Jane Austen discussion
General Discussion
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Movies inspired by Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'
Not a boring subject at all, Heather! On the contrary, the adaptations are something most of us love.I’m interested in your friends’ comment that P&P&Zombies “ruins the love story.” There is a whole divide among Jane Austen fans about whether Jane Austen writes romance or social comedy set within the frame of the “marriage plot.” Don’t feel pressured to hate P&P&Zombies just because it doesn’t focus on the love element as the central feature—there’s so much more to enjoy in JA!
Okay, there are lots more film adaptations, you’ll be thrilled to hear:
• There’s supposed to be an adaptation done in 1938 starring Curigwen Lewis, but I have never seen it.
• Pride and Prejudice starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier (1940)—pretty weird and changes the story a lot.
• Another I have never seen is a 1952 TV miniseries starring Daphne Slater and Peter Cushing; and another in 1958 starring Jane Downs and Alan Badel. These may have been done live and not recorded, as TV shows often were not in those days. Oh, Gawd! Just found another TV miniseries from 1967, with Celia Bannerman and Lewis Fiander. How can I have missed all of these??
• The modern filmography begins with the first BBC series of Pride and Prejudice, starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul (1980)—performed rather like a stage play but quite true to the book, and the costumes are to die for. It’s old-fashioned for a contemporary viewer, but I like it a lot.
• The one you probably saw is the 1995 BBC/A&E version with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. It really started the idea that Jane Austen was all about romance, in my view. I call it the Wet T-shirt Pride and Prejudice!
• In 2003 we got a modern-day Mormon version starring Kam Heskin, which is irreverent and quite charming, though it overlays a not-fully-believable plot line of Lizzy as a budding writer.
• And in 2005 there is the controversial adaptation with Keira Knightley, which takes us firmly into the pulp-romance arena. Very historically inaccurate, changes most of the good lines, violates the social norms (and the costumes) of the era, exaggerates the class divisions. You can tell I’m not a fan! But it’s very pretty to look at.
After that you go further afield into the “inspired by” type movies, such as Bridget Jones’s Diary (the book is a lot better) and Death Comes to Pemberley (don’t bother). There is also an Internet version that I haven’t seen but it is much adored: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. (The first and third of these are modern-day, the second one is a period sequel.)
You have a lot to choose from! Have fun!
Welcome Heather!Abigail has been very thorough!
I've seen the 1967 mini series. By the time it got to NZ it was probably 69 or 70. What I didn't like about it was they made Lewis Fiander (who was a good looking guy) look very unattractive & they omitted Mary's character. Very good Elizabeth & Mrs Bennet as I remember.
Fun fact; Susannah Harker (Jane in the 1995 version ) is the daughter of the Jane in the 1967 version. Polly Adams was very beautiful. (which I didn't think Ms Harker was. But she was pregnant at the time of filming)
When checking my facts on ImdB I found Lewis Fiander died earlier this year.
Anna Chancellor, the actress who played Caroline Bingley in the BBC/A&E mini-series, is related to Jane Austen! According to IMDB: "Her eight-times great aunt is author Jane Austen."
ladymurmur wrote: "Anna Chancellor, the actress who played Caroline Bingley in the BBC/A&E mini-series, is related to Jane Austen! According to IMDB: "Her eight-times great aunt is author Jane Austen.""
Now that I didn't know!
It looks like at least part of the 67 version is on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ3kz...
Thanks for that, Carol! Looks like fun!
Hi Heather, it’s not a boring topic, in fact I think we all feel quite strongly about our favourites but Abigail is absolutely right, don’t let anyone put you off enjoying a good film (or even a bad one)!@Abigail, great summary! I’m going to comment but I mostly agreed with you anyway.
• I thought the film of P&P& Zombies was a good action movie, I didn’t think it ruined the romance but it wasn’t really about that. It’s not the best film I’ve seen this year though, not even the best zombie film but it was at least ten times better than the book it was based on, (which really wasn’t difficult!).
• Bride and Prejudice I love, it’s upbeat and funny and because it’s modern (for me) doesn’t need to stay too true to the original. My mum on the other hand watched it once and refused to watch it again.
• Death Comes to Pemberley was… ok? Better than its book but more as a murder mystery period drama than a sequel to P&P.
• I think I made it through maybe five minutes of Bridget Jones’s Diary.
• Lost in Austen is quite fun the first time and kind of annoying the second, but I thought the characters were played better than in some of the adaptations.
• Austenland is a funny and enjoyable, occasionally cringe worthy, sort of romantic comedy, again much better than the book it’s based on.
• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (and the companion episodes) I loved from start to finish, I even listened to the audiobook. Abigail, you have to give it a go!
