In 1813, Jane Austen wrote one of her most admired novels, Pride and Prejudice. Pride and Prejudice is set in 19th century England and is about a young woman named Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters, Jane, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. The Bennet sisters have all come out into society, so their mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, are trying to marry each of them off to men of good fortunes. At a local ball, Elizabeth is introduced to a man named Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, who came across as rude and conceited. Elizabeth is repulsed by Mr. Darcy’s arrogance, and Darcy declares that Elizabeth is "tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me”. Despite these feelings, over time, Darcy falls deeply in love with Elizabeth, and then leads himself to ask for her hand in marriage, only to be refused because of her ill opinion of him. After this harsh blow, Darcy remained determined to win Elizabeth’s heart. He then rights his past wrongs and proves to her that he is not the arrogant, inconsiderate man she thought him to be. After seeing his change in his character, Elizabeth finds herself falling in love with Darcy, and when he proposes to her a second time, she accepts him whole-heartedly.
The message of this story is not to judge others based on ‘first impressions’, and this message proves to be right. We must evaluate a person’s character before we can decide who they really are. We must look at the way that they treat others, what they believe, what they dislike, and what they hold dear. Theologian, Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, “I think you may judge of a man’s character by the persons whose affection he seeks. If you find a man seeking only the affection of those who are great, depend upon it he is ambitious and self-seeking; but when you observe that a man seeks the affection of those who can do nothing for him, but for whom he must do everything, you know that he is not seeking himself, but that pure benevolence sways his heart.” Elizabeth quickly judged Darcy’s character, and thus she saw him as no more than a snob. In the book Darcy explains to her that, “'I certainly have not the talent which some people possess' said Darcy, 'of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. ...'“ She then understood then why he didn’t talk to people, and once she learned of his true character, she fell in love with him.
In 1995, British author and screenwriter, Andrew Davies, adapted Pride and Prejudice into a TV mini-series with the same title. This mini-series was a BBC production and starred Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Later in 2005, director Joe Wright chose to turn the movie into a film as well. In the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen starred as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Both adaptations are pleasing to watch and very successful films, but the 1995 version is faithful to the dialogue and characters of the novel significantly more so than the 2005 version, which makes the 1995 version a more enjoyable and better film. When making a film adaptation of a novel, you should really stay as faithful to the book as you can. When referring to film adaptations of books, Maddie Soper says that, “Sometimes they can work wonderfully, perfectly capturing everything our imaginations created in the most sublime way, and sometimes it’s like watching a car-crash in slow motion: so horrendous that you want to scream in the middle of the cinema in defense of your beloved novel that is having such atrocities committed in its name.”
The 2005 movie was very successful and was nominated for numerous awards, but lacked a realistic portrayal of certain characters; Keira Knightley for one was not very successful in portraying Elizabeth accurately.
She turned Elizabeth into a tomboy, and made Elizabeth’s sense of humor look extremely silly at times. When asked about casting Keira Knightley, Director Joe Wright said, "Originally, I thought maybe Keira was too beautiful to play Elizabeth. I thought Lizzy should be a slightly plainer girl. And then I met her in a hotel bar very late one night, and waiting for me was this scruffy kid, with spiky elbows and knees poking through ripped-up jeans. And I suddenly realized that she didn't at all conform to the feminine ideal of the [early-19th-century] period, and this gave me a way into the character: that she was a tomboy, that it wasn't necessarily about what she looked like. It was more about her attitude, her resistance to the box that people were trying to put her in.” Yes, Elizabeth is supposed to be different from the other young ladies in her era, but she’s different from them in character and wit, not in tomboyish habits. Elizabeth is meant to be smart, beautiful, fun, good-natured, and feminine, just as Jane Austen created her to be.
