Watching Pride & Prejudice for the 4865 time

[IsTheRainEverComingBack]

The proper Andrew Davies version, of course,

And yet again wishing I lived in a world that spoke like this, where manners where like this, where balls were given by respectable people. Where people read of an evening, turned about the room, called in on one another. Even the visiting for months at a time. I like cake and gossip and I have boobs that would work well in a tight empire line. I can’t be alone in this?

(Yes I know medical care was minimal, everyone died in childbirth and women had little to no power in life, but let me have my fantasy)

My people.
I think I qualify to be on this thread as I may have spent a few days in the hottest week of 2017 perfecting and baking 120 Jane Austen heads in gingerbread.

Yes you can get JA and Mr D head cookie cutters!

We went to Stoneleigh Abbey over the summer for a day out with the DC and accidentally joined the Jane Austen tour - I'd all but forgotten my love of Pride and Prejudice til then, came home and made the DC watch it with me. All 6 hours in one day. They then spent the following day shouting "other way, Mr Collins" and "oh my poor nerves" whilst jousting and pretending the trampoline was Pemberley. Poor children.

And only Thursday, emailed at 2am my JA obsessive friend details of Regency hairstyles and the new exhibition Persuasion and War in Chawton.

We are both friends of the president of the JA society of Melbourne. She has created a JA themed game that has been marketed

Our claim to fame is a paper on the role of the pineapple in Regency times - all based on a line from JA.

Given all of this Pride and Prejudice is my absolute favourite JA work. Revisit the book and the DVD regularly.

I have been in hosp with my 4 yr old for most of the summer hols which was particularly grim as all summer hols and lovely plans cancelled.
My lovely 18 yr old daughter came to visit most days at teatime and brought dvds and films for us to watch and the highlight was a week of P and P one episode per day. She loves it as well and i think Jennifer Ehle is amazing as Lizzie. What an actress ! And we akways laugh at Alison Steadmans ott portrayal of Mrs B .
It made things bearable .

YADBU! I love P&P and this adaptation of it but it would have been an awful time to live! Sooo boring, nothing to do but embroider and play the piano, and you couldn't escape from your parents (if female) until some man that you could just about tolerate made an offer for you. And then you had to marry them having only met them a few times, so total gamble as to whether you'd really get on or not. And if they were abusive and horrible, tough luck.

As a woman, you could hardly do anything by yourself or have any hobbies or interests or education beyond dull female activities. And, as mentioned above, the houses were freezing, childbirth (and getting a cold, etc) was very dangerous, you had a very limited number of people you could be friends with.

If you're like the Bennets and don't have brothers and won't inherit very much you have to make decisions about who to marry knowing that if you don't marry you will live in penury (see Miss Bates in Emma). Plus, empire line dresses do not flatter my figure at all!

And that's just for the very privileged! If you're not wealthy, it's more or less non-stop slaving.

So ... YANBU to love it and immerse yourself in it, but YABU to want to live it. Imagine how much Lizzie would have loved the 21st century!

"A difficult choice lies before you Lizzie. From this day forth you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never speak to you again if you do not marry Mr Collins. And I shall never speak to you if you do."

This makes me think of my mum. When this was on I was living in my own little flat and every Sunday night I would stay at my mum and dads and mum and I would sit on the sofa with tea and biscuits and watch this. She absolutely loved it. Such a simple, happy memory for me to think of now that she's no longer here.

Think I'll be watching this again this weekend

Dd has finally stopped pretending she hates it! Although she insists it’s a mere appreciation of Colin Firth emerging from the lake.

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

Swoon.....

But then what comes next spoils that a bit 😕

It’s such perfect viewing for a rainy dull duvet day

Bizarrely, much as I love the Firth /Ehle version, I've always disliked the Darcy Goes for a Swim bit. It just seems so out of place.

I think it must be autumn coming - I too feel in a JA mood.

When I am old I fully intend to go the full Lady Catherine and when my children bring home friends I dont like, I will bellow at them “YOU ARE VERY DULL TONIGHT, MISS BENNETT” substituting the name of the unfortunate obviously!!

I remember when this was first on the TV. I watched it because I love the book (I also loved the earlier BBC series which was in the early/mid 80s). DH was also in the room and a bit sneery. He continued to be a bit sneery while pretending not to watch it, but then got a bit anxious on the evening of the last episode because it was about to start and I hadn't switched the TV on yet.

I'm also very fond of the proposal scene in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies where they do the whole dialogue while Lizzy is kicking seven shades of shit out of him. So romantic.

I'm watching the series for the first time. I don't know how I missed it the first time around!

Totally with you OP on the style of living though - so gracious. Yes yes I know that a woman’s life (in reality) was utterly terrible, no decent healthcare either and blah blah but would just love for society to re-capture a little bit of those old fashioned elements of honour, respect and chivalry. Decorum is such a dirty word now.

I love the bit in Persuasion (Rupert P-J smouldering away) when he realises that he has given the wrong impression to the young girl and must now consider himself honour-bound to her!! Can you imagine that happening today?!! Just because some girl fancies him!! Now men ditch wives and children with nary a backwards glance let alone some twit who feels a bit led-on.

Only honourable men, Cora. Mr Wickham is not troubled by such scruples.

This is the P&P&Z He wasn't a great Darcy tbh, perhaps they couldn't find someone who could do properly posh and arrogant but could also fight.

"Imagine how much Lizzie would have loved the 21st century!"

See Lost in Austen which was on a few years ago - great fun.

Loved Jennifer Ehle, also Susannah Harker. And of course Anna Chancellor. And.....so many, including those already mentioned below. And Aunt Gardiner!

"And then the satisfaction of prevailing upon one of the most worthless young men in Britain to marry my daughter might rest in it's proper place."

i watched the last couple of hours of this when i had a moment, must watch from the start

and its on NETFLIX

I watch it over and over again too. It's definitely the best version by far.

13yo dd now loves it as much as I do. We can both recite pretty much the whole thing. DD does a mean impression of Lady Catherine. And of Mr Collins!

i watched it back in 1997? or something, whenever it was being repeated, Enthralled I was, i remember specifically, it was on sunday evenings and my bil rung, i was incensed and probably ignored his call

Ahhhhhhh my favourite ever 😍