Back in the early 80's, I discovered P.D. James and became a big fan of her mysteries. Recently, I decided to revisit her work and realized that I'd missed her first 3 novels featuring Adam Dalgliesh. Frankly, after I recently finished reading the third book, Unnatural Causes, I came to the conclusion that Ms. James' storytelling undoubtedly improved as her career continued, and that the 3 initial outings don't do justice to her well-deserved reputation as a master of the genre.
However, the latest Dalgliesh series from Acorn TV doesn't do her much justice, either. Although the creators wisely skipped beyond the first 3 novels to bring this new series to the screen, the 3 tales on display here are almost unrecognizable as adaptations of P.D. James' work; sure, the plots of the series may remain connected to those of the books, but, if you're a longtime James fan, you won't find much else that's familiar.
For starters, Dalgliesh, as played by Bertie Carvel, is simply not engaging or particularly sympathetic. I assume Carvel is conveying shell-shock due to the recent deaths of his character's wife and infant daughter, but strolling dead-eyed and listless through the scenery does not a fascinating hero make. Physically, Carvel is closer to the Dalgliesh I always envisioned, although actors formerly assaying the role (Roy Marsden and Martin Shaw) brought more energy and empathy to the part. Dalgliesh is supposed to be a published poet but, as presented here, it's an unconvincing plot device that doesn't serve to make Carvel more compelling. Absolutely the only times I took an interest in the Dalgliesh character was when he was reading the riot act to a group of uppity nobs (something rarely seen in the constabulary of Midsomer), and during a fight-for-life on a clifftop high above the sea.
And speaking of the clifftops above the sea, they've been much more breathtakingly photographed than they are here. In fact, there's a general dinginess permeating, literally, every scene. The settings in James' novels are so well-defined that they are almost characters, in themselves. Not here. There is never any real sense of place: I realize that it was filmed in Belfast but it could just have well been produced in Poughkeepsie. There's nothing to suggest London or its outskirts, or really, even the English countryside. The buildings, from palatial mansions to public housing to Dalgliesh's headquarters, all look drab, the hallways and streets curiously underpopulated. Was the budget so low that things couldn't have been spruced up a bit? Maybe hire a few more extras? And don't tell me that the ambience of the series is in keeping with its 1970's timeframe. I was around in the 70's and things looked better than they do here.
Huge pluses are Carlyss Peer as Kate Miskin, who comes across as fearless, smart and incredibly loyal to Dalgliesh, and co-star, Jeremy Irvine (as troublemaking DS Masterson), who give the series a much-needed kick in the pants whenever they're onscreen.
Thinking about it, maybe what bothers me the most about this series is, in fact, its lack of liveliness. It is all about murder, true, but P.D. James knew how to be (often, very) gruesome without making everyone and everything so determinedly grim and depressed. The series feels dead before there's even a body found. Since it's been renewed for a second season, I hope the series improves with time. Things certainly got better for Dalgliesh's creator as time went on.
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