The Adaptations
The Classic Movie Adaptation
Pride and Prejudice, 1940—The One With Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier (★★★)
Oooh, it’s major popcorn time—by which I mean this movie is fun, romantic, funny and frankly has barely anything in common with the book. If Pride and Prejudice were a latte, this movie would be the foam on top. Note that the star rating in this review is three stars because it’s so much fun—rated purely as an adaptation, I’d have to give it no more than two.
Truly, as an adaptation, this is dreadful. Greer Garson is wonderful, but she’s the wrong age for Lizzy (she’s gorgeous at any age, but while Lizzy in the book is cynical because she is young and unsure of herself, Greer Garson is cynical because she has been around a while). Darcy is far too nice, and what are they wearing? Many characters and scenes are cut (bye, bye, Georgiana). Meanwhile, the whole concept between Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship is altered. In the book, Darcy and Lizzy hate each other on sight. In this version, Darcy and Lizzy flirt from the very start, with some mild hiccups on the way to love, as Lizzy’s family is stubbornly and consistently embarrassing; Caroline Bingley is the very meanest of Mean Girls; and Wickham spreads his various lies, and misunderstandings abound.
That aside, I dare you to resist the charms of this black-and-white romantic comedy. Greer is exasperated, vulnerable, funny and classy. She gets to deliver one of my favorite movie lines, “Oh, to be truly refined, you have to be dead.” Sadly, Laurence Olivier is a bland Darcy, partly because he is almost always pleasant. The people around him may be mean, but Darcy himself is quite kind, which is not actually all that exciting to watch. The conflicts come because of external forces pulling Darcy and Lizzy apart, not because of personality issues.
To compensate for the flat Darcy, this is one fancy movie! The parties! The clothes! My God, people—the hats! At one point, Caroline wears something that looks as though she borrowed Scarlett O’Hara’s famous curtain dress and then fell into a tinsel-covered Christmas tree. The costumes are based (loosely, I assume, given the insanity of the Christmas-tree dress) on the dresses of the 1820s and 1830s, because the costume designer wanted to make the costumes elaborate. It didn’t hurt that Gone With the Wind had come out the year before. If you like this kind of glamorous, witty, classic romantic comedy, you’ll love this movie. Let’s just call it something else, shall we?
The Modern Movies
Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001—The One with Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth (★★½)
This movie is an adaptation of the novel Bridget Jones’s Diary, which is an adaptation of a newspaper column, which was a very loose adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, setting it in modern day England. In this version, Bridget Jones—a modern-day Elizabeth Bennet, sort of—is a single woman living in modern London, with a slimy-but-attractive boss, a supportive group of friends and an overbearing mother. I was quite sad that most of my favorite parts of the Bridget Jones’s Diary were cut, especially most of the scenes with Bridget’s ever-supportive friends. But as a romantic comedy, it is perfectly entertaining, with Renée Zellweger being absolutely adorable, Hugh Grant acting hilarious (the scene with the panties is a classic) and Colin Firth saving the day while wearing a black turtleneck in the sexiest way imaginable.
As far as adapting Pride and Prejudice goes, Bridget is a great character, but in no way does she resemble Elizabeth Bennet. As evidence I will point out that Elizabeth would never get drunk and belt out “All By Myself.” On the other hand, Wickham, aka Daniel Cleaver, aka Hugh Grant, has never been more funny and charming and devilish and completely slimy, and when Colin Firth as Mark Darcy showed up to save Bridget’s dinner party, I seriously thought I was going to pass out. Wow.
This is a serviceable, cute romantic comedy, but I don’t think this movie does justice to either Bridget Jones’s Diary or to Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps the pivotal difference between Bridget and Lizzy is that Bridget is always acting in an embarrassing way (hello, drunk karaoke) and Lizzy is generally behaving in a presentable way but is mortified by those around her. Lizzy makes a lot of mistakes and has a lot of growing up to do, but she’s not dependent on a man to make her happy, even though her financial circumstances are such that if anyone ever had an excuse to be desperate to marry, it would be Lizzy. Lizzy is her own person, and for most of her movie Bridget is not—but watching Bridget grow stronger over the course of the movie is quite satisfying.