• 2005 Keira Knightley movie is pretty terrible all round, but the most damning part for me (even above pigs in the passages) is the fact that I have no recollection of Mr Darcy even after several re-watches in an attempt to write a review. I know who played him but he left no impression on me whatsoever.
• 1980 – My absolute favourite, I don’t mean to say that it is perfect but to me it captured the characters perfectly which I think matters the most.
• The modern 2003 version I found tedious.
• 1995 Colin Firth. I’m not a fan, I’ll leave it at that or I’ll be here all night.
• The 1940 version is very much a classic of the silver screen rather than a faithful adaptation but I love it, the whole thing is charming and funny.
I'll come back to this thread a little at a time.I didn't like Bride & Prejudice on the first viewing as it seemed jarring & discordant & also because there didn't appear to be much chemistry between the 2 leads.
But on subsequent viewings (& after seeing a couple of genuine Bollywood films) I now love it & turn to it when I want a mindless comfort watch. I still don't think Aish or Martin Henderson are the greatest actors on the planet, but their great personal beauty makes up for it & Henderson's woodenness fits in with Darcy's reserve.
thanks, the films look very interesting.
The 1995 adaptation with Colin Firth is THE definitive version for my generation. I was a teenager when it came out and I love it. I enjoyed the Bridget Jones movies. The second book was better than the movie but the first one was pretty faithful if I remember correctly.
My family enjoyed Bride and Prejudice. I especially loved the scenes taken direct from Austen with only minor tweaks to her dialogue. (view spoiler) However, the characters lack the depth and memorableness of the novel.
The Lizzie Bennet diaries took me awhile to get into. I especially liked THE LYDIA!! (nah nah nah nah yeah!). Her take on the story gave it an extra dimension and really made Lydia a well-developed character. However, I thought her reaction to (view spoiler) was out of character. In this age of the Kardashians, she could have capitalized on that.
My absolute favorite remake is Lost in Austen. I nearly fell off the couch laughing at certain points. (view spoiler)
QNPoohBear wrote: "The 1995 adaptation with Colin Firth is THE definitive version for my generation. I was a teenager when it came out and I love it. "Arghh I really hate it when people say things like that, sorry QNPoohBear I don't mean to be antagonistic but it's just one of the things that drives me crazy.
I was also a teenager when it came out so I guess we're the same generation and I hated it. I've learnt to live with it and laugh at it over the years so hate is probably a bit strong now but I know that I wasn't alone in disliking it.
I cannot deny its general popularity, or longevity but the only definitive version is the original novel.
A great topic and one with wildly different opinions!I loved loved loved Lizzy Bennet!!! Lol, not wild about THE LYDIA but loved snarky goth cousin(?) Mary.
Was way past my "bloom" in 95 but think '95 P&P is far and away the best P&P...although Rosamund Pike(not an audiobook fan but currently enjoying her narration of P&P) makes '05 almost watchable for me...and I actually enjoyed '05 greatly when I first saw it in the movie theater. And sorry '80 fans but I think David Rintoul is robo Darcy.
I enjoyed 2003 but found the last 20 minutes very weird indeed. PP&Z I saw it for free....wasn't as gory as I feared(but gory enough) and amusing/interesting in spots. I was very happy with the Jane(2nd favorite Austen heroine) and Elizabeth(3rd favorite Austen heroine)(Lily James) actresses...which is what I'm most concerned with in P&P.
Have a look at my web sitewww.janetaylmer.com
For my book about Darcy. My "biography" page will explain the back story.
Carol ♛ Type, Oh Queen! ♛ wrote: "ladymurmur wrote: "Anna Chancellor, the actress who played Caroline Bingley in the BBC/A&E mini-series, is related to Jane Austen! According to IMDB: "Her eight-times great aunt is author Jane Au..."
Thanks for posting the Youtube info!!! I watched the 25+ minutes posted and found it charming. Lol, I approve of the Jane and Elizabeth in it. And I wonder if anyone else thinks that Mr Darcy looks a little like Mr Thornton(Richard Armitage) in North and South 2004?
Kirk wrote: "Thanks for posting the Youtube info!!! I watched the 25+ minutes posted and found it charming. Lol, I approve of the Jane and Elizabeth in it. It is isn't it?
I'm another huge fan of the Colin Firth P&P. It does have faults. I've already said I don't think the Jane was beautiful enough & I found both Mrs B & Bingley a little hammy in their acting. But Colin Firth... *fans myself vigorously*
I didn't make it through the Keira Knightley P&P. My TV screen would have suffered serious damage if I tried. I normally like Knightley but thought she was badly miscast in this I hated the weird outfits the younger female cast were given. Carey Mulligan completely overshadowed the actress playing Lydia (a charisma thing) Worst of all I didn't find the Darcy actor appealing.
