20 Years Later, Best Jane Austen Adaptation Is Coming to Netflix on March 1
Even after so many years, filmmakers look back on this movie as an example of a perfect adaptation of the author's works.
Jane Austen described the morals of her time and the problems facing women of her day. Two centuries later, her observations and comments have lost none of their sharpness.
Filmmakers continue to turn to her novels, finding in them either a sparkling comic story or a great human tragedy.
After Two Decades, 2005's Pride & Prejudice Is Still One of the Best Jane Austen Adaptations
The 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice lit up the director's horizon with a new star. Director Joe Wright, who had previously worked in television, made his big-screen debut and entered the big leagues of British cinema at the first attempt.
After the BBC miniseries with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, many thought that nothing new could be added to the novel. But Wright's version also became canonical.
The director cast very young actors in the lead roles (Keira Knightley was only 19 at the time of filming), and paid special attention to the poverty of the Bennets, who lived in a simple rural setting.
In this adaptation of the novel, the characters stain the hems of their dresses with mud, chat to the sound of clucking chickens and underwear hanging on the clothesline, and comb their hair neatly only for the ball.
Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice Has a Brilliant Cast
Lizzy, played by Keira Knightley, is sharp-tongued, cheerful and almost always on the move, while Darcy, on the other hand, is eternally gloomy and withdrawn: not for nothing does he make his first declaration of love during a downpour, as if to release his repressed feelings.
It is impossible not to mention another star of the adaptation – Donald Sutherland. In Pride & Prejudice the actor got the role of Mr. Bennet, the father of five unmarried daughters.
Perhaps one of the most poignant scenes in the movie belongs to Sutherland: with tears in his eyes and fear in his voice, Mr. Bennet gives his consent to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's marriage – and lets his daughter go.
The Movie Has Two Alternative Finales for Different Audiences
Joe Wright's adaptation has two different finales – the British and the American. In the former, the movie ends with Elizabeth's father approving her marriage to Mr. Darcy and rejoicing at the happy outcome of events.
Americans saw an additional scene in which the husband and wife sit in the garden and discuss how Matthew Macfadyen's character should address his wife. At that moment, Darcy kisses Lizzy for the first time in the entire movie.
The scene was included in test screenings for British audiences, but later had to be removed due to negative reviews – some viewers found the ending too explicit.
Pride & Prejudice Is Coming to Netflix
Beginning March 1, Pride & Prejudice will become available on Netflix.