Amazon.com Essential Video
Jane Austen's classic novel of 1813,
Pride and Prejudice, still wins the hearts of countless schoolgirls with its romantic story of Elizabeth Bennet and her Mr. Darcy. Now, the 1996 BBC miniseries is winning over adults, with its faithful adaptation, gorgeous scenery, and superb acting.
The essence of the story is the antagonism between Mr. Darcy, a wealthy single man who believes Elizabeth to be beneath him, and Elizabeth, who upon being insulted at a dance by the aloof Darcy refuses to associate with him in any manner. Austen evokes incredible tension with the wit and flirtation of the two characters, and director Simon Langton (who also directed Upstairs Downstairs) successfully translates the repartee and conflict in this six-hour miniseries. Dialogue, for the most part, is painstakingly replicated, except when fleshing out and smoothing for modern sensibilities was necessary. Darcy, for instance, is drawn out, giving his personality significantly more depth. The acting sweeps you away to Regency England: Jennifer Ehle (of Wilde) is convincing as the obstinate Elizabeth, who, despite her mother's attempts to marry her off, spurs the attentions of Darcy. And Colin Firth (of The English Patient) will have women everywhere longing for a Mr. Darcy of their own.
For those who have been on an Austen binge--enjoying such excellent recent adaptations as Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion--this miniseries will round out the ultimate Austen video library. For those new to these romantic period pieces, this version of Pride and Prejudice will have you hooked and longing for more. One caveat, however: plan to watch it in an entire day, because very few have the self-control to not watch all six hours in a single sitting. --Jenny Brown
Review
Thanks to this made-for-TV film and three other film adaptations of Jane Austen's novels -- Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and Clueless (based on Emma) -- the work of Jane Austen enjoyed a renaissance in bookstores and college classrooms in 1995. Pride and Prejudice has several things going for it. First, the actors perform brilliantly, bringing Georgian England to life with their class-conscious behavior and attitudes and their drawing-room repartee. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth are particularly good as the central characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Second, writer Andrew Davies' script wisely includes verbatim dialogue from the Austen novel that is rich in wit, irony, and humor. Third, producer Sue Birtwistle pays close attention to period costumes, customs, and surroundings. Even the dances mimic authentic gambols and frolics popular in Austen's times. Fourth, the length of the film enables director Simon Langton to present a complete -- or nearly complete -- exposition of the plot. Consequently, viewers are treated to many entertaining scenes, involving minor as well as major characters, that probably would have been omitted in a shorter film version of the novel. Although the highly praised 1940 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, had much to commend it, its length forced it to truncate the plot and present an abridged ghost of the real story. Fans of Olivier and Garson may balk at assertions that Langton's 1995 adaptation has become the definitive film version of the novel, but the popularity of the Langton version and the reviews of many critics suggest that it has. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
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