The only thing I did like was that some older actors/extras were wearing Georgian clothes. I thought that would be realistic in a less than fashionable village.
Because of our love for the story of P&P, my wife and I own the 1940, 1980, 1995, 2005 versions and the Bride a Prejudice movie, but in my opinion I don't understand why someone cannot make a really good P&P movie especially since there are very good versions of Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. Actually, they even manage to make a pretty good movie from my least favorite book, Mansfield Park. I will keep waiting for a really good P&P movie.
LOL I bet we wouldn't agree on which ones those were Noe! For example I'd say that the 2005 P&P film was better than the only Mansfield Park film I've seen (not meaning the BBC series)
Louise Sparrow wrote: "LOL I bet we wouldn't agree on which ones those were Noe! ..."I suppose I should have said in my conclusion that I will keep enjoying the versions of P&P that I own while I wait for someone to make a better version. To me, one flaw is with Lizzy. In the book, she is witty and finds Darcy's stuck up ways something to make fun of, like Kiera does at the dance in the 05 movie, teasing him about dancing even if your partner is only tolerable. Most of the movies have Lizzy and Darcy more ready to fight, whereas she is just having some fun at his expense and he finds himself being attracted by her playful banter but none of the movies in my opinion capture that dynamic. There are few things as enjoyable as talking about Jane Austen; thanks for the feedback, Louise.
I love the '05 version. I can't tell you how many times I've watched it and it was due to the fact that when I wanted to read the book before originally seeing it when it came out that I love Jane Austen today. I don't think people realize how much little details and meanings behind everything that Joe Wright put into it. I feel in love with The Lizzie Bennet Diaries right away. I'm still hoping to find a book like the companion to the videos (besides The Adventures of Lydia Bennet) that has kinda the same tone to it.
As for Lost in Austen, I watched it twice in 2 days. I wished there was a book off of the movie itself to read.
Amanda wrote: "As for Lost in Austen, I watched it twice in 2 days. I wished there was a book off of the movie itself to read. It's been a while, & I missed the first episode but I do remember finding this fresh & different.
Carol ♛ Type, Oh Queen! ♛ wrote: "Amanda wrote: "As for Lost in Austen, I watched it twice in 2 days. I wished there was a book off of the movie itself to read. It's been a while, & I missed the first episode but I do remember fi..."
I don't remember how I first heard of it but I know I got the DVD from an Inter-Library Loan. I didn't want to give it back. I kept thinking I know Mr. Bennet from somewhere, well when I looked him up I found out he was also in Notting Hill which I had watched again the night before.
Amanda,Not to mention six years as the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey.
In a number of cases, I actually preferred the cast of Lost in Austen to many of the available P&P versions. Hugh Bonneville makes for a very believable Mr. Bennet, and I think Alex Kingston is a superior version of Mrs. Bennet—Alison Steadman’s 1995 version bordered on slapstick, and while I liked Brenda Blethyn in 2005, I wasn’t that fond of the movie itself, which is probably coloring my opinion somewhat. I also thought Elliot Cowan was a pretty fair version of Mr. Darcy, and though it took a while, Morven Christie as Jane did grow on me. A lot.
Honestly, I’d love to see this cast in a “real” version of Pride and Prejudice—I think they’d be terrific.
& I loved the Lizzie Bennett Diaries. (although I found the actress who played Lizzie's voice a little grating) I didn't watch all the Lydia or other side issue ones. & I have the book on my "to-read" list.
Carol ♛ Type, Oh Queen! ♛ wrote: "& I loved the Lizzie Bennett Diaries. (although I found the actress who played Lizzie's voice a little grating) I didn't watch all the Lydia or other side issue ones. "The LYDIA videos are a must-see. She's irritating and immature at first but she has a believable back story that explains why she is the way she is. I kind of, almost, felt sorry for my little sister after watching her videos. I also liked how she helped cousin Mary, though making Mary a cousin and eliminating Kitty changed the family dynamic a lot.
Warren wrote: "Amanda,Not to mention six years as the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey.
In a number of cases, I actually preferred the cast of Lost in Austen to many of the available P&P versions. Hugh Bonne..."
I have actually only seen 2 episodes of Downton Abbey but I was able to tell it was him that time round. I also had the "What a minute" moment after first watching Lost in Austen with him because I than watched Mansfield Park in which he plays Mr. Rushworth.