Bride & Prejudice, 2004—The One With Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson (★★★½)
Brilliant and fun, this adaptation sets Pride and Prejudice in modern-day India, with Bollywood numbers. You’d think it would be terrible, but it’s a perfect fit. I’m no expert on India, but my understanding is that it is a country that has huge class divisions, a rapidly changing economy, strict codes of behavior and new expectations for women to be well-educated and outspoken, combined with more traditional expectations for women to become wives and mothers. This means that it makes perfect sense for Lalita (Lizzy) to be pressured by her mother to find a rich husband, and for her to loathe the rich American tourist, Darcy, who fails to see India’s many charms and assumes that India is a backwater populated by ignorant, submissive women.
Aishwarya Rai is a suitably feisty and funny Lalita. It’s easy to see why she’s a huge star in India—her screen presence is dazzling. Daniel Gillies, as Wickham, is gorgeous and charming. His backpacker type who wants to see the “true” India is a great contrast to the rich, polished Darcy, who wants to build a hotel resort. The sister who is analogous to Mary (Maya) does a snake dance that is…interesting, and Naveen Andrews (best known as the perpetually depressed Sayid on Lost, aka my fictional boyfriend) is irresistibly cheerful as Mr. Bingley (Balraj). Honestly, all the supporting cast seems to have walked right out of the novel—they just walked out of the novel by way of India. They are note perfect, and the Austen themes and characters fit seamlessly into the class between Indian and American culture.
Of course, the big draw of the movie is that it is done Bollywood style, which means song and dance. This movie is a gorgeous riot of color and movement. I have to confess, though, that after some time passed, the only dancing I specifically recall is that of my beloved Naveen Andrews, and that is because he is mine. Ahem. Anyway, Jane Austen’s style is very restrained, and Bollywood is totally lavish with singing and dancing. In one number, there’s an elephant. Yet the two styles mesh just fine, because there is so much dancing in the novel, and so much is expressed through the movement and rituals of the dances there. The dances in the movie are far more riotous than the dances in the novel, but they provide an equivalent opportunity for people to express feelings and have interactions that they otherwise would not.
The weak spot in the cast is Martin Henderson, who is suitably awkward as Darcy but has no charisma to make up for it. Also, when sparks are supposed to fly, there’s this whole falling-in-love montage, and during this there’s a lot of hugging and hair-kissing that is more soppy than sexy. Modernized interpretations never seem to know what to do with the Lydia arc, and this one is no exception, leaving a lot of drama about Lydia but no actual peril. Toward the end of the movie, the pace drags, since the Lydia arc is not actually that compelling and the love montages are, frankly, dull. Overall, although the movie loses some of its grip toward the end, it is still an absolutely frothy-yet-insightful delight and not to be missed.
Pride & Prejudice, 2005—The One With Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen (★★★½)
Starring Keira Knightley’s huge eyes, and costarring lovely English scenery, both human and geographical, this adaptation is one long swoon. From the dance scene in which all the dancers disappear except Elizabeth and Darcy to the smooching at the end, this is a dizzyingly romantic production, set in the Regency period. When I want a purely gorgeous, escapist, super-romantic movie to watch, I watch this one. I get my blankie and my popcorn and my cocoa and am just as happy as can be (I have simple pl
easures). But as an adaptation of Jane Austen, the movie has problems with tone, for where Austen is all reserved and beneath the surface, this production is rife with sexuality and openly expressed emotion and unfastened cravats. It is yummy, cheesy goodness, just not Austen goodness.
There are some things that the movie does get right about Austen. Most notably, Keira Knightley is the right age, which is a rare and wonderful thing in a film/TV adaptation. Lizzy’s growth makes so much more sense when you can see that she really is a very young woman. The supporting characters are marvelous, particularly Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet, Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet, and Judi Dench as Judi Dench (aka Lady Catherine be Bourgh). I also liked the depiction of the chaos of the Bennet household. I’m not a historian, but it felt to me like just the right level of financially precarious gentility. And the humor comes through beautifully. My favorite line is not taken from the book, but it does reflect the book well:
Elizabeth Bennet: Did I just agree to dance with Mr. Darcy?
Charlotte Lucas: I daresay you will find him to be very amiable.
