Pride & Prejudice
Brief Description:
While the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.
(from IMDb—terrible blurb btw)
Date: 1995
Genre: British television period drama serial adaptation
Running time: 5 hours 45 minutes
Cast:
Jennifer Ehle: Elizabeth
Colin Firth: Darcy
Adrian Lukis: Wickham
Alison Steadman: Mrs. Bennet
Benjamin Whitrow: Mr. Bennet
David Bamber: Mr. Collins
Susannah Harker: Jane
Julia Sawalha: Lydia
Polly Maberly: Kitty
Lucy Briers: Mary
Crispin Bonham-Carter: Bingley
Lucy Scott: Charlotte
Anna Chancellor: Miss Bingley
Lucy Robinson: Mrs. Hurst
Barbara Leigh-Hunt: Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Anthony Calf: Colonel Fitzwilliam
Joanna David: Mrs. Gardiner
Tim Wylton: Mr. Gardiner
Emilia Fox: Georgiana
Bridget Turner: Mrs. Reynolds
David Bark-Jones: Denny
Lynn Farleigh: Mrs. Phillips
Lucy Davis: Maria Lucas
Christopher Benjamin: Sir William Lucas
Rupert Vansittart: Mr. Hurst
Marlene Sidaway: Hill
Paul Moriarty: Colonel Forster
Victoria Hamilton: Mrs. Forster
Director: Simon Langton
Production company: BBC
Based on: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
(adapted by Andrew Davies)
(watched on Tubi)
Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5
Y'all, the first thing I noticed in this adaptation was how beautiful it was! We all know what a huge fan I am of the beauty in “Pride & Prejudice” (2005). While this definitely didn't have the same grandiose feel, it was still lovely and—to be honest—much more accurate. I loved the Bennets' house and the gorgeous English countryside... Also, the costumes and hairstyling felt/looked very accurate too, though I can't speak much to that since I'm not anything like an expert when it comes to historically accurate clothes. 😆
Characters: 5/5
Ugh, the casting here was awesome. Elizabeth is perfect—PERFECT! I love how Kiera Knightley does Lizzie, but I think Jennifer Ehle captured her more as she probably was in Austen's mind. While I don't find him really handsome (sorry!) Firth has Darcy's attitude and atmosphere perfectly down. I like how he captured more of the pride than the 2005 film showed. Jane was perfection (and so gorgeous, my word. Jennifer Ehle and Susannah Harker are both so pretty). The Bennets, in short, were excellent, as were all the Bingleys and Hursts. Pretty much everyone here is awesome, except for Wickham, who is also not handsome enough; but he does have the attitude down well, though, so I accept it. Also, I enjoyed seeing the Fosters, to be honest.
Plot: 5/5
This show being double the length of the film, it obviously has room for a LOT more of the plot, and does a very good job, in my opinion. There are few bits that are tweaked, and not terribly much, either. The dialogue was also pretty accurate.
Romance: 5/5
While P&P isn't my favourite romance ever, I love the fact that every time I read or watch this story, I always forget when and how Darcy & Lizzy get together. Also, I love that in this show there is only one kiss—and that following their marriage 😉 There are a few scenes of Lydia & Wickham together in a one-bed hotel room in episodes 5 & 6, kinda snuggly, with Lydia in her nightclothes; by E6, however, they are married.
Theme/Message/Topics: 5/5
I felt like this movie makes a much bigger deal of Lydia's whole situation, and what a warning it is—also of how important marriage is.
Content: 3/5 (medium)
Frequent uses of "l*rd," "good G**," "d*m*," and "for G**'s sake." Many low-necked dresses, some worse than others. Drinking; a few scenes where people are drunk. A few scenes where the Bennet girls are in nightgowns, sometimes partly wrapped in shawls, sometimes in more low-necked/flimsy nightgowns, depending. In E1, there's a short scene where Darcy bathes (you never see more than his bare shoulders, but I skip it). In E2, there's a scene where Lydia runs around the upstairs of her house in her low-necked slip and meets Mr. Collins, who hides his face from her. In E3, there's a tiny scene where Wickham has a woman in underclothes on his knee; and Darcy goes swimming, traipsing around in a wet and clingy white shirt for a scene afterwards. In E6, the minister talks about how marriage is to "avoid fornication" and not to be entered in "to satisfy men's lusts."
Overall: 5/5
Overall, this is rather more accurate, which I really love, but I still enjoy the 2005 film and I would happily watch each back to back.
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