"Original Sin" (1997) TV series 1997-

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

9 January 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Peverell Press, respected London publishing house with two hundred years of tradition, is taken over by new management...

Plot Keywords:

Investigation | Publishing House | Clue | Violence | Suspect

Cast

Roy Marsden	...	Adam Dalgliesh (3 episodes, 1997)
Ian Bannen	...	Gabriel Dauntsey (3 episodes, 1997)
Cathryn Harrison	...	Claudia Etienne (3 episodes, 1997)
Amanda Root	...	Frances Peverell (3 episodes, 1997)
Sylvia Syms	...	Esme Carling (3 episodes, 1997)
Lizzy McInnerny	...	Kate Miskin (3 episodes, 1997)
Jonathan Coy	...	James de Witt (3 episodes, 1997)
Carolyn Pickles	...	Miss Blackett (3 episodes, 1997)
Rowena Cooper	...	Mrs. Demery (3 episodes, 1997)
Eoin McCarthy	...	Declan Cartwright (3 episodes, 1997)
Brooke Kinsella	...	Daisy Reed (3 episodes, 1997)
James Wilby	...	Gerard Etienne (2 episodes, 1997)
Tim Dutton	...	Daniel Aron (2 episodes, 1997)
Raymond Gérôme	...	Jean-Philippe Etienne (2 episodes, 1997)
Samantha Edmonds	...	Mandy Price (2 episodes, 1997)
Gabrielle Lloyd	...	Agnes Clements (2 episodes, 1997)
Vicky Murdock	...	Mrs. Reed (2 episodes, 1997)

Series Directed by
Andrew Grieve		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Writing credits
Michael Chaplin		(3 episodes, 1997)
P.D. James		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Produced by
Andrew Benson	....	producer (3 episodes, 1997)
Rebecca Eaton	....	executive producer: WGBH Boston (3 episodes, 1997)
Simon Lewis	....	executive producer (3 episodes, 1997)
Lars MacFarlane	....	associate producer (3 episodes, 1997)

Series Original Music by
Julian Nott		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Cinematography by
Chris O'Dell		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Film Editing by
Andrew McClelland		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Casting by
Susie Parriss		(3 episodes, 1997)
Paddy Stern		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Production Design by
Barbara Gosnold		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Art Direction by
Fiona McNeil		(2 episodes, 1997)

Series Costume Design by
Phoebe De Gaye		(3 episodes, 1997)

Series Makeup Department
Suzan Broad	....	makeup artist (3 episodes, 1997)

Series Production Management
Philip Leach	....	executive in charge of production (3 episodes, 1997)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew Foster	....	second assistant director (3 episodes, 1997)
Martin Harrison	....	first assistant director (3 episodes, 1997)
Andrew Foster	....	second assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Jayne Libotte	....	property buyer (3 episodes, 1997)

Series Sound Department
Rudi Buckle	....	sound recordist (3 episodes, 1997)
Dave Humphries	....	dubbing mixer (3 episodes, 1997)
Kevin Brazier	....	dubbing editor (2 episodes, 1997)
Robert Jackson	....	dialogue editor (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Andy Bradford	....	stunt arranger (2 episodes, 1997)
Tom Delmar	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Alcorn	....	camera operator (3 episodes, 1997)
Dave Cook	....	electrician (3 episodes, 1997)
Russell Diamond	....	grip (unknown episodes)
James Moss	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sharon Long	....	assistant costume designer (3 episodes, 1997)

Series Editorial Department
Joanna Garrard	....	assistant editor (1 episode, 1997)

Series Music Department
Richard Harvey	....	composer: title theme (3 episodes, 1997)

Series Other crew
Dani Gordon	....	assistant to producer (3 episodes, 1997)
Alan John	....	production accountant (3 episodes, 1997)
Amanda Lean	....	script supervisor (3 episodes, 1997)
Adam Richards	....	location manager (3 episodes, 1997)
Adele Steward	....	production coordinator (3 episodes, 1997)

Production Companies

• United Film and Television Productions (for)
• Anglia Television (as Anglia Television Entertainment)
• WGBH (co-produced)

Distributors

• Independent Television (ITV)
• Koch Vision (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1997) (USA) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

UK:50 min (3 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Greenwich Foot Tunnel, Isle of Dogs, London, England, UK

Company:

United Film and Television Productions

Quotes:

[Gerard Etienne's body has been discovered]
Adam Dalgliesh:Mr Etienne took over the firm fairly recently. Would you say that he was well liked?
[Mrs Demery looks quizzically at him]
Mrs. Demery:[factetiously] Well, he wouldn't have been carried out of here in a body bag if he'd been a little ray of sunshine, now would he, Commander?

Movie Connections:

Follows "Cover Her Face" (1985)

'Original Sin' is a complicated story of murders at a prominent publishing house in London.

The novel 'Original Sin' is perhaps P. D. James' longest and richest book. Its many characters are fully and interestingly developed. Even the murderer is a fairly sympathetic figure. The book has multiple interesting narrative strands. It cannot be praised too highly.

The film, by contrast, is AWFUL. It should have been at least 4 hours long in order to do the complicated narrative justice. The casting is poor, and the acting for the most part is wooden. In the book, Frances Peverell and James de Witt are attractive young people. In the film, they are middle aged and are considerably less attractive than in the book. Roy Marsden's acting is uninspired, as is that of the actress who plays Kate Miskin. The murderer is a more stalwart figure in the film than in the book, which makes him less sympathetic in the film.

The themes of war and racism that one reviewer dislikes are central to the book. Without giving too much away, I will merely remark that the roots of the murders go back to World War II and that the alleged racism is connected to the horrors of the Holocaust. The young Jewish man on Dalgliesh's team understands the motives for the murders and as a result understands what the murderer was trying to do.

Finally, the excellent ending of the novel is cheapened by the different, sensationalized conclusion in the film. All in all, I'd say read the book, and don't bother with the DVD.