Beginning April 20, Pride & Prejudice (w/ Keira Knightley & Matthew Macfadyen) is heading back to US theaters to mark the 20th anniversary of its release.
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On behalf of my mother, the Jane Austen scholar, I must comment that this version misses the tone of the book and gets details of the period wrong, and will always be inferior to the 1995 BBC miniseries.
It may be different than the book, but absolutely wonderful nonetheless Jake!
I'm with you. This was too Hollywood. It was beautifully shot, and the acting was decent, but I always go back to the BBC miniseries. It's just better at capturing the period and the spirit of the book. (Of course, it had a lot more time to do that. :) )
The 25th anniversary of Run Lola Run got me into the theatre (and convinced my teen to dye her hair Lola red). This will just inspire me to get my DVDs of the miniseries out.
I can’t FAVE this enough, Jake Z. And would love to know your mother’s analysis of the 1980 BBC series (brought to the US by WGBH’s Masterpiece Theatre) written by Fay Weldon.
Yes, Jake! I agree wholeheartedly. The 1995 version will always reign supreme in my heart, and I'm a stickler for period details and faithfulness to the original (unless it's deliberately trying to be different - like Clueless, which captures the spirit of Austen's Emma perfectly, in my opinion!).
Also, has your mother written any books on Jane Austen? I'm on a bit of a roll lately and would love any more suggestions!
Agree with everyone: it misses the subtlety of the book but is somehow still wonderful? I'm curious what details of the period are wrong, as I just fully suspend disbelief when I watch it so that I can enjoy it.
It's a lovely movie that looks amazing (that farmhouse!) but it's Pride and Prejudice, not Social Awkwardness and Prejudice. Maybe this would have worked better if it was a series, 2 hours feels rushed.
I will forever be in the camp of the version that features a grown ass man like Darcy rolling his eyes at Lady Catherine, who just wanted her part of the conversation. Also the 1995 Bingley is delightful. You immediately understand why he and Darcy are friends. The 1995 version is so great because it has time to breathe.
That said, my yearly re-watch, since it came out, is the truly excellent 1995 version of Persuasion. It is spot on.
I'm going to double post this because it is just too good to not share. If you stan BBC's version of P&P you MUST watch all of this fan remake. ALL OF IT
Would love a double feature of this + "Fire Island"
I really enjoyed the book. I read it in my 50s…
Why you ask? I watched the movie and loved Donald Sutherland’s Mr Bennett.
Loved this movie and have watched it multiple times with my wife.
Also a fan of the BBC miniseries.
All can coexist.
I've become a subscriber just so you all may know about the amazing Ben Fensome who is making a fan's rendition of BBC's 1995 verion of P&P.
This is SO good! I’ve sent it to so many people already. Thank you for sharing!
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