A 1980 adaptation fan video set to Chopin

This romantic video makes the 1980 version look quite cinematic, with lots of lingering looks, smiles and of course stiff upper-lips from David Rintoul.

Pride & Prejudice – Harry Potter Style

A very cleverly edited Pride and Prejudice trailer using video footage of Harry Potter.

Pride and Prejudice – She’s Like The Wind

We have featured this video already on this site, but in view of Patrick Swayze’s tragic passing it seems right to remember once again at his most awesome. Here is Pride and Prejudice 2005 set to Swayze’s ‘She’s Like the Wind’ from Dirty Dancing.

Pride and Prejudice Trailer Spoof

I don’t want to write too much about this for fear of spoiling the quite horrible surprise! This is my personal favorite…

Lost In Austen- Amanda & Darcy- She’s A Lady

So Miss Amanda Price of Hammersmith might have had Jane Austen spinning in her grave ‘like a cat in a tumble-dryer,’ but she still won the heart of Mr Darcy in Lost in Austen with her radical manners and quirky modern ways. Here is Lost in Austen set to Tom Jones’ ‘She’s a Lady.’

So there we have it. Delightfully absurd and quite absurdly delightful. Once again, please let us know about your favorites too. Also, please don’t forget to check out Mitchell and Webb’s Disco Darcy sketch, entirely unrivaled in its ridiculousnesses, for a guaranteed giggle.

We start after Lady Catherine de Bourgh has warned Lizzy at Longbourn about rumors of her engagement to Mr Darcy, and taken her leave. In this version, the outdoor scene in which Mr Darcy and Elizabeth expresses their love for each other does not take place during a pleasant stroll to Meryton, but rather as Lizzy walks through the misty grounds of Longbourn at dawn. Mr Darcy, her partner in love and insomnia, joins her.

Mr Darcy appears through the mist and walks towards Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH:
I couldn’t sleep.

DARCY:
Nor I. My aunt…

ELIZABETH:
Yes, she was here.

DARCY:
How can I ever make amends for such behavior?

ELIZABETH:
After what you have done for Lydia, and I suspect for Jane also, it is I who should be making amends.

DARCY:
You must know. Surely you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night and this taught me to hope, as I’d scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April then tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed. But one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I would have to tell you, you have bewitched me, body and soul. And I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

Elizabeth kisses his hand.

ELIZABETH:
Well, then. Your hands are cold.

They embrace, with their faces touching and the sun rising behind them.

Elizabeth is pacing impatiently outside her father’s library. She smiles to herself. Mr Darcy opens the door. Elizabeth rushes into the room.

MR BENNET (OFF-SCREEN):
Shut the door please, Elizabeth.

As the door closes, Elizabeth and Darcy watch each other intently.

MR BENNET:
Lizzy, are you out of your senses? I thought you hated the man!

ELIZABETH:
No, Papa.

MR BENNET:
He is rich, to be sure. You will have more fine carriages than Jane. But will that make you happy?

ELIZABETH:
Have you no other objection than your belief in my indifference?

MR BENNET:
None at all. We all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort of fellow, but this would be nothing if you really liked him.

ELIZABETH:
I do like him. I love him. He’s not proud. I was wrong. I was entirely wrong about him. You don’t know, Papa, if I told you what he was really like, what he’s done…

MR BENNET:
What has he done?

Mr Darcy is sitting outside Longbourn with the animals, as Mrs Bennet and Jane look on from behind a window. Darcy stands and begins pacing up and down.

MRS BENNET:
But she doesn’t like him. I thought she didn’t like him.

JANE:
So did I. So did we all. We must have been wrong.

MRS BENNET:
It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?

JANE:
No.

Elizabeth and Mr Bennet are still together. Mr Bennet has heard of Darcy’s involvement in the marriage of Lydia and Mr Wickham.

MR BENNET:
Good Lord! I must pay him back.