Elizabeth Bennet: That would be most inconvenient, since I have sworn to loathe him for all eternity.
Me: Tee, hee, hee (eats more popcorn).
Although this movie is to me like a big piece of chocolate cake, I must confess that it is not Austen–like in the slightest with the above-mentioned exceptions. Matthew Macfadyen plays Darcy as being almost crippled with shyness. Does he remind me of the book’s Darcy? Nope. Darcy should be able to project authority, decisiveness and competence, in addition to shyness, and Macfadyen does not. He’s not confident about some things and shy about others—he’s just shy. But I must admit that he is absolutely adorable in both behavior and appearance.
Jane Austen most certainly never wrote about Jane standing on cliffs overlooking the ocean with the wind, whipping her hair as she contemplates her love life. That whole “I am one with tempestuous nature” thing is really more of a Brontë ideal than an Austen ideal. The Brontë family loves those wild, unswept moors and cliffs; but when Austen talks about nature, she tends to talk about it in terms of carefully cultivated nature, as her feelings about nature seem to mirror her attitudes toward behavior. It’s good to be a little untamed—but just a little. Too much wildness and you have Lydia. Too little, and you have Mary.
And in the interest of sex appeal, Darcy behaves in a wildly inappropriate manner, albeit one that sets my heart to fluttering wildly. When he comes to make his second proposal to Lizzy, he does so by striding across the misty moors at dawn, in a billowy coat with his shirt partly unbuttoned and no cravat. Do I sigh a happy sigh every time I contemplate this? I hate to be so shallow, but, duh, of course I do. Would Austen’s Darcy ever in a million years do such a thing? That is, intentionally call upon a lady in what he no doubt considers to be practically his underwear? Of course not. Our Darcy would be ashamed to propose in such a disheveled state. And I can’t imagine the reaction of Austen’s Mr. Bennet should Darcy then appear in his study to ask for Lizzy’s hand, in the cravat-less outfit, while Lizzy waits in the hallway in a coat and a nighty. That’s the kind of situation that brings out the shotguns, generally speaking. Even Wickham had more decorum (outwardly). It’s very romantic but not very Austen at all. I just eat it right up (nom, nom, nom).
The Miniseries
Pride and Prejudice, 1980—The One With David Rintoul and Elizabeth Garvie (BBC) (★★★)
When I was a very little girl, I was babysat by an aunt who watched a lot of television, and one day I tried to understand why she seemed to really like this show where everyone was talking funnily. I remember with amazing vividness Elizabeth Bennet (played by Elizabeth Garvie) saying, “We have a saying—save your breath to cool your porridge. I shall save mine to swell my song.” I have no idea why that line stuck in my head for all these years—maybe because it was the only line that I understood, and I thought it was a strange and funny thing to say. You can imagine my satisfaction at finally rediscovering this largely forgotten gem as an adult—and I still think that line is strange and funny, especially the way Elizabeth Garvie says it, with her bright eyes and her rapid delivery. She reminds me of a little bird.
This adaptation is very faithful and very charming, and oh, my, Darcy (played by David Rintoul) is quite the cutie. His cheekbones are works of art and he has never been so deliciously snobby. The only problem with the cast is that both Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul are too limited in their range. They don’t seem to change much over the course of the story. Occasionally Garvie speaks some lines in voice-over that are clearly intended to spell something out for the audience. Not only is this somewhat insulting to our intelligence, but it usually says something rather at odds with the actual story. For once, Mary gets a lot to do, but at the expense of Jane’s screen time, so the Bingley/Jane arc is not compelling. Kitty coughs so much as a sort of running joke that I really think the family should have shown some concern for her health.
I found this version to be lovely and diverting for a while, but it didn’t take me on the full journey I needed it to. For all the charm of this adaptation, it lacks emotional punch. The emotional impact of Pride and Prejudice comes from watching Lizzy and Darcy grow, and seeing how they make each other better people. But in this version, Lizzy and Darcy change their minds about each other, but there’s no major emotional journey. They didn’t like each other, and now they do. That’s nice, but not compelling.
This is a very nicely filmed production. The scenery is lovely and so are the clothes. I think this may be the very prettiest of all the miniseries, but it’s also the most uninvolving. I never cried while watching this production, but I did feel a terrible need to go shopping.