She turned Elizabeth into a tomboy, and made Elizabeth’s sense of humor look extremely silly at times. When asked about casting Keira Knightley, Director Joe Wright said, "Originally, I thought maybe Keira was too beautiful to play Elizabeth. I thought Lizzy should be a slightly plainer girl. And then I met her in a hotel bar very late one night, and waiting for me was this scruffy kid, with spiky elbows and knees poking through ripped-up jeans. And I suddenly realized that she didn't at all conform to the feminine ideal of the [early-19th-century] period, and this gave me a way into the character: that she was a tomboy, that it wasn't necessarily about what she looked like. It was more about her attitude, her resistance to the box that people were trying to put her in.” Yes, Elizabeth is supposed to be different from the other young ladies in her era, but she’s different from them in character and wit, not in tomboyish habits. Elizabeth is meant to be smart, beautiful, fun, good-natured, and feminine, just as Jane Austen created her to be.
In one scene where Jane is ill and staying at Mr. Bingley’s house, Elizabeth enters the breakfast room with her hair down, she looks disarrayed and almost wild. Jennifer Ehle on the other hand, always had her hair up and always looked composed and presentable. Knightley also never wore gloves, except in the ball scenes and rarely wears a bonnet. In that time period, women always wore their hair up and never left the house without a bonnet and gloves. Although BBC’s costuming was not completely accurate, at least Ehle had a bonnet and gloves on most of the time.
Jennifer Ehle really embodied Elizabeth and presented her as the lovely, but spirited young lady that Jane Austen created. According to Chris Hastings, David Bamber who played one of the lead roles in the 1995 version said, "I think Jennifer was amazing even though she was comparatively inexperienced.” Jennifer didn’t have a lot of film acting experience before her role as Elizabeth, unlike Knightley who had been in several Hollywood movies and had been nominated for several awards before her performance in 2005. Of course, no performance is perfect and there are always flaws, but regardless of how inexperienced Ehle was, her performance was really impressive. At the 1995 B.A.F.T.A. awards, Jennifer won Best Actress of the Year for her role in Pride and Prejudice, while Knightley was only nominated to receive awards for her performance of Elizabeth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UVePaC8HGs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UVePaC8HGs
The other unrealistic character portrayal was Matthew Macfadyen’s portrayal of Darcy. In the book Darcy is proud and composed, and “He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting.” Madfadyen instead portrayed Darcy as a shy and awkward character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU5iB1Ph20w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30pntAcNo7I&feature=related
One of the examples of this was the town ball scene, when Darcy arrived you saw the arrogance in his face as he thought of himself as superior, but then later you see him looking miserable and in the back of the room, showing that he wasn’t comfortable with all of these unfamiliar faces. A New York Times movie review says that, “Mr. Firth might have been far more dashing, but Mr. Macfadyen's portrayal of the character as a shy, awkward suitor whose seeming arrogance camouflages insecurity and deep sensitivity is more realistic.” Although it may be more realistic in today’s society, this portrayal is not faithful to Jane Austen’s Darcy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmn3s-vHzc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU5iB1Ph20w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30pntAcNo7I&feature=related
One of the examples of this was the town ball scene, when Darcy arrived you saw the arrogance in his face as he thought of himself as superior, but then later you see him looking miserable and in the back of the room, showing that he wasn’t comfortable with all of these unfamiliar faces. A New York Times movie review says that, “Mr. Firth might have been far more dashing, but Mr. Macfadyen's portrayal of the character as a shy, awkward suitor whose seeming arrogance camouflages insecurity and deep sensitivity is more realistic.” Although it may be more realistic in today’s society, this portrayal is not faithful to Jane Austen’s Darcy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmn3s-vHzc
In BBC’s ballroom scene, Firth’s Darcy walked about the room with a look of superiority on his face and was never fazed by anyone. He looked as though he could stand in the middle of the room and not be the slightest bit uncomfortable. Colin Firth really grasped the role of Darcy in the 1995 version. His countenance showed arrogance and he hardly ever lost his composure. When interviewed by The Telegraph, David Bamber, who played Mr. Collins in the BBC version said, "I think meeting an actual aristocrat in 1809 or whenever the novel was set must have been an absolutely monstrous experience. I think Colin understood the social side of the story and managed to capture an element of that without going too over the top. He had the voice, the chin and the manner and slowly he let you in on the change he was going through." Colin Firth definitely portrayed the character with more accuracy, skill, and won many more female hearts than Macfadyen did. According to The Telegraph, Andrew Davies, the writer of the 1995 version declared that, “Colin burnt his way into the hearts of England's womanhood."
