Pride & Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice will always be my favorite book. I can appreciate that the people behind the 2005 film also love it too although I would say their vision of the book is different than mine. The cinematography is gorgeous. I love the cast- Kiera, Rosamund Pike is lovely, Judi Dench… the reason I don’t like the film is that Bingley is a total mess. Why ever would Darcy be friends with someone so dippy? I think the Mr Collins does a very good job though. More on reddit.com

I imagine the dialogue is similarly impressive in the book? Is that correct? Yes. Austens novels are still so popular because she was a good writer and also entertaining. The dialogue is good and the narrator always makes these insightful points on human nature or society. You should watch the Sense and Sensibility that Ang Lee directed. More on reddit.com

2005 Pride and Prejudice is what got me interested in Jane Austen in 6th grade. It holds a special place in my heart. It wasn’t until the past few years that the movie would grate on me for the styles being inaccurate. And someone pointed out the Keira’s wig is really bad and I really noticed it this week when I watched the movie again and it was all I could focus on. Here is what I’ll say about it. I enjoy it because it’s beautifully shot and I love the chemistry all the actors have. It’s almost a more optimistic fanfic of P&P to me. The Bennet family acts like a family unit. They are all much closer than any adaptation I’ve ever seen. They all seem to truly care about each other. You even see Mr. and Mrs. Bennet getting along and get the vibe that they love each other, vs being a marriage that is obviously heavily strained. They are far too poor in the 05 version, but it adds to the chemistry. I view the 05 version to be much more of a romance than the book or the 95 version. I think the 05 version suffers from being a movie because they cut out a lot of characters that influence the plot. They essentially cut out Wickam… which is pretty insane honestly because he’s one of the main driving plot movers. We barely see him being charming and I don’t see how Lizzy would have been so tricked by him, unlike the 95 version. They barely spend time together. And he’s mostly just whiny in my opinion. I will always love the 2005 portrayal of Darcy for the romance aspect of it. There is a major sweetness that is always conveyed. That being said, like other have mentioned, that is not really Darcy’s character at all. One of the biggest moments of Darcy conveying everything in letter to Lizzy makes him come off extremely well, versus being extremely conceited to break up Jane and Bingley. Again, though, it was a choice to make the film more romantic. And if I view it as a straight up romance, I love the movie. It will always be special to me. That said, I tend to watch the 95 version on repeat these days. It just covers a lot more ground that I enjoy. I do wish they would come out with a detailed miniseries these days though. Even the 95 version leaves things out/simplifies some items for screen time (which is totally appropriate and I appreciate!). Heck, I don’t even need it to be a miniseries. If it were a show with true seasons covering a chapter or two per episode, I would be in heaven. I just love the characters in the book and would love to see them get a chance to breathe and shine. I think the most satisfied I get consuming P&P media is when I listen to a podcast version of it. Then I get all the details and it makes me happy. Anyway, rant over. Totally get where you’re coming from OP, but again, I still love the 05 version for several reasons. I forgot to mention that the music is also incredible in the 05 version. But! This post is too long lol. More on reddit.com

I love both the 95 and 05 versions. I’m 47, so presumably an “older” user. I despise, though I try to remain mostly polite about them, what I’ve seen of the 1968 version and the 1980 version. Women actors tend to get more hate in general. When the 95 version came out, people were up in arms about Jennifer Ehle’s weight. She had a round face and big boobs, sure, but she was plenty thin. With Keira Knightley, she was too skinny and her version of Elizabeth was dissed. The were both appropriate weights for their body frames and they’re both awesome actors. More on reddit.com