when jane austen published Pride and
Prejudice anonymously on January 29th
1813 who could have imagined that over
200 years later it would be one of the
most cherished novels of English
literature Pride and Prejudice has
inspired countless film and TV
adaptations spin-offs sequels and modern
retellings so in this video we're going
to take a look at four English language
on screen adaptations and how they
compare to the novel
this is Pride and Prejudice by the book
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it's no use I've struggled in vain I
must tell you how much I admire and love
you the first Hollywood feature film
adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was
released in July of 1940 shown in
theaters ahead of America's involvement
in the second world war film featured a
romanticized view of Old England while
minimizing the novel's emphasis on class
distinctions if you're wondering why
Elizabeth Bennet looks more like
Scarlett O'Hara here is because the
filmmakers made significant changes to
the story to further appeal to their
audience
this included moving the time period
some 40 years ahead allowing them to
showcase the costumes inspired by
Victorian era fashions and with the
incredible success of Gone with the Wind
which the studio had released just
months before it was determined that
these extravagant dresses would look
better on screen
yokas carriage passed the vidiians past
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new scenes were invented for the film
and major plot points radically revised
to incorporate elements of the screwball
comedies that were so popular in the
1930s
one of the first major plot changes
takes place at the assembly ball which
combines several events from the novel
here Elizabeth meets Wickham and dances
with him before Darcy and the Bingley's
even arrive this is a huge change from
the sequence of events in the novel and
it affects the dynamics between the
characters yeah and she looks tolerable
enough but I'm in no humor tonight to
give consequence to the middle classes
at play because the film also combines
later events from the book
Darcy asked Elizabeth to dance just
minutes after insulting her not
surprisingly she refuses I have a faith
that the honor of standing up with you
mr. Darcy is more than I can bear
however she does accept Wickham's
invitation to dance almost immediately
afterwards this sassy response would
have been considered highly improper
during Austen's time and never appeared
in the book naturally though adopting a
300 page book for a 2-hour movie will
call for combining and convincing major
plot points the challenge is being able
to capture the essence of the novel and
maintain the overall narrative art some
characters don't make it into this film
at all and neither does Elizabeth's
visit to Pemberley although the
screenplay keeps some of the more famous
dialogue and also in some ways
fundamentally changes the characters for
instance we see a much more personable
and charming Darcy as portrayed by
Laurence Olivier while Greer garson's
Elizabeth is more strong-willed and
sarcastic at the Netherfield ball turned
garden party the screenplay highest
Darcy rescue Elizabeth from mr. Collins
by lying to him do we have no Miss
Elizabeth Bennet I know she as she
passes away may I ask
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no sir she has not passed this bus
although entertaining this exchange
would have been uncharacteristic of the
Darci from the novel who prides himself
on his honesty and lack of pretense and
later we have Lady Catherine de Bourg
transformed into a matchmaker who
deliberately brings Darcy and Elizabeth
together what you need is a woman who
would have stand up to you
I think you found her in the end the
1940 film definitely diverges from the
novel in favor of the studio signature
glitz and glamour but this fun
adaptation features splendid costumes
witty banter and of course the iconic
love story in vain of us struggled it
will not do my feelings will not be
repressed you must allow me to tell you
how ardently I admire and love you this
five Episode miniseries is the fifth BBC
television adaptation of Pride and
Prejudice the BBC's history with the
novel stretches back to 1924 when they
broadcast an excerpt of Pride and
Prejudice on radio for the first time
unlike the earlier studio bound TV
productions with fixed cameras the 1980
series utilized moving cameras outdoor
locations and a musical score the
screenplay established it as one of the
most faithful versions of the novel this
had kept the majority of the original
text and storylines however there are a
few notable changes including a more
feminist interpretation of the plot and
dialogue for instance while the novel
starts off with the conversation between
mr. and mrs. Bennet
Elizabeth wittiness and Charlotte's
pragmatism take center stage in the
adaptation a single man in possession of
a good fortune coming to live at
Netherfield it is a truth universally
acknowledged that such a man must be in
wonderful wife of course
the screenplay especially gives
attention to the female characters and
their character development at the
expense of the male characters but even
after 20 years my mother still fails to
understand him her mind is less
difficult to comprehend because Jane
Austen used the third-person omniscient
voice in Pride and Prejudice to relate
the characters thoughts and feelings
the screenwriter tries to incorporate
this narration through dialogue as well
as long internal monologues as far as
changes to the plot there are just a few
one example as the scene after Elizabeth
learns of Lydia's elopement as soon as
she finishes reading Jane's letter she
apparently runs the distance of several
miles to Pemberley bursting into Darcy's
drawing-room in search of her uncle in
this case Elizabeth is the one who seeks
Darcy out and not the other way around
overall the 1980 production stays true
to the book and includes various scenes
from the novel that are not found in
other adaptations this fairly consistent
in using costumes based on fashions from
the early 1800s and although it doesn't
have the big-budget production values of
later versions this entertaining
adaptation does its best to present an
accurate portrayal of the characters of
Pride and Prejudice in vain I have
struggled it will not do my feelings
will not be repressed you must allow me
to tell you how ardently I admire and
love you in 1995 BBC collaborated with
the and a network to release the
acclaimed sixth episode adaptation of
Pride and Prejudice that would become a
cultural phenomenon the miniseries is
faithful to the original text and that
covers most of the major plot points and
retains much of the dialogue while also
bringing the Regency era setting and
characters to life
what especially sets the award-winning
series apart from earlier adaptations is
the introduction of the male perspective
on events in the novel right from the
opening scene this series also takes
time to focus specifically on Darcy join
scenes of him riding fencing tracking
down Lydia and Wickham through the
streets of London
and of course the iconic Lake see mr.