ELIZABETH:
No, you mustn’t tell anyone. He wouldn’t want it. We misjudged him, Papa, me more than anyone – in every way, not just in this matter. I’ve been nonsensical. He’s been a fool, about Jane, about so many other things, but then so have I. You see, he and I are… he and I are so similar. We’re both so stubborn. Papa…

Mr Bennet, along with Lizzy, is starting to cry.

MR BENNET:
(Laughs) You really do love him, don’t you.

ELIZABETH:
Very much.

MR BENNET:
I cannot believe that anyone can deserve you, but it seems I am overruled. So, I heartily give my consent.

They hug.

MR BENNET:
I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy.

Elizabeth leaves.

MR BENNET:
If any young men come for Mary or Kitty then for Heaven’s sake send them in. I am quite at my leisure.

So ends the non-American version of Pride and Prejudice. This is the final scene of the US edition, also available as an alternate ending in international editions of the DVD.

We see Pemberley, reflected in the lake at night. Mr Darcy sits down next to Elizabeth.

MR DARCY:
How are you this evening, my dear?

ELIZABETH:
Very well. Only, I wish you would not call me ‘my dear.’

MR DARCY:
Why?

ELIZABETH:
‘Cause it’s what my father always calls my mother when he’s cross about something.

MR DARCY:
What endearments am I allowed?

ELIZABETH:
Well, let me think. ‘Lizzy’ for every day. ‘My pearl’ for Sundays, and ‘Goddess Divine,’ but only on very special occasions.

MR DARCY:
And what shall I call you when I’m cross? Mrs Darcy?

ELIZABETH:
No. No. You may only call me ‘Mrs Darcy’ when you are completely, perfectly and incandescently happy.

MR DARCY:
But how are you this evening, Mrs Darcy? Mrs Darcy. Mrs Darcy. Mrs Darcy.

He kisses her between each ‘Mrs Darcy.’ FADE OUT as their lips meet.

So, what do you feel about these endings? I have to admit to being glad that my DVD stops before the final scene of the US edition. It’s just too overdone for my taste, and very different from the tone of the book. However, I do love the conversation between Elizabeth and Mr Bennet, as Lizzy expresses her love for Darcy and Mr Bennet feels such immense happiness and relief for his daughter.

Please let me know how you feel about both of these endings. Which is your favorite? Do you prefer these final scenes to those of the 1980 or 1995 adaptations? Which captures the ending of the book most faithfully?

Here are My Pride and Prejudice’s all time top 10 pictures of the beautiful, kind and good-natured Jane Bennet.In no particular order and from all the major screen and TV adaptations we have Rosamund Pike (2005), Susannah Harker (1995), Sabina Franklyn (1980), Maureen O’Sullivan(1940) and Morven Christie (lost in Austen).

Dario Marianelli’s Oscar nominated score for the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie contributed so much to its sensuality and sweeping grandeur. While Carl Davis’ music for the BBC adaptation was all about keeping things small scale and relatively simple appropriate for the series’ style, Marianelli followed the movie’s more ambitious lead. The soundtrack is therefore not so much for dinner party background music, but more for telling your guests to shut-up while you turn your stereo to maximum volume and insist that everyone wait in silence for the best bits.

The Meryton Ball set to the lively 'Meryton Town Hall'

The piano, played on the soundtrack by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, is ‘the heart of the score,’ as Marianelli puts it, but unlike the 1995 soundtrack this one was produced with a full orchestra, which fits perfectly with the film’s contrasting style. By using the English Chamber Orchestra for the more epic pieces and writing songs that enhance the earthy, free-spirited scenes, Marianelli’s soundtrack is just perfect for this romantic and rustic adaptation.

Lizzy running in the rain during 'Darcy's letter'.

