Three Film Interpretations of Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice”

by Peggy Sugarman

The fact that this great novel continues to be re-interpreted over the years is high tribute to this delightful look at life in late 18th century England; a time when marriage was considered the only honorable option for women of gentle birth. Jane Austin obviously saw great humor in the trials experienced by parents and young women as they plotted to insure a “good match” before the dreaded spinsterhood label could be employed. Jane Austen’s original title was “First Impressions”, an apt description of the dangers of judging others too quickly. Both the book and the different film versions take us through the ups and downs of this most common downfall.

The book is filled with delightful characters. The Bennet family consists of Mr. & Mrs. Bennet and their 5 unmarried daughters. The oldest daughter, Jane, is lovely, kind, loyal and deserving. Elizabeth, our heroine, is almost as pretty as Jane but more perverse, observant and outspoken. These two have a close bond. Mary, Kitty and Lydia are the younger three, with Lydia being the youngest and most clueless. She flings caution to the wind where men are concerned.

Lacking a male heir, Mr. Bennet’s meager estate will pass upon his death to a cousin, Mr. Collins, who is in turn determined to make amends by choosing one of the Bennet girls for a wife. This of course is received joyously by Mrs. Bennet, who with tepid IQ and a loud, embarrassing voice wants to preserve their home and so eagerly agrees.

Hopes soar out of control as Mr. Bingley, a handsome and eligible bachelor, moves into the neighborhood. A true gentle-man, he becomes the rightful property of one of the neighbor-hood girls and so the race for his affections begins. Accompanied by his two sisters and a wealthy, exceedingly handsome friend, Mr. Darcy, they descend into country life and are the talk of the village.

Mr. Darcy has nothing but haughty disdain for his new surroundings as he surveys the assemblage at the local ball. He rejects Elizabeth as “not handsome enough to tempt me” while Mr. Collins is in comical pursuit of her. Mr. Bingley, meanwhile, is taken with the beauty and charm of Miss Jane Bennet. These first scenes set the stage perfectly for what follows: Elizabeth’s ongoing collisions with Mr. Darcy as she shows her contempt for his pride, Jane’s growing love for Mr. Bingley thwarted by his friend’s warnings of her unsuitability, Mr. Collin’s failure with Elizabeth and surprise success with another, and Lydia’s near-disasterous downfall with the deceitful con artist, Mr. Wickham. Add to that the wealthy Lady Catherine de Bourgh, benefact-ress of Mr. Collins’ as well as Mr. Darcy’s aunt and the fun begins!

There are lots of film versions available for Austen-loving afficionados. A new one is in production as we speak starring little-known actors Kam Heskin as Elizabeth Bennet and Orlando Seale as Darcy. Stay tuned for this one. In the meantime, there is ample time to reconnect with one of the available versions, the most notable being: the 1940 movie starring Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson; the 1979 BBC mini-series starring Elizabeth Garvey and David Rintoul; or the 1995 epic version starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. All are terrific. Which one will suit you depends on your tolerance (as with many films, some liberties are taken that stray from the original text) and your personal take on how the characters should be portrayed. Anyone who loves the book will have definite views on who is the perfect Mr. Darcey.

The 1940 version is, of course, splendid. It would be hard to produce anything bad with Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson. Olivier is the epitome of haughty disdain, yet smolders with yearning as he slowly comes to admire Elizabeth. With only 117 minute run time, however, the story had to be shortened to such a degree as to compromise much of the fun, particularly Lady Catherine de Bourg’s response to the yet-unproven rumors of an impending engagement between Darcy and Elizabeth. In addition, it would be impossible to delve deeply enough into the individual personalities of the younger three sisters, Lydia in particular, in so short a time. The viewer must be content, therefore, in the chemistry between Olivier and Garson and the playful, comedic antics of Melville Cooper as Mr. Collins.

Despite the success of the 1995 version, my heart remains loyal to Cyril Coke’s 1979 drama that was aired on Masterpiece Theater in 5 episodes. It was, in fact, my first introduction to Jane Austen’s work. Because of this, Elizabeth Garvey (Elizabeth Bennet) and David Rintoul (Mr. Darcey) are the faces I see when I read (and re-read!) the novel. David Rintoul’s excep-tionally handsome visage and skill at portraying utter disdain for those around him make you love to hate him. It is therefore surprising when you begin, somewhere not defined, to root for him. I also appreciate the performances of Moray Watson and Priscilla Morgan as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Pricilla was more able to be annoying and dim without going overboard. Malcolm Rennie as Mr. Collins is the perfect, blithering, blustering, self-righteous boor described in the novel, while the great Judy Parfitt (co-starred with Kathy Bates in Dolores Claiborne) was magnificent as Lady Catherine. This version is generally acknowledged as being most true to the novel.

It took me awhile, therefore, to warm up to the 1995 version. With a run time of 327 minutes, many more details are explored which add to its advantage. Most notable is the portrayal of Mr. Darcy by Colin Firth. Unlike David Rintoul, he allows more emotion to show in his face – imperceptively, at first. It is a more passionate interpretation; he is more reachable. Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth was a strong counterpart, herself showing more emotion than that portrayed by the saucy Elizabeth Garvie. And David Bamber’s interpretation of Mr. Collins was absolutely hilarious! In fact, it is a tough call to determine which actor played a better Mr. Collins. Perhaps the character is so well-developed that any good comic actor could make it his own, but David Bamber deserves recognition for his ability to snivel, simper, and preach --simultaneously.

But it is Julia Sawalha (“Absolutely Fabulous”) as Lydia, who is responsible for pushing me over the line in favor of this epic. Her Lydia literally screams with youthful, naïve, unbridled sexuality and the film explores more deeply what other versions leave to your imagination.

So, you really can’t go wrong with any of these. If you have the time, you should see these chronologically and let me know what you think. That is, after you have read (or re-read) the book.

Peggy Sugarman has spent 25 years working in California's workers' compensation system, having served 8 years as the Chief Deputy Director of the state's regulatory agency. She holds a Master's degree in Counseling and is currently consulting for the California Applicants' Attorneys Associa-tion -- an organization of attorneys who represent workers and fights for legislation to help workers who are injured on the job. She occasionally writes for on-line publications and is working on her first novel. She and her husband and two daughters reside in Oakland, California.

You can email Peggy with movies you’d like to see reviewed at Psugarman@earthlink.net