to opine that the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is not very good?

[ScribblyGum]

Watching it with dd1 (15) as evidence of what constitutes a great romantic story after sitting through the utter shite that is the Harry Styles fan fiction movie After.

I know P&P is lots of other stuff but I wanted to show her something that I believed was excellent telly.

Four episodes in and I’ve come to the terrible realisation that actually it’s really dated, boring, badly acted and all in all a bit crap.

Far, far too much dull mimsy dancing.

Colin Firth is hot but doesn’t bring much to the part apart from posh snooty emotionally constipated hotness.

Alison Steadman's acting is just silly.

The music is too loud. Are the costumes a bit crap too? Not sure, there’s some bloody weird turbans going on on Caroline Bingley's head.

God it’s so BORING. Neither of us can be arsed to finish it.

I bet the Keira Knightly version is better

@mrsmalcolmreynolds you think I haven't seen the extras?

Yep.

I was 20 when it was originally broadcast and swooned at wet shirt Darcy along with everyone else.

OK so it wasn’t meant to be binge watched but still, they could’ve have done it in four episodes and cut out 75% of the dreary dances.

@MindatWork YES to companion book trivia

Firth isn’t hot. He’s a trainspotter who left his jumper cords and anorak in the waiting room and had to borrow a suit from lost property.

Agreed -- I think he looks weak and a bit pudding-faced, and as Darcy he just looked bedraggled and embarrassed in the post-bathe scene. I've never seen him as a romantic lead.

I have a reasonable affection for the BBC mini-series, though it does look a bit staid now, and a lot of people are physically miscast. On the other hand, so was the Joe Wright film with Matthew 'Sullen' McFayden, Keira 'Gobby 21st Century Girl' Knightley, and Donald Sutherland's GIANT TEETH, which dominated the film as far as I was concerned. And while I liked the pre-1800 setting and the fact that they'd downgraded Longbourn a bit from usually being far too large and genteel, it wouldn't actually have had farm animals trekking mud into the house.

The Austen adaptation I think works best of recent years is still the Ang Lee/Emma Thompson, which manages to change the entire message of the novel purely via casting, but still work.

I also preferred the KK version. I thought the sisters were much more believable ages. I really liked Lydia and Kitty in particular, the scene where Lydia went away in the carriage with Wickham really brought it home how young she was to leave her family. I also thought Wickham was much more believable as someone both Lizzie and Lydia would fall for in the KK version. I preferred KK to JE but to be honest I would have rather had someone else altogether. I love CF as Mr Darcy.

YAVVVU. I didn't care for the KK version at all.
The BBC version will be the definitive one for a long time. Much of the dialogue was faithful to the original.

My only criticism is that they didn't include Mrs Bennet's long, confused speech towards the end of the book - when she finally found her voice - after she'd been told that Lizzie was going to marry Mr Darcy.

It's a true comedy classic - and anyone who thinks Mrs B wasn't supposed to be OTT should read it.

Ditto her long speech after Lydia's elopement, come to that.

I do wonder how many MNers who criticise have actually read the book. And it's Austen, not Austin!

I do like that in the Joe Wright one, the dances are properly boisterous country dances -- the ones in the BBC version are far too genteel and stately, though I realise it was in order to let the actors deliver dialogue.

I can’t find it but tragically can remember some...

1990s P&P FUN (?) FACT #1:
Jennifer Ehle got her hair cut into a pixie cut halfway through filming and the hair and makeup team had a nightmare with her wig for the rest of the shoot as they had nothing to attach it to

I have read the book but I prefer Mansfield Park

1990s P&P FUN (?) FACT #2:

Charlotte Lucas’ younger sister is played by Lucy Davis, aka Dawn in The Office. She originally auditioned for Lydia but didn’t have enough experience, but they liked her so much they found a part for her

(I bet I’m really blowing your minds here)

I also have the companion book. And I've watched all the behind the scenes type stuff etc on YouTube. I can't get enough of the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version. Carl Davis's music is perfection. Elizabeth is NOT a simperer so KK is completely miscast and MM looks like he has constipation most of the time. I used to like the Laurence Olivier/Greer Garson one but it is so far removed from the book as to be a completely different story. And I think someone mentioned liking the Fay Weldon abomination? I'm speechless

Great fun fact MindatWork. If I do watch the final episodes I'll be on wig watch.

Proper LOL at Donald Sutherland's GIANT TEETH.

I am also lolling at the teeth 🤣

Funnily enough whoever mentioned the guy who played Wickham in the BBC version, he is still ekeing out a living from it. He appears at the Jane Austen festival in Bath every year and even has a new stage production called ‘Being Mr Wickham’ 😂

YABU and are utterly deluded! The BBC 1995 adaptation sticks very closely to Jane Austen's original text, sometimes almost verbatim. The only bit they made up is the lake scene with Mr Darcy.

The Keira Knightly film version is dreadful and not at all true to the book.

Yes yes I know about Fay Weldon adaptation but it has the gorgeous David Rintoul as Darcy. No one other Darcy will ever be as good for me.

Actually while I hate it generally, I agree with whoever said that Kitty and Lydia are excellent in the KK version. I’ll give it that.

They come across as exactly the empty headed little idiots they are in the books. Kitty is a young Carey Mulligan, right?

Nice spot on Maria Lucas.

I thought it was the best thing since Brideshead Revisited. I still love it. It is decades old now and people have become used to faster paced shows but I thinks it’s terrific.

YABVU the BBC version is an absolute classic and a great adaptation of the book which I love.
The Keira Knightly film is awful, she is a terrible Lizzie, way too skinny and classically beautiful. Her Lizzie is really over the top, has a demented laugh and is just plain rude plus there is absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between her and Matthew Macfadyen whereas there is loads between Jennifer Ehle and Colin’s Firth.

OMG

You are so far beyond unreasonable!!!!

The BBC version is the best and always, ALWAYS will be!

Prawnofthepatriarchy director Joe Wright admitted he never read the book. Which is why it's such a stinking pile of shit. BBC adaptation is fab.

I watched this the other day and yes it has dated. I adored it at the time and still love it and the feeling it gives me but some of the acting jarred a bit.

I like to watch the film version as a quick fix but KK was seriously miscast I thought Charlotte was well played in the film, it tackled the position of women of her age during that time that I never quite got when I was teen first reading the book or when a little older watching bbc version.

It's a true comedy classic - and anyone who thinks Mrs B wasn't supposed to be OTT should read it.

👍🏻

Omg so depressed by the people preferring the kk version. 1) Mrs Bennett is supposed to be over the top, that's the whole point 2) Lizzie Bennett is not supposed to be a stunner... have you guys read the book???