is wonderful mix of murder-mystery and flashbacks to the original novel. The story gives plenty meat for the characters and satisfies in many ways the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth that was not continued in the books. I was happily surprised by the ending, it caught me by complete surprise and that made the wait all the better. I only wish this excellent cast could create more story for this beloved novel. I've watched it 3 days in a row, no regrets!

tweatherlake If you are like me and enjoy your Pride and Prejudice, and a good murder plot, then you would love this series! The choice of the victim is good, but the one of the suspect is very smart, and I also love the way it delves into the soft points of the characters - Darcy's possible regret of marrying Elisabeth, or her not understanding of duty. I was fascinated by the re-creation of an inquest and trial from that period (who knew that judges were allowed to drink brandy during the trial?) and particularly by the depiction of the characters. Elisabeth in particular is just like I would have imagined, she is the same spirited outspoken person we know and love, while Darcy is more brooding, quiet and responsible (while I may have chosen other actors in terms of appearance, I think they portray the characters very well as reactions). I also enjoyed the way Lady de Bourgh is portrayed, and remarkably, I even grew a different understanding of Wickam!All in all, definitively worth to watch by P&P wit a murder twist lovers!