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By
WADE GOSSETT
I do think that several of
the infinitely adaptable novels of P.D. James have
seen their definitive TV versions transferred to
DVD, from the 1983 adaptation of "Death of an
Expert Witness" to the 1996 adaptation of
"Original Sin." In between we had "A Taste for
Death," "The Black Tower " and "Cover Her Face,"
as well as others. Roy Marsden established himself
as Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh, and we
went with him through several god-awful toupees.
But establish himself he did.
That's the main problem I had with "Death in Holy
Orders." In this a 2003 BBC adaptation, Martin
Shaw takes over as Dalgliesh, a role he will
continue paying in future adaptations. Physically
and temperamentally very different from Marsden,
fans of P.D. James who've watched the Wellsping
collection of the Marsden films will have a hard
time with "Death in Holy Orders."
This is not a frivolous complaint. Marsden is very
tall, and has established the character as
authoritative and imposing. Shaw is of normal
height, a little pudgy, and perhaps more
convincing as a sensitive poet with a gruesome
job, but also just so different as to seem an
entirely different character. Since, unlike
Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, Dalgliesh is
not a collection of mannerisms, in playing him any
actor can go any which way.
The verdict? I prefer Marsden. It’s unfair, but
I've gotten used to him. In my mind, that's who
Dalgliesh is. The fact that Shaw's performance
here is rather subdued doesn't help push Marsden
out of my mind -- and Shaw could have played the
role differently, like he did as the sinister but
complicated Chauvelin in 1995's "Scarlet
Pimpernel." Obviously, this is Shaw's
interpretation of Dalgliesh, and this is who
Dalgliesh will be for the foreseeable future. I
believe Marsden is pretty much done with the
character.
Nevertheless, this is a very well staged
adaptation. The story involves Dalgliesh in the
death by suffocation of a student at the
theological College of St. Anselm. Dalgliesh knows
this place well, having spent a pleasant part of
his childhood there. However, this a different
place now. Church politics permeate everything,
with the Church of England authorities planning to
close the school and auction off its treasures,
and there have been accusations of pedophilia
against one old priest. Nobody seems to like
anybody else, and pretty much everybody is a
tightly wound eccentric. Soon, bodies are found
everywhere, from the chapel to the cellar. And
there's no butler to blame.
More than mere whodunits, P.D. James's novels are
sociological examinations of the life -- and death
by murder -- in insular institutions. Nursing
schools, theological seminaries and English
villages, they've all been by scrutinized by
James's perceptive eye. If you've never seen a
Dalgliesh adaptation, or better yet, if you've
never even read one of the novels, make this your
introduction. It's ripe with everything that makes
James so compelling as a writer and social
commentator. And Shaw's performance will win you
over. As to Marsden's fans, we can still
appreciate the story. I'm sure repeated viewing
will help cement Shaw's appeal. I hope so. |