Not all the songs have this kind of epic quality,  but it’s the range in styles that really grips when listening to the soundtrack. ‘Meryton Townhall’ for example, used for the first ball scene is a lively little tune that invokes the homely small-town feel of the gathering. ‘Darcy’s Letter,’ used for the famous ‘rain scene’ is wildly absorbing, while ‘The Living Sculptures of Pemberly (sic)’ is a cooler, more ponderous affair. ‘Liz on top of the world’ lifts the spirits and perfectly conjours a sunny but wind swept day in the wild Peaks.  ’Your hands are cold’ is the song that unites Lizzy and Darcy at the end of the movie and is a perfect blend of all the refrains from the soundtrack.

Elizabeth Bennet striding a cliff to the stiring 'Liz on top of the world'.

Marianelli is a seasoned composer for Hollywood, having composed over 20 soundtrack scores before Pride and Prejudice. Since 2005, however, he has been involved in larger movies like The Brothers Grimm, V for Vendetta and most notably Atonement, for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Score. He was nominated for the same category for Pride and Prejudice, and did win a European Film Award for Best Composer and a World Soundtrack Award for the 2005 movie.

Mr Darcy and Elizabeth spy each other through the mist to 'Your hands are cold'.

In the sleeve notes, Joe Wright and producer Paul Webster explain that Marianelli was approached to write the score long before filming started, whereas the norm is for composers to have just a few weeks’ notice. Perhaps this explains why the CD has the feel of a complete album, written for its own sake, rather than as part of a Hollywood movie. Listening to this soundtrack is an adventure and a real emotional and immersive experience – perfect for any romantic fantasy…

1. Dawn (2.43)
2. Stars and Butterflies (2.07)
3. The Living Sculptures of Pemberly (sic) (3.10)
4. Meryton Townhall (1.19)
5. The Militia Marches In (1.00)
6. Georgiana (1.42)
7. Arrival at Netherfield (1.44)
8. Postcard to Henry Purcell (2.45)
9. Liz on Top of the World (1.30)
10. Leaving Netherfield (1.49)
11. Another Dance (1.21)
12. The Secret Life of Daydreams (2.09)
13. Darcy’s Letter (4.05)
14. Can’t Slow Down (1.15)
15. Your Hands are Cold (5.28)
16. Mrs Darcy (3.50)
17. Credits (4.54)

Your uplifted and rather emotional friend,

Lizzy

A sensual and earthy Elizabeth

Keira Knightley has an unrivaled ability (for an actor, anyway) to polarize opinion. She is the marmite of the movie industry. While her fans are of course everywhere, I always seem to be bumping into people who can’t stand her, or stumbling onto critical forum posts about Ms Knightley that reflect a toxic mixture of spite, rage and usually a seeming inability to TURN CAPS LOCK OFF. Meanwhile, tabloid newspapers in the UK mercilessly maul her for her thinness, peddling rumors of eating disorders and doctoring images of her in swim wear to make her appear like the bride of skeletor.

Critics, however, rightly gushed over her performance in Pride and Prejudice 2005, likening her in several cases to Audrey Hepburn. A reviewer in the Washington Post put it most strikingly, even appealing to the heavens in his review:

Lord God, can she take control of a scene, dominate a movie, project to the last seat, radiate power and personality unto the rafters. It’s a great performance. I love the way Knightley’s eyes light with furious intelligence when she cuts the pompous Darcy a new something or other.

Keira Knightley's fiesty and cutting Elizabeth

Director Joe Wright was also unsurprisingly forthcoming in his praise of Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth, although in more earthly terms, explaining that he wasn’t looking for someone like her at first:

I originally hadn’t considered someone as beautiful as Keira. I was looking for someone who didn’t fit the normal feminine conventions, and was bright and slightly difficult. I figured Lizzie Bennet would be quite difficult to live with; she’s tough-minded and questions everything all the time.

Wright thinks of Elizabeth as something of a tomboy, which gels nicely with Andrew Davies’ description of Elizabeth’s character. According to the director, she also possesses a certain ‘originality of thought,’ which is so essential to the role of Elizabeth.