The cast was great but I'm still partial to the '05 people. I do agree that it would be interesting to see the cast do a regular version of P&P. I almost think if you combine the cast of Lost in Austen and the '05, we would get a pretty awesome result.
Noe wrote: ."I suppose I should have said in my conclusion that I will keep enjoying the versions of P&P that I own while I w..."Some good analysis there Noe. I'm well overdue for another read of P&P - I normally read it every 2 or 3 years.
I really liked both the book & movie of Bridget Jones Diary, but I found the second film more than a little silly & have no plans to see the latest.
Carol ♛ Type, Oh Queen! ♛ wrote: "I really liked both the book & movie of Bridget Jones Diary, but I found the second film more than a little silly & have no plans to see the latest. "The book is better. It's not really Pride and Prejudice but it's very funny.
Everybody we missed one, or at least one in English, Unleashing Mr. Darcy. Now I haven't read the book yet so I didn't watch the movie but I did hear the book was good so I hope the movie was good too.
Amanda wrote: "Everybody we missed one, or at least one in English, Unleashing Mr. Darcy. Now I haven't read the book yet so I didn't watch the movie but I did hear the book was good so I hope the movie was good ..."I haven't even heard about that one!
@QNPB I will get back to the Lydia diaries and other bits some time soon. I did love everything I watched!
I played the trailer for Austenland on Youtube. While there were a couple of bits that reminded me of *shudder* the book Eligible
there was enough there to make I think I might enjoy watching it. I'm going to have a hunt for it this week.
Austenland the movie was only slightly better than the book. There are some really dumb parts that are not in the book but those parts are funny. I meant to write a review on my blog but never got around to it.
i loved Austenland. What I also liked was that they worked with Shannon Hale when doing the script and she was the one that actually changed a lot of the stuff which made me feel better when watching it.
Oh and Unleashing Mr. Darcy only came out as a Hallmark TV Movie in January and the book came out the end of 2013.
Carol ♛ Type, Oh Queen! ♛ wrote: "Noe wrote: ."I suppose I should have said in my conclusion that I will keep enjoying the versions of P&P that I own while I w..."Some good analysis there Noe. I'm well overdue for another read of..."Thanks Carol. I haven't seen Bridget Jones, but my wife and I stumbled across something on Amazon video that is a modern day mash up, having Emma, Elizabeth and Darcy, Marianne and Elinor and some others. Some of the episodes are cute and some are pretty stupid, but it was interesting seeing all those girls in the same story. It's called Austentatious season one.
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SarahC wrote: "Which was the Unleashing Mr. Darcy? Book by the same name? I have always been a Colin Firth fan, but does anyone feel that his wet shirt scene has overshadowed other aspects of that production. The..."I think some confuse the scene with Colin Firth with the one from Lost in Austen were the girl that takes Lizzy's place asks Darcy to come out of a fountain pool, I think it is, in that scene he is dripping wet, but not the scene with Firth, he is as you said Sarah, just rumpled, and untidy. Cool word by the way, rumpled, I would never have thought of it. I thought Lost in Austen really blew a great chance to make an interesting movie, I did not like it.
Unleashing Mr. Darcy The movie was better because of the incredibly adorable dogs. One look at those liquid brown eyes and I was in love-not with Mr. Darcy but his dogs. Bridget Jones propelled the wet shirt Darcy scene into the stratosphere. She rewound the tape and watched the scene over and over again. It sticks in her mind as the image of her ideal man. That may have added fuel to the fire.
I've never really seen the appeal or at least sex appeal of the wet shirt and diving into the water scene myself. It might be because the first version I saw was the '05 and I fell in love with Matthew MacFayden and he is to me The Mr. Darcy. I find more appeal in the Train Wreck scene aka First Proposal and when when we see him emerge from the fog at the end and following proposal. I guess it might depend on when you first watched them and what generation you are from too.
The problem of the diving into the pond scene (and the bath scene and and and) is the very fact that it is injecting sex appeal into a story that is not about sexual attraction—it is about intellectual and ethical attraction. That’s exactly what bothers me about Andrew Davies’s adaptations in general. For me, the sexiness of the story lies much more in the latency of the attraction—or perhaps in how the sexual attraction is a result of the intellectual and ethical attraction, not the precursor. To me that just fundamentally gets Jane Austen wrong.I realize I’m in the minority!
Abigail wrote: "The problem of the diving into the pond scene (and the bath scene and and and) is the very fact that it is injecting sex appeal into a story that is not about sexual attraction—it is about intellec..."I'm a guy so that may put me in a minority of a different kind in any discussion of Jane Austen, but, I agree with you Abigail.
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Good points, and thank you about my word choice!
