Overview
(may include
SPOILERS)
Pride and Prejudice is a humorous story of love and life among English gentility during the Georgian era.
Mr. Bennet is an english gentleman living in Hartfordshire with his overbearing wife.
The Bennets 5 daughters; the beautiful Jane, the clever Elizabeth, the bookish Mary,
the immature Kitty and the wild Lydia. Unfortunately for the Bennets, if Mr. Bennet dies their house
will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and
security is dependant on the daughters making good marriages. Life is uneventful until the arrival in the
neighbourhood of the rich gentleman Mr. Bingley, who rents a large house so he can spend the summer in the country.
Mr. Bingley brings with him his sister and the dashing (and richer) but proud Mr. Darcy. Love is soon in the air for one
of the Bennet sisters, while another may have jumped to a hasty prejudgment. For the Bennet sisters many trials and
tribulations stand between them and their happiness, including class, gossip and scandal.
Cast/Crew Overview
Directed by...Joe Wright
Writing credits...Jane Austen (novel), Deborah Moggach (screenplay), Emma Thompson additional dialogue (uncredited)
* Keira Knightley as Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bennet
* Matthew Macfadyen as Fitzwilliam Darcy
* Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet
* Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet
* Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet
* Jena Malone as Lydia Bennet
* Carey Mulligan as Catherine "Kitty" Bennet
* Talulah Riley as Mary Bennet
* Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh
* Simon Woods as Charles Bingley
* Kelly Reilly as Caroline Bingley
* Claudie Blakley as Charlotte Lucas
* Rupert Friend as Mr. Wickham
* Tom Hollander as Mr. Collins
* Penelope Wilton as Mrs. Gardiner
* Peter Wight as Mr. Gardiner
* Tamzin Merchant as Georgiana Darcy
differences (film, book, releases)
book
Most works of literature undergo significant cuts when adapted for film; in this production,
the story was compressed into 2 hours and 9 minutes of screen time. Some of the most notable changes
from the original book include:
* Heavy time compression of several major sequences, including Elizabeth’s visit to Rosings Park
and Hunsford Parsonage, Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley, and Lydia’s elopement and its subsequent crisis.
* The elimination of several supporting characters, including Louisa Hurst, Mr. Hurst, Maria Lucas, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips,
the Gardiners' children, and various military officers and townspeople.
* The elimination of several sections in which characters reflect or converse on events that have
recently occurred - for example, Elizabeth's chapter-long change of mind after reading Darcy's letter.
* In the subtitles of the DVD, Elizabeth's nickname is "Lizzie". In the book, it is "Lizzy".
* In the subtitles of the DVD, Lady Catherine's name is "Lady Catherine de Bourg". In the book, it is "Lady
Catherine de Bourgh".
The filmmakers changed several scenes to more romantic locales than the ones in the book.
For instance, in the film, Darcy first proposes outdoors in a rainstorm near a beautiful lake;
in the book, this scene takes place inside a parsonage. In the film, his second proposal occurs on the
misty moors as dawn breaks; in the book, he and Elizabeth are walking down a country lane in broad daylight.
other film adaptations
Director Joe Wright was the only P&P director to use complex, sweeping tracking shots that last several minutes,
travel through multiple rooms, and highlight the different activities of many people. This technique creates
a strong feeling of exploring an entire area in one shot.
This was the first adaption to cast a leading actress who was Elizabeth’s age, 20.
release versions
The American release version included a final scene (not in the novel)
of the married Darcys enjoying a romantic evening at Pemberley.
This ending did not test well with British audiences, so it was cut for UK and international release.
The British version ends with Mr. Bennet's blessing upon Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's union,
thus circumventing the last chapter in the novel, which summarizes the lives of the
Darcys and the other main characters over the next several years. In theaters, the British version
also included a brief scene showing the Darcys and the Bingleys emerging from a small church and
entering a carriage after their double wedding.
links
Pride & Prejudice @ IMDB
Wiki Page
Official Site
Pride & Prejudice Fansite
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