Knightley said that being offered the role was ‘every girls’ dream,’ but unsurprisingly found it a little daunting:

…it is scary, because when you read Pride and Prejudice, you feel like you own her; I know I did, and I’m sure everybody feels the same way and that they’ll have a very clear idea of who Elizabeth Bennet is.

Keira's spirited and youthful Lizzy

Elizabeth Bennet herself shared Keira Knightley’s ability to arouse bewildering levels of anger and disapproval in others, so even in this she makes a good choice for the role. Elizabeth’s independent mind, her tomboyishness – and perhaps also her comfort in the company of men – alienated her mother, offended Lady Catherine de Bourgh and caused immense jealousy in Caroline Bingley. I wonder how Elizabeth would have been treated had the Internet existed back in the Regency era?

I think Keira Knightley made an excellent and compelling Elizabeth Bennet. Other performers have shared her intelligence and spirit, but it was nice to see someone of the right age in the role giving Elizabeth a  touch of youthful naivety that is not so evident in other adaptations. Am I alone in thinking that she gets an unfairly hard time from the public, the press and blogosphere?

Jane Austen wrote nothing about the hair color of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice (although she does have dark eyes), and was similarly silent about Darcy’s, Jane’s and Bingley’s barnetts, so where does this certainty come from?

A decidedly dark Elizabeth Bennet

Casting directors have seen it differently in the past. In the 1940 adaptation, Greer Garson’s Elizabeth has blonde hair, while Jane Bennet (Maureen O’ Sullivan) is a brunette. Also, in the 1980 series, Elizabeth Garvie has light brown hair and, again Jane’s (Sabina Franklin) hair is dark. However, from the 1995 BBC production the hair color has been fixed, as is evident in the 2005 movie and in the TV spin-off Lost in Austen.

Hair color is of course richly symbolic within our culture; blonde shades, like the color white, signify sexual and moral purity. Jane Bennet, for this reason, could never join the Pink Ladies. Also, blondeness – unfortunately for some (including me!) – still hasn’t lost its association with dumbness in our culture. Perhaps binding these together is our association of blondeness with childhood, puberty being the time when hair thickens and becomes darker.

Three Blonde Moments - A most definitely blonde Jane Bennet

Dark hair and features are of course more readily identified with moodiness, mystery and danger. It’s obvious, therefore, why it suits Elizabeth and Darcy’s fiery courtship. Perhaps it’s also considered more masculine. Andrew Davies did describe Elizabeth as something of a tomboy, because of her love of country walks, her very ‘unladylike’ habit of arguing with her superiors, and her willingness to get muddy. He said he thought it might be Jane Austen’s code for saying Elizabeth had lots of sexual energy (there he goes again!)

Tall, dark and handsome Mr Darcy

Dark hair is also symbolic of the generally more complex world of the adult. Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship is contradictory and complicated from the start. They both struggle to contain their emotions. Bingley and Jane’s relationship is far simpler. Theirs is such an innocent courtship that it’s hard to see it as adult at all. Bingley is indecisive and Jane is shy. Both are, of course, childlike traits.

The blonde and boyish Mr Bingley

In fact, it doesn’t take a major stretch of the imagination to see the relationships of Elizabeth and Jane, and Darcy and Bingley, as both containing Parent-Child elements. Elizabeth is both awed and saddened by the naivety of Jane’s worldview. She is like a parent with no way to protect her daughter from the cruelty of the adult world. Likewise, it’s only when Darcy ‘pretty much’ gives his permission for Bingley to marry Jane, that the former finally proposes. His words, therefore, must have carried greater authority than those of a typical friend. Moreover, despite trespassing on his younger friend’s hospitality at Netherfield, he speaks to Bingley with an abruptness that few friends would tolerate.

I’m sure there could be other reasons for the automatic way in which most of us associate Elizabeth and Darcy with dark hair and Jane and Bingley with blondeness, but these are what occurred to me. Did I miss any other hints in the book as to their appearance, or have we just filled in the gaps with our own cultural associations?

Lizzy