Pride and Prejudice, 1995—The One With Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle (BBC) (★★★★★)
It’s the moment we’ve all be waiting for! This is the adaptation in which Colin Firth takes his famous swim in a lake. This is the iconic BBC adaptation, and it is greatly beloved for the high production values, the acting and the faithfulness to the book. The lake business doesn’t hurt it, either. Most of the script is verbatim from the book. If you love the novel, this is a huge plus, as it brings the book vividly and faithfully to life.
Jennifer Ehle delivers a nuanced performance as Lizzy—she really brings out Lizzy’s frustration with her family and her circumstances. Ehle’s version of Lizzy is both deeply cynical (she’s a cranky, seen-it-all Lizzy) and yet full of mirth. She’s not a very happy person, but she does have a deep and constant sense of humor. Colin Firth as Darcy, is, of course, Colin Firth—no one scowls or smolders quite like him. He strikes just the right note of arrogance, command and decisiveness while also being shy and vulnerable. He makes Darcy’s unease with social situations palpable.
I love the way this movie was directed (by Simon Langton). Possibly the finest moment of direction comes during the Netherfield Ball— it is brilliantly directed, from the first moments when Lizzy wanders through the rooms looking for Wickham, to her discussion with Charlotte about Darcy in which she becomes increasingly angry, until that awkward moment when Darcy suddenly appears and asks Lizzy to dance just as she has worked herself into such a rage that she is almost in tears. When they do dance, their dance is a combination of words and movement that visually accentuates how estranged they are and yet how inexorably attracted they are, as well.
I also like the way the director includes some scenes of Darcy doing guy things. Admittedly, one reason I’m fond of this is that Colin Firth looks pretty damn hot when he’s fencing and horseback riding and taking a bath. However, the scenes aren’t purely for my prurient enjoyment. Everything Colin Firth does is in character. It’s all stuff Darcy would be doing; it’s just that in the book we don’t see him doing it. These actions help show the viewer Darcy’s increasing attraction to Lizzy and his increasing frustration about it. And they allow Darcy some much-needed vulnerability. There’s something about Colin Firth’s Darcy when his hair is
messy that just kills me.
All the supporting actors are good. Bingley is so happy, so full of energy, so obviously enamored of Jane, that it’s simply adorable. I wish we could see him in five years, as I’m certain once he grows a backbone he’ll be just perfect (I consider Darcy to be a great romantic hero, but not someone I’d like to hang out with due to his taciturnity). Mr. Bennet is quite avuncular, and Mrs. Bennet is appropriately unbalanced. I’m also very fond of the actress who plays Mary and brings out her own awkwardness and vulnerability (Lucy Briers), and the actress who plays one of the sweetest Janes ever (Susannah Harker).
This production is a masterful recreation of the book with lovely scenery, great clothes and fantastic acting from all. It is moving and romantic, it’s visually gorgeous, it’s supremely well acted, and although it’s very faithful to the book, it’s not so faithful that it’s stilted.
Lost in Austen, 2008—The One With Jemima Rooper and Elliot Cowan (ITV) (★★★★)
I love, love, love this insanely funny revisionist BBC miniseries! This is a story about Amanda, a modern-day woman in her mid-twenties who lives in Hammersmith. Amanda loves Pride and Prejudice and is deeply dissatisfied with her life in general and her slovenly boyfriend in particular. When she discovers Elizabeth Bennet in her bathroom, and Elizabeth shows her a connecting door that leads to Elizabeth’s house, the two trade places and high jinks ensue. It’s not exactly time travel because it doesn’t simply take Amanda to the Regency Era. It takes her to Elizabeth’s house, specifically.
Amanda is able to pass herself as a friend of Elizabeth’s who is here to stay for a visit, but her presence in the story keeps causing changes. Since Amanda is a fan of Pride and Prejudice, she is terribly alarmed by these modifications. She is desperate to make events fit the book, but the more she tries to make events fit the book, the more things go horribly wrong. This is a hilarious adaptation, with clever twists and turns and line after line that had me laughing so hard that I think I literally fell of the couch from time to time.
Pride, Prejudice and Popcorn Page 6