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Davies has discussed how he has tried to bring masculinity to the scripts, and maybe visually was one of his focuses....I don't think he said sexuality per se, but I don't remember the interview well. I think he was talking about his Sense and Sensibility at the time -- who chops wood in that, I don't recall -- Col. Brandon? It was about that.
But back to P&P: considering the actor -- I am in the Colin Firth Appreciation circles (ha) so I feel he conveys a very understated masculinity -- so maybe his portrayal brought that about also within Davies' script. It is a personal preference of course, the visual I remember is Firth's Darcy gazing at Elizabeth in the parlor at Pemberley, when afterwards he answers Caroline that he does indeed think Elizabeth one of the most attractive women of his acquaintance (a lovely, fun irony all the way around). Time to move on, Caroline.
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Movies inspired by Jane ..."
Hello Heather! And not a boring subject, as you can see, it IS our subject.
I thought of wet Darcy scene as sort of humanising him, showing him as more natural in his own surroundings, rather than the stiff necked snob we first encounter!I agree with Abigail that scene where he just gazes at Elizabeth is very romantic.
To me, Darcy has an appeal of his own and did so for 200 years... and then we have a film maker who feels he needs to be more sexy, masculine or whatever. That kind of makes me think he didn't get it, in the first place.Soggy Colin Firth doesn't do anything for me either I'm afraid, but I'd call myself a fan of some of his other work.
SarahC wrote: ". I think he was talking about his Sense and Sensibility at the time -- who chops wood in that, I don't recall -- Col. Brandon? It was about that.."Edward- Dan Stevens aka Matthew Crawley. He was too virile and pretty to be awkward Edward.
I don't mind the wet shirt scene. It's awkward when Elizabeth sees Darcy. She's confused, he's confused and flustered. It's not played for sex appeal for the characters-just for the audience. It's a hook to bring in modern viewers who are more used to a sexy hero. If it brings people to read the book, then it's OK in my book.
The bath scene was a little odd. I worried the screen writer would have Elizabeth come across Darcy in the bath and that would be problematic! Compared to what I WAS expecting, the scene where Lizzy and Darcy meet is a little less shocking.
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Abigail wrote: "The problem of the diving into the pond scene (and the bath scene and and and) is the very fact that it is injecting sex appeal into a story that is not about sexual attraction—it is about intellec..."I completely agree, the jumping into the pond scene baffled me when I first saw it! I like Colin Firth but preferred him in the full gentleman get up riding on horseback. And yes, at first he was not drawn to her physically nor she to him. She starts to seriously admire his character from the testimony of his housekeeper of the kind of master and brother he is, and he tells her he admired her for her "liveliness of mind." (I love Elizabeth's response, "You might as well call it impertinence" :) The exchanges between the two are magnificent.)
A Janeite and her non-Janeite granddaughter saw Zombies and they both laughed a lot. It helped the granddaughter understand the story she was about to read in school.There's an Israeli TV mini-series set in Galilee in the 21st century.
1995 episode of the TV series "Wishbone"
a science fiction sitcom "Red Dwarf" episode "Beyond a Joke" based on P & P.
My ultimate favorite adaptation is "You've Got Mail." I love 90s romcoms and this one is one of my favorites. I always wanted Kathleen Kelly's Shop Around the Corner.
Reportedly Twilight is based on characters and situations in P&P but it sounds more like a cheesed up Wuthering Heights to me.
Elton John's production company was working on a sci-fi adaptation Pride and Predator about an alien invasion at Longbourn.
Stephen Fry was also working on a modern adaptation in which he was to play Mr. Bennet. Nothing has been heard of this production since 2008.
List from Celebrating Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen's Masterpiece
I saw the shirt!!! It's enormously popular with both women and men to take "selfies" and "shirties." The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC has a wonderful exhibit documenting the 400 and 200 years of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen with lots of kitschy memorabilia.
I know they drew comparisons in You've got mail, but it's based on an old Jimmy Stewart movie called The shop around the corner, with the Judy Garland musical version in the middle... still a great film though.I've read Twilight, I'm going to have to think about that one!
Jane Austen
Books mentioned in this topic
Celebrating Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen's Masterpiece (other topics)Unleashing Mr. Darcy (other topics)
Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice (other topics)
Movies inspired by Jane Austen's P&P:
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies
Bride and Prejudice
and
Prejudice and Prejudice (series)
I've only seen P&P&Zombies and I thought it was not bad, however, I've asked many freinds what they thought of it, but they seemed to hate it. "It ruins the love story!" or "It's a disgrace to Jane Austen's."
Anyways, I really like Prejudice and Prejudice sooooooo if there are any other good movies inspired by P&P, please comment.
Sorry for the boring subject...