Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Pride and Prejudice Movie Comparison


Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth

Funny thing about these movies is that of the more recent two, I have pretty much the same comments to make as I did about the Sense and Sensibility movies last month. The beloved-by-many 1995 version with Colin Firth hits the literal nail on the head. The dialog from the miniseries is taken directly from the book, EVERY important scene is included, the characters are spot-on, and the humor comes through in-tact. Bonus, there're those lovely scenes with Colin Firth in the bathtub and later playing wet-shirt-contest. :) Perfecto! But a little long for a one-sitting viewing. :)
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen
The 2005 movie, on the other hand, makes the story into a romance and removes almost all of the humor. The romance gets to be a bit melodramatic at times, but it is a good romance. I'm not sure if the purpose was to reduce the length/complexity of the story or if the director simply wanted to remove all the humor, but the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are completely changed in this version. I don't particularly mind, but it's enough to piss off a purist. I rather liked the new Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. ;) 
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier
The classic 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice is short-and-sweet. The humor and the main story line between Darcy and Elizabeth is intact, but all the other characters have changed dramatically. Especially Darcy's aunt. Definitely not a movie for purists. But frankly, I think this one's cute. After all, what's more shocking than a surprise ending in your best-known novel? ;) 
Lost in Austen (2008)
Jemima Cooper and Elliot Cowan
As a bonus, I'll mention my favorite film retelling of Pride and Prejudice - Lost in Austen. In this silly little fantasy, Amanda Price is a modern young Brittish woman who can't settle down in life because she's in love with Mr. Darcy's character. When her boyfriend botches a proposal, Amanda runs away and, out of sheer need, somehow opens a doorway into the story. She trades places with Elizabeth (who has to figure out how to survive in modern London). Unfortunately, Amanda isn't able to keep her modern manners to herself, and she throws the whole story out of whack. Furthermore, many characters turn out to be very different in "real life" than they were perceived to be by the narrator of Pride and Prejudice. What this story lacked in originality, it made up for with well-aimed British humor. :)

 Does anybody else have a favorite Austen retelling (book or film)?
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

14 comments:

  1. Fanda ClassiclitApril 2, 2013 at 8:09 PM

    I've only managed to read two books for 1001 challenge last month:
    Mrs. Dalloway http://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2013/03/mrs-dalloway-final-review.html

    The Three Musketeers http://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-three-musketeers-re-read.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 2, 2013 at 8:24 PM

      Well, that's more than I read! I'll get your reviews up soon. :)

      Delete
  2. Bellas ShelfApril 2, 2013 at 8:14 PM

    Thank you for stopping by my review of Sharp Objects. Ill have to read your review after this.
    I was at Dollar Tree and bought a book titled "Rude awakenings of a Jane Austin Addict" by Laurie Rigler. Its book 2 in the series so I cant read it yet, but I am tempted to try.
    I will not lie, I have NEVER read anything by Jane Austin. I call myself a book lover and have never read JA.
    What book would you recommend for a noob like me? Should I watch Lost in Austen or P&P or wait until I read the book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 2, 2013 at 8:23 PM

      Well, if you want a good idea of what Pride and Prejudice is really about, you should watch the mini-series with Colin Firth. You shouldn't watch Lost in Austen until after watching the Colin Firth movie, because it makes multiple references to that film. :)

      I'm not sure which book you should start out with, since most people's favorite is Pride and Prejudice and my favorite is Sense and Sensibility. :) But I think starting on one of those would be best.

      Delete
  3. ArenelApril 3, 2013 at 2:16 AM

    There is a very modern adaptation in a form of a vlog, called "Lizzie Bennet Diaries", which I actually like very much, which is strange, as usually I'm that purist you have mentioned. You can find their playlist there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisuGP2lcPs&list=PL6690D980D8A65D08
    Every video is just 3 min or so long, and they are rather funny)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 4, 2013 at 8:29 AM

      :) Thanks! I'll check them out when I have a few minutes.

      Delete
  4. Brian JosephApril 3, 2013 at 5:11 AM

    Like many men I have not read Austin. However I have not avoided her because I think that she is an author for women Like many notable authors I just have not gotten to her. I do want to read here and your post is reminding me that it is high time that I have gotten to reading one of her books. I have several laying around.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 4, 2013 at 8:32 AM

      I think the reason many men don't like Austen is because they view her as simply a writer of romance and not as a social satirist. Austen books do not have complex plots - they are very straight-forward, and if you don't realize they're satire then you're going to find the characters rather shallow and silly, and the plot will be just a simple romance. :)

      Delete
  5. ArenelApril 3, 2013 at 5:20 AM

    I have 2 new reviews for team 1001:
    1) The adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (http://irrelevant-scribble.blogspot.cz/2013/03/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-by.html)
    2) Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (http://irrelevant-scribble.blogspot.cz/2013/04/mrs-dalloway-by-virginia-woolf.html)

    ReplyDelete
  6. ArenelApril 13, 2013 at 12:22 PM

    One more: Germinal by Emile Zola (http://irrelevant-scribble.blogspot.cz/2013/04/germinal-by-emile-zola.html)
    We already have one from Fanda, but still =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 14, 2013 at 7:44 AM

      The more the merrier! :) I was HOPING to read this one this month, too...though I might not make it after all. I'll read it someday.

      Delete
  7. Sharon WilfongFebruary 16, 2014 at 4:34 PM

    Hi Rachel. I noticed your comments at Brian Joseph's blog and wanted to check out yours. I am pretty adamant about the movie being a faithful representation of the book. Consequently, I enjoy the 6 hour miniseries with Colin Firth the best. Very nice blog and review. I will be subscribing to it. Take care!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 3, 2014 at 9:25 PM

      Thanks Sharon! I'm glad you came to see my blog. It has taken a bit of effort, but I've convinced myself that a movie doesn't have to follow the book. That I can view each movie / book / retelling as a work of art in itself. But I DO like a good, faithful rendition, anyway!

      Delete

What do you think? I love getting comments!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)