Product Details

• Actors: Roy Marsden, Ian Bannen, Cathryn Harrison, Amanda Root, Sylvia Syms
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Lance Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: June 10, 2003
• Run Time: 152 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008V2U4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,217 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "P.D. James - Original Sin" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars implausible ending, March 29, 2005

By 

E. Holmes (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: P.D. James - Original Sin (DVD)

This is one of the slicker new adaptations. Many of the scenes are set on the Thames near the London Bridge and the views are beautiful. The acting is quite good. For those 2 reasons, I quite enjoyed the first 3/4, but during the last 1/4, as the mystery is resolved, the plot is simply implausible bordering on ridiculous.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars British Mystery on the Thames, July 15, 2011

By 

David Bower (Houston, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: P.D. James - Original Sin (DVD)

Original Sin is classic British mystery which I just happen to enjoy along with the work of P. D. James in particular. When you hear the famous theme music in the middle of the story, don't worry there's more coming; the DVD includes all three episodes that were aired in March and April of 1997. I'll admit, as others have observed, the story is somewhat involved but I found it held my interest


This particular DVD runs just under 2 and 1/2 hours so plan for a long evening. I had some difficulty playing this DVD on one player which wouldn't pick up any sound; I moved it over to another player and it all worked perfectly. Later I went back to the first player and tried two other discs and they both worked normally; I have no explanation for that.


Roy Marsden as Adam Dalgliesh turns in his customary effective performance joined by Ian Bannen and others in this P. D. James mystery. The story is nicely done for the most part although I'll agree that certain actions at the end of the movie strain credibility to some degree. These are not severe enough to compromise the story or the series in my opinion so I can recommend this DVD.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who killed Gerard?, May 27, 2008

By 

Judith (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: P.D. James - Original Sin (DVD)

When Gerard Etienne, the high powered director of a publishing house turns up dead there are lots of suspects who had reasons to want him dead. As one of the employees tells the police inspector, "He wasn't a ray of sunshine." So, whodunit? Was it Frances, the jilted spinster who still loved him, but hated the way he ran her family's business? Was it Miss Blackett, his PA that he treated like a punching bag? Could it be Claudis, his sister who wants the money she'll inherit only if he dies before his upcoming wedding? And, the list of plausible suspects goes on. There are lots of plot twists and turns that keep the viewer guessing up to the end.

The acting is superb, particularly on the part of James Wilby playing Gerard and Carolyn Pickles playing Miss Blackett.

So why didn't I give it five stars? First, it was hard to believe there had ever been a relationship between the gorgeous, sophisticated Gerard and the timid, frumpy Frances. Perhaps this was a matter of casting a sexy, charismatic actor opposite a rather ordinary looking actress, or perhaps Gerard was supposed to have had an ulterior motive for the relaionship. I suspect the latter, but it wasn't made clear by the script.

Second, I felt the murderer was treated with too much sympathy. It's impossbile to explain this without giving away his motive. I don't want to write a spoiler, so I'll leave it at just saying here is a person who killed three people during the course of the movie, and yet we are supposed to sympathize because of things that happened in the past.

Finally, there were certain plot lines that weren't adquately explained/explored. For instance, what was going on in the relationship between Gerard and his father? Why was Gerard so desperate to please his father, and why wasn't his father pleased? How did certain people whose paths had crossed decades before happen to be working at the same publishing house. I can't explain that without giving away the mystery, but I did wonder about it at the end. I'm going to read the book, and hope that all the answers are in there.

Still, it's an intriguing story, involved, but easy to follow. The acting is excellent, the sets are wonderful, the pace is good. You will enjoy it, I am sure.