Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)

Pride and Prejudice
Directed by	Joe Wright
Produced by	Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Paul Webster
Written by	Deborah Moggach
Based on	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Starring	Keira Knightley Matthew Macfadyen Brenda Blethyn Donald Sutherland Tom Hollander Rosamund Pike Jena Malone Judi Dench
Music by	Dario Marianelli (Piano performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet)
Cinematography	Roman Osin
Editing by	Paul Tothill
Studio	StudioCanal Working Title Films
Distributed by	Focus Features
Release date(s)	11 September 2005 (2005-09-11) (TIFF) 16 September 2005 (2005-09-16) (United Kingdom) 18 January 2006 (2006-01-18) (France)
Running time	129 minutes
Country	United Kingdom France
Language	English
Budget	$28 million
Box office	$121,147,947

Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. Screenwriter Deborah Moggach adapted it from the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen. The film starred Keira Knightley in the role of Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy. Co-stars included Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Tom Hollander, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, and Judi Dench. Produced by Working Title Films, the film was released on 16 September 2005 in the United Kingdom and on 11 November 2005 in the United States.

Wright and producer Paul Webster found the casting process difficult due to past iconic performances of particular characters. They had to balance who they thought was best for each role with what the studio wanted – namely a big name attraction. Knightley and Macfadyen were ultimately cast as the two main leads, with the former remarking that she was "blown away" by Macfadyen's audition. Pride & Prejudice marked Carey Mulligan and Tamzin Merchant's film debuts.

Moggach sought to be as faithful to the novel as possible but Wright encouraged deviations, such as changing the dynamics and dialogue of the Bennet family. Efforts were made to differentiate the film from the 1995 TV serial adaptation; in keeping with the date Austen began writing the novel, the time period was altered to the late eighteenth century. Attempts were made to avoid depicting a "perfect clean Regency world", with the crew instead presenting a "muddy hem version" of Longbourn. Pride & Prejudice was shot entirely on location in England during an 11-week film schedule.

The film was marketed to a younger and more mainstream audience, with promotional items first noting it came "from the producers of Bridget Jones's Diary" before acknowledging it was based on an Austen novel. After its theatrical release, Pride & Prejudice ultimately earned a worldwide gross of $121,147,947, which was considered a commercial success. Film critics compared the 2005 film to the 1995 adaptation, and believed the latter was the superior of the two. Despite this, Pride & Prejudice earned a rating of 86 percent by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, indicating it as "certified fresh."

Plot

During the late 18th century, the Bennet family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters—Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia—live in comparative financial independence as gentry on a working farm in rural England. As Longbourn is destined to be inherited by Mr. Bennet's cousin, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet is anxious to marry off her five daughters before Mr. Bennet dies.

Mr. Bingley, a wealthy bachelor who has recently moved into Netherfield, a large house in the neighborhood, is introduced to local society at an assembly ball, along with his haughty sister, Caroline, and reserved friend, Mr. Darcy, who "owns half of Derbyshire." Bingley is enchanted with the gentle and beautiful Jane, while Elizabeth takes an instant dislike to Darcy after he coldly rebuffs her attempts at conversation and she overhears him describe her as "not handsome enough to tempt me." When Jane becomes sick on a visit to Netherfield, Elizabeth goes to stay with her, and verbally spars with Caroline and Darcy.

Later the Bennets are visited by their cousin, Mr. Collins, a pompous minister who talks of nothing but his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Mr. Collins tells Mrs. Bennet that he has selected Jane as his future wife. But Mrs. Bennet replies that Jane