AIBU - Pride & Prejudice.

[2020iscancelled]

A much beloved book
A fantastic BBC adaptation mini series

Then the horror of THAT awful, awful Keira Knightly film.

I knew it was bad but I rewatched it recently and it is just terrible.

I will concede the film itself is fine, the locations beautiful and no issues with the acting per se. But it is so far away from the real P&P it’s actually criminal.

So AIBU?

YABU - it’s wonderful and sums up the story to perfection.

YANBU - it’s an abomination

I’m not a fan of period drama all those heaving bosoms etc
But they’re very popular

Just jumping in to recommend the Bollywood version of this, 'Bride and Predjudice'. It's absolutely amazing!

Just jumping in to recommend the Bollywood version of this, 'Bride and Predjudice'. It's absolutely amazing!

Yes, different take on it, but I enjoyed that too. I'm a bit of a sucker for a good Bollywood film though!

They're mostly so badly miscast! KK makes Lizzie all simpering and silly. I hate hate HATE Mr Bennet and his gleaming teeth and his giggling ooh so you really love him? heehee! just... argh.

Charlotte is ok, and Lydia is ok, and um... yeah Tom Hollander is ok, but he's not anywhere near as sleazy as David Bamber. I quite liked the Bingley, but who needs another Bingley when the BBC one was so perfect?

The ONLY positive that I remember enjoying was the scene where the seasons changed while she spun round on the swing - that worked well and was clever filming. Also the scene with Darcy walking through the mist LOOKED pretty.

One million percent agree with Bride and Prejudice! It's wonderful, and they totally get the characters right. It works so well. I bloody love the Caroline Bingley character in that.

I saw the film adaptation in the cinema when it first came out. Two hours of my life I’ll never get back. Terrible. Everything is so perfect in the BBC version that nothing will ever compare.

Keira Knightley ruins anything - I can't get past her huge jaw!

How to be a bitch in 10 words or less.

That should be 'words or fewer', not less, they're countable.

This goes back to what a poster said on page 2, I think.
To my mind, there IS a definitive version of Persuasion, with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, plus a fabulous supporting cast, including Harriet Walter, Fiona Shaw, Corin Redgrave and the late lamented Susan Fleetwood....
I'm not alone in this view drama.uktv.co.uk/persuasion/article/4-reasons-you-should-make-time-persuasion/

In the BBC drama I thought Jennifer Ehle was good and genuinely old-fashionedly pretty - and FWIW her figure type was quite admired in Regency times; Colin Firth was also lovely to look at and was in a part that suited him. Otherwise, I thought Bingley and his sisters (all important in the plot/moral landscape) were effective. Mr Collins was quite brilliant.

This book could really do with a decent, new adaptation. The BBC one was better than the woeful film but there was some dire acting and miscast parts in that one too. The absolute stand out roles were the brilliant performances by David Bamber as Collins and Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Lady Catherine: far superior and more formidable in that role than Judi Dench could ever hope to be IMO.

Georgiana is also supposed to be gauche ...

I've just read The Other Bennett Sister, it's an easy, pleasant read, imagines Mary's future life. If you want the gruesome side of life the Longbourne is worth a read too.

@JaneJeffer

no chemistry between the lead actors Well that's unfortunate as they were an item at the time

Bollocks.

He'd just married Keeley Hawes, his co-star from Spooks.

The thing that pissed me off is how they butchered the dialogue for the sake of it. Obviously a feature length movie is not going to be able to do justice to the book in the same way as a six part adaptation, so a direct like-for-like comparison isn't really fair. But they made changes that simply weren't necessary - Austen's original wording was often no longer but infinitely better.

Judi Dench seems to make a thing of playing well-known roles differently, I recall her in The Importance of Being Ernest as Lady Bracknall, whereas most refer to 'a hannnnnnnnnndbbaaaaaaaaaaaaag' she very quiety said 'a handbag' and for some reason was far more effective.

I don't know why they insist on casting KK in anything with a bodice, she has a very modern (20/21 Century) figure.

That is absolute bloody rubbish.

I agree, the movie was terrible but I do think that Brenda Blethyn and Rosamund Pike were a better Mrs Bennett and Jane. Alison Steadman was too OTT in the TV version, almost like a caricature of Mrs Bennett and the girl that played Jane was a bit dull and ordinary.

@hansgrueber

Judi Dench seems to make a thing of playing well-known roles differently, I recall her in The Importance of Being Ernest as Lady Bracknall, whereas most refer to 'a hannnnnnnnnndbbaaaaaaaaaaaaag' she very quiety said 'a handbag' and for some reason was far more effective.

God I love this film. So clever it never gets old

Spider I think the previous poster was referring to the well-publicised relationship between Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

The very worst adaptation was the Jennifer Ehle & Colin Firth. Toe--curlingly, curtain-chewingly awful.

@Minibea

YADNBU! I despise how the Bennett family are practically portrayed as peasants with farm animals literally outside their doors and Keira Knightley’s hair is far too scruffy. It makes me irrationally angry

Yet I recall when the film came out the critics praised a more realistic depiction of the Bennetts, never really understood that.

@Mrgrinch

Just jumping in to recommend the Bollywood version of this, 'Bride and Predjudice'. It's absolutely amazing!

Yes it's a fab feel good film but the main character has literally been voted the most beautiful woman in the world 🤣 definately not tolerably handsome ha

@FadedRed

Loved it. The BBC Colin Firth one is excruciatingly slow, tedious and unconvincing. But I realise that is a minority opinion on MN so I’ll get my coat....

Me too.

Matthew Macfadyen was wonderfully emotionally true as a shy and buttoned up young man with too fine a sense of his own position. Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, Tom Hollander, Brenda Blethyn, Laudie Blakley and Donald Sutherland all elevated their characters

Andrew Davis ruined the BBC P&P by having our beloved Darcy plunging into the water. Yes, it was great tabloid fodder and great optics, but Darcy would never, ever have done it.

Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, Tom Hollander, Brenda Blethyn, Claudie Blakley and Donald Sutherland all elevated their characters above the BBC production., And Judi Dench is superb.

Susannah Harker was a lovely Jane. Hardly a girl though.

I found AS OTT too.

Unpopular opinion but although I’m old enough to have utterly adored the BBC version when it first came out, I’ve very much warmed towards the film and watched it again recently. I like what they did with it. Bit of a refresh. But as a PP said, I’ll get my coat....

I didn't like the KK version either but a. I didn't expect it to be good what with Darcy resembling a potato and b. at least it was short.

I hate it. The dialogue is spoken so quickly it has no finesse , no grace.