It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen was a writing genius. And if you don't get the reference, the first part of that sentence is how Pride and Prejudice begins. But if you don't get that reference, you probably won't be interested in reading the rest of this post, because this is all about that particular story. I have watched three film versions of Pride and Prejudice, one was a mini-series starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy one was the Bollywood production Bride and Prejudice, and the other was the newest adaptation with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet. I will be examining how impressed I was with these adaptations as well as diving into the modernized versions I've seen and the fanfiction adaptation Bridget Jones Diary. I have read the original book through at least twice, I have also gone over certain passages for different classes I took during college, and written a few papers on it. This being said, there may be a few things I misremember since it has been a few years since my last reading and all the films have been viewed over the course of several years as well. So bear with me and if you notice any glaring errors, feel free to address them in the comment section and I'll be sure to fix them.
First, since it is a miniseries instead of a Hollywood film, the Colin Firth adaptation is able to stay fairly true to the original source material. All of the adaptations I'll be examining kept most of the key plot points, Mr. Wickham and his wickedness, Mr. Darcy's clandestine manipulation of the situation allowing what would have been a huge scandal to blow over quickly and saving Elizabeth's entire family from a ruined reputation, The sister element is not present in Bridget Jones Diary to my recollection, but all the other adaptations I'm going to examine have a version of Jane and a version of Lydia who are the most important sisters to the plot. Mary and Kitty are just kind of there, they don't really progress the plot at all. I also don't recall a Mr. Collins-esque character in Bridget Jones diary (correct me if I'm wrong Bridget Jones fans). But Mr. Collins is a part of all the other adaptations if I'm recalling them correctly. The person that Mrs. Bennet is just salivating to matchmake to one of her daughters but who, because of Elizabeth's refusal ends up marrying Elizabeth's best friend Charlotte instead. What each of the stories do differently is mostly in their portrayal of the main characters and in the direction of the action so I'll be examining all of those in my analysis.
In the Colin Firth adaptation, Darcy is shown as being conflicted between his pride and his love for Elizabeth Bennet. We see him agonize after her rebuttal of his proposal and we see him play with his dogs. These are character building moments. In the original novel. Jane Austen writes from Elizabeth's perspective. We cannot see Darcy's attraction to her until she is able to see it but we see her attraction to him before she does. The letter changes everything. In the Keira Knightly version, we see the passion between them in the rain scene where he declares his undying love for her and an argument fraught with sexual tension. In fact, all the scenes of Darcy and Elizabeth together, even when she is cutting through him with her sharp wit, are charged with that same tension. The director did a fantastic job of showing this especially in the dance scene where everyone else fades away and the two of them are the only ones left showing that they are so focused on each other that it's as if the rest of the ballroom doesn't exist. I also loved the portrayal of Mr. Collins in this one simply because he is just as slimy and unlikeable as he is in the books, with an added layer of awkwardness after he gets married (stumbling on the word intercourse while exchanging a glace with Charlotte, for instance).
Of course, no analysis of the Pride and Prejudice series starring Colin Firth would be complete without talking about the swimming scene. This scene only exists in this version. It is not pertinent to the story, it simply serves as eye candy for the female audience, but I love it all the same. In it, Darcy goes for a swim at a pond on his estate and Elizabeth and her family are touring the estate at the time and he sees them right after while his shirt still clings to his wet body. The sexual tension in this scene is almost as high as it is in the Keira Knightly scene at the pavilion where Darcy proposes for the first time.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the book, and one that is best captured in the Colin Firth version, is the dialog. I really loved Elizabeth Bennet's quick wit and her exchanges with all the other characters. I think, however, the character of Mr. Bennet is best captured by Donald Sutherland (such an amazing actor) in the Keira Knightly version. My favorite exchange between the two is included in both adaptations. It is where Mrs. Bennet is in a dither about Elizabeth turning down Mr. Collins' proposal (since all she can think about is marrying her daughters off without a single thought to whether or not they'll be happy) Mrs. Bennet seeks her husbands aid in convincing his daughter to accept the proposal. His response is epic: "From this day, you shall be ever estranged from one of your parents. Your mother will not see you again if you do not accept Mr. Collins, and I will not see you again if you do." The Keira Knightly version does this scene beautifully, setting it in the woods where Mr. Bennet is going on a walk when approached by Mrs. Bennet. Keira Knightly does a fantastic job of seeming anxious when Mr. Bennet starts talking and then throwing her arms about him in her relief. It's just so well done. This is my favorite scene with the two of them.
So now that we've explored both actual adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, let's turn our attention to the Bollywood production and the fanfic. I loved the Bollywood decision to make it so the scandal of the young Ms. Darcy's involvement with Wickham went beyond just eloping. In the Bollywood version, Wickham got Darcy's teenage sister pregnant and she had to have an abortion. This is as modernized as I've ever seen the scandal. I also love that Darcy finds Wickham in a theater and attacks him in front of a movie that's playing. The songs were good, but some of them did distract me from the overall story. I liked the dynamic of a culture clash between the American Darcy and the Indian Lalita (the Elizabeth Bennet character). In this version, however, the main character is there to witness Darcy's interference with Wickham and her sister, she does not hear about it second hand as she does in the original story.
Finally, in the fanfic Bridget Jones Diary. Mark Darcy is a stuffy lawyer type and the Wickham character is Bridget's boss Daniel Cleaver. The misunderstanding of why Darcy and Cleaver hate each other is (just like in Pride and Prejudice) facilitated by Daniel's lying to Bridget about something by making himself out to be a victim and painting Darcy as the bad guy. Eventually, Bridget learns the truth, but not from Darcy because it's too personal for him. In Bridget Jones' Diary, it is not Darcy's sister who Cleaver has wronged, but Darcy himself by Cleaver's cuckolding him on his wedding night. Bridget learns of this from a third party who knows about the situation. There is also an awesome Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver fist fight after Cleaver says something to make him snap. The sister scandal in Bridget Jones' Diary is not actually Bridget's sister, but her mother who runs away from home and gets into financial straights thanks to her new boyfriend swindling her. Darcy ends up helping her out on the DL because that's just who he is after a distraught Bridget turns to him for comfort about the situation.
I liked all the versions I've seen and though I would never say any of them are "as good" as the book, they all have their own charms. Every adaptation that I've seen did some things better. The Colin Firth version was the most faithful to the original story, the Keira Knightly version had the most passion, the Bollywood production was the most modern while staying with the original story and the fanfic was the most creative adaptation. I loved them all, but I'll continue to read the book because there's nothing like the original story and Jane Austen does it so well.
Thanks for reading. Tune in next time for my analysis of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo book series vs. the American movie version.
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