 With
Pride and Prejudice debuting on region 4 on 8 March we take an indepth
look at the movie, with a look at the making of the movie, the locations
used and cast profiles.
Although
dramatised for television several times (in 1938, 1952, 1967, 1980, and
1995), Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice has been a feature
film only once before, in 1940, directed by Robert Z. Leonard and
starring Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson. Now, Pride & Prejudice
makes its triumphant return to the big screen for Working Title Films.
The
company’s co-chairman and producer Tim Bevan reflects, “People
remember the two most recent television adaptations, but the only other
film version, from 1940, emphasized romantic comedy. Over the decades,
Jane Austen’s central depiction of Lizzie and Darcy has been
appropriated as the core of many other films – including a couple of
our productions (Bridget Jones’ Diary and Bridget Jones; The Edge of
Reason). We felt that it was time to bring Austen’s original story,
concentrating on Lizzie, back in all its glory to the big screen for
audiences everywhere to enjoy.”
Producer
Paul Webster concurs, noting, “Pride and Prejudice has provided the
template to so many romantic comedy movies that it comes as a surprise
that no film proper has been made for 65 years. The two BBC versions are
seminal -- the second one was the most successful BBC drama ever – but
we were intent on making a big-screen version, one that doesn’t
conform to the television drama stereotypes of a perfect clean Regency
world.”
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