to think that the classic Pride and Prejudice costume drama with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle is actually...um...CRAP?

[GetOrfMo1Land]

When it came out in 1995 I was addicted as anybody.

But - 16 years later it is very dated and a bit naffola, really.

Really dozy acting in some bits, and all typical twee BBC costume drama. Someone says something mildly shocking and you have the 5-way reaction shots of everyone in the room.

And the but where it goes all misty when Darcy is reading out his letter to Elizabeth is cringingly silly.

It's a bit rubbish really, or at best very of its time.

Clever Princess Di theory of casting. When P&P finished it's original run, "This Life" replaced it. The Anna character in that was another tall, wonky nosed, somewhat mad and misunderstood character. I remember a big spread in the Guardian at the time comparing the "Anna" phenomenon with Princess Di worship.

And Trevor Eve's daughter can play the beautiful Jane. What's her name again? She was in The Rotters' Club and a few other things, and she's very good.

Hope that was to Edina Missy and not to CP. I won't have a word said against the Captain

And if we are recasting S&S too, then Jason Isaacs could take the Rickman role. Or Ciaran Hinds' in Persuasion.

at the disturbance in the MN Force!

Ralph Fiennes is the only real person who could approach Mr Darcy in my head.

Really like your thinking Balloonslayer, only thing I would say though (sorry to be a party pooper) is that I remember saying with my friends at the time that she was not more attractive than Elizabeth, it wqs a common feeling even in 1995 (in my circles anyhow) so I'm not sure whether Jane's attractiveness issue can be put down to changes in what's considered attractive over the years.

The annoying fact is, that because Lizzie is the lead woman, TV (unlike Austen) demands that she be beautiful (and not cast into the shade by Jane's beauty). So that might have made it hard to cast a stunnning Jane?

YANBU. I HATE the BBC one. Alison Steadman is shit, Firth looks like a pudding and Jennifer E is all dimply and silly looking. I do like Mr Collins in it though.

I adore the Kiera Knightley version because of the quiet simmering of Matthew whatshisname; plus I am one of the few people on here to actually like Kiera K, I think.

I think the original casting of whatserface as Jane was to maybe appeal to the regency ideal of beauty, rather than the modern. Ehle was definitely prettier by modern standards, but in the regency period the ideal woman would be fair with fair skin. Remember Mr Bingham's sisters criticising Lizzy for being brown?

Do you live in some weird reverse world Remus?

I like KK, and all the actors in the last 2005 film. I just don't like the characterisation. Wrong actors, wrong parts, IMO. Nothing to do with the quality of the actors, I just don't like their take on it, it doesn't come across as genuine to the book or the period of history in which it is set.

Bloody hate Gywnneth Paltrow's Emma. She even makes Jennifer E look good. It is an appalling film from start to finish.

Even worse was the TV one of Sense And Sensibility with that ugly little Marianne and even uglier little Willoughby.

Matthew McFaddeyn (sp?) is very unattractive, imo. He acts like someone's farted and he's trying to be polite about it.

Hocus - so it would appear but mostly I can live with that. And in the matter of the BBC P&P, I am right and everybody else is bonkers! :)

Yy, Ewan McGregor was woeful as Frank Churchill.

Sad times when CF in P&P is labelled a "pudding".

I quite like matthew mcF, but perhaps not as darcy.

For you, Dozer,

Getorfmo1land
Im shocked

YABVU it was fabtastic , worth watching for Mr Darcy's wet trousers alone !!

I think Rob James Collier would make a good Mr. Darcy.

Oh dear.

I am sorry - I seem to have offended all my favourite mumsnetters

I am going to have to namechange or leave mumsnet forever.

There you go

I didn't mean that the BBC version was outdated in the storytelling btw, just the production values are dated.

Also, I am tall, blonde with a long nose. So I look completely old fashioned and past it, and my heyday was in the 90s