DOS
Colin Firth's performance of Darcy as a
sympathetic hero struggling with his
feelings for Elizabeth pop sure to the
attention of millions around the world
and Jennifer Ellie's expressiveness
subtly conveyed Elizabeth's intelligence
and exuberance the supporting actors
were also given the chance to add
further depth to their characters scenes
of everyday life and other period
details help to immerse the viewer into
their story showing characters going
about their everyday routines whether
they were getting dressed getting ready
for bed or interacting with servants the
attention to historical detail also
ensured that the characters looked and
acted realistically according to the
time period the costume designer created
clothing that was authentic he
attractive for the modern era and would
complement the actors as well as their
characters personalities to this day the
1995 version of Pride and Prejudice is
considered to be the gold standard of
book adaptations for being able to
capture the spirit of the novel and also
balance satire and romance not only did
it renew interest in Jane Austen's life
and literary works it also inspired many
to create their own ostomy in' love
stories I thought against my better
judgment my family's expectations be
fair yours if your berth my rank and
circumstance all these things that I'm
willing to put them aside and ask you 65
years after the release of the first
feature film adaptation of Pride and
Prejudice Keira Knightley and Matthew
McFadden step into the lead roles
marketed to a younger audience the film
features a more creative interpretation
of the text emphasizing the romance and
drama with limited screen time the
director and screenwriter faced the
challenge of condensing the story as
well as the added pressure of matching
up to the popular BBC version to
differentiate itself visually the film
is supposed to be set in the 1790s
around the time that Jane Austen
finished her first draft of Pride and
Prejudice originally titled
first impressions
the film uses various ways to emphasize
the relative poverty of the Bennets
compared to Darcy and his companions the
livestock and laundry on closed line
around the Bennett's home portray a
greater contrast between the social
standings of the protagonists the
natural world is also used to reflect
and intensify Elizabeth and Darcy's
emotions a number of minor characters
and plot points from the novel were cut
in order to emphasize the main love
story even some of the major characters
in the novel who are vital to the
development and resolution of the
conflict end up with smaller roles in
the film we also see a change in the
dynamics within the Bennet family as
well as in Elizabeth's friendships with
Jane and Charlotte so don't judge me
Lizzie don't you dare judge me
similar to what happened with the 1940
film but costumes and hairstyles were
adjusted to appeal to new audiences and
also to complement the story
Elizabeth's appearance often shows her
tomboyish nature whereas Caroline
Bingley is always dressed in the height
of fashion in contrast mrs. Bennett and
Lady Catherine are shown in fashions of
the past to reflect what they would have
worn in their younger years and finally
mr. Darcy's clothing is used to
symbolize his character change as he
falls in love with Elizabeth to sum up
the dialogue behavior and costumes in
the 2005 film all feature a contemporary
twist giving viewers a glimpse into
Georgian society through a modern lens
to encourage affection dancing
if one's partner is barely tolerable in
addition to the portrayal of a more
feisty and rebellious Elizabeth the
beautiful locations and thoughtful
cinematography bring the world of Pride
and Prejudice to a new generation
all of these adaptations of Pride and
Prejudice seek to tell the tale of
self-discovery and true love the novel's
themes of love and marriage class and
reputation prejudice and pride continue
to be relevant and relatable across
cultures although the four mentioned in
this video are considered to be straight
out of patience of the novel we can see
how the story has been adapted for each
audience and era the influence of Pride
and Prejudice continues to be evident in
movies television and books resulting in
a story that has been retold in so many
different ways
where will writers take Jane Austen's
classic novel next well just have to
wait and see
which Pride and Prejudice adaptation is
your favorite let us know in the
comments below and subscribe to catch
our next video thanks for watching
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you