Realism was also lacking in the Bennet family’s grooming. The family looked rather dirty and sloppy most of the time. Yes, the Bennet family suffered from financial issues, but they wouldn’t have gone out into public without being clean and properly groomed.
They weren’t the only ones that looked dirty though, Mr. Darcy also looked sloppy, he had a mullet, and was unshaven in some scenes. The Daily Mail says that, “Colin is safe in his booted glory. For MacFadyen plays Darcy - apparently one of the richest men in Regency England, with a cool [pounds sterling] 10,000 a year - as a scruff. Sweaty, grimy and a bit . . . well, mangy, he reminded me of a plumber on a nightshift, battling a nasty blockage.”
They weren’t the only ones that looked dirty though, Mr. Darcy also looked sloppy, he had a mullet, and was unshaven in some scenes. The Daily Mail says that, “Colin is safe in his booted glory. For MacFadyen plays Darcy - apparently one of the richest men in Regency England, with a cool [pounds sterling] 10,000 a year - as a scruff. Sweaty, grimy and a bit . . . well, mangy, he reminded me of a plumber on a nightshift, battling a nasty blockage.”
The 2005 version also lacked faithfulness to the book’s dialogue and left out characters and scenes. The movie being only two hours long hindered the story and character development that occurs in the 1995 version. The 1995 BBC miniseries, which is over five hours long, is almost completely true to the novel with the dialogue, a full cast of characters, and settings for scenes. Reading the book almost feels like you’re reading the script for this movie, that’s how accurate it is. According to Wikipedia, the director of the BBC version, Simon Langton says, "We treated the story with great respect, but if we wanted to be utterly faithful, we would have got someone to recite it over the radio."
One detailed part of the story that the 1995 version provides us with is the part when the youngest Bennet daughter, Lydia, runs away with the story’s villain, George Wickham. Although the story is told in the 2005 version, it is told with more detail in the 1995 version. In the film, you watch Lydia and Wickham run away together, as Elizabeth reads a letter written by Lydia herself saying, "My dear Harriet, you will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I can't help laughing myself at your surprise tomorrow morning, as soon as I am missed. I'm going to Gretna Green, and if you can't guess with who, I'll think you a simpleton, for there is but one man in the world I love. Don't send them word at Longbourn of my going. It will make the surprise all the greater, when I write to them and sign my name Lydia Wickham. What a good joke it will be. I can scarcely write for laughing!” This letter is a summary of the one that was in the book. In this letter, you see how foolish Lydia really is, she knows that her decision will change the way she and her family is viewed and treated in society, yet she thinks of it all as a great joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKGkAFetjrI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4yrVZdTbJM&feature=related
Because this letter was not included in the 2005 version, you don’t get to see Lydia’s foolishness to this extent. You also never see Lydia and Wickham until they are married, unlike the 1995 version where you see two different scenes in which they are hiding in an inn, instead you are just told of what happened and see the Bennet family dealing with the news.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKGkAFetjrI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4yrVZdTbJM&feature=related
Because this letter was not included in the 2005 version, you don’t get to see Lydia’s foolishness to this extent. You also never see Lydia and Wickham until they are married, unlike the 1995 version where you see two different scenes in which they are hiding in an inn, instead you are just told of what happened and see the Bennet family dealing with the news.
Another scene that was remarkably different from the 1995 version was Mr. Darcy’s proposal. In this scene, Elizabeth has found shelter from the hard-pouring rain, and it just so happened that Mr. Darcy decided to take fortress there as well. Mr. Darcy then goes on to say “Miss Elizabeth. I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you... I had to see you. I have fought against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance. All these things I am willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony.” After Elizabeth says, “I don’t understand”, Darcy awkwardly tells her, “I love you, most ardently.” Elizabeth then refuses, and tells him that she is insulted by his proposal, and as they argue, Knightley goes a little overboard and starts getting a bit too angry and harsh.
In the book, Elizabeth is in her cousin’s tearoom alone when Mr. Darcy pays her an unexpected visit. Soon after his arrival, Darcy starts his proposal by saying, "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” The book then goes to describe what Darcy had said to her, and how Elizabeth felt hot with anger but remained composed. The BBC version remained truer to the novel in this scene as well. This scene is set in a tearoom, and Darcy begins the proposal with the exact same line that the novel does and also delivers it without the awkwardness the Macfadyen does. Elizabeth also remains collected, unlike Knightley, who was at some points practically yelling at Darcy in the 2005 film.
Although there were flaws in the 2005 version, it found redemption in the cinematography and music score. Audiences are attracted to beautiful lighting and settings and this movie really excelled in displaying that. The movie really showed off the beauty of the English countryside, by choosing some really stunning locations. One scene shows Elizabeth on the edge of a cliff overlooking valleys and there’s a beautiful music score playing in the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXgs-s3vyIY
In another scene towards the end of the movie when Darcy proposes for the second time, Elizabeth is walking through a field at dawn and as she sees Mr. Darcy coming towards her a lovely score starts playing. As Darcy proposes the sun starts rising, and when Elizabeth says yes the sun is gleaming between them. BBC also had some charming music and remarkable locations such as Mr. Darcy’s house, Pemberley, for which they used a large estate called Lyme Park.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXgs-s3vyIY
In another scene towards the end of the movie when Darcy proposes for the second time, Elizabeth is walking through a field at dawn and as she sees Mr. Darcy coming towards her a lovely score starts playing. As Darcy proposes the sun starts rising, and when Elizabeth says yes the sun is gleaming between them. BBC also had some charming music and remarkable locations such as Mr. Darcy’s house, Pemberley, for which they used a large estate called Lyme Park.
Pride and Prejudice is a story that has made it’s way into people’s hearts with it’s romance, humor, and fairytale ending. This story was made into a miniseries in 1995, and later made into a film in 2005. Both adaptations are extremely popular, but BBC remained truer to the book. The 2005 version is also only two hours long, while the BBC version is five hours long. Because it’s only two hours long, you miss out on the scenes, dialogue, and characters that BBC provides us with. Because BBC remained faithful to the book and provided the audience with more content and superior acting, it is a better film than the 2005 version.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: Penguin Group, 1813. Print.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. “Good Cheer For Outcasts.” Sermon. Metropolitan Tabernacle. Newington, London.
Soper, Maddie. “Book to Film Adaptations: Travesty or Triumph?” XMedia Online. 13 December 2011. Web. 14 December 2011.
Rea, Steven. “A Proud New ‘Pride’ Keira Knightley is Beaming over Her Role in ‘Pride
& Prejudice,’ and its Director Hopes Film Buffs will Cherish Her Portrayal from the Heroine's Perspective.” Philly. 13 November 2005. Web. 14 December 2011.
Hastings, Chris. “Colin Firth was Born to Play Mr. Darcy. So Can Anyone Else Shine in the Lead Role?” The Telegraph. 28 August 2005. Web. 14 December 2011.
Holden, Stephen. “Marrying Off Those Bennet Sisters Again, but This Time Elizabeth Is a Looker.” The New York Times. 11 November 2005. Web. 14 December 2011.
The Daily Mail. 15 September 2005. Web. 14 December 2011.
“Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV series).” Wikipedia. 7 November 2011. Web. 14 December 2011.
Pride and Prejudice. Prod. Sue Birtwistle. Dir. Simon Langton. Perf. Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, and Susannah Harker. DVD. BBC, 1995.
Pride and Prejudice. Prod. Tim Bevan. Dir. Joe Wright. Perf. Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, and Rosamund Pike. DVD. Working Title Films, 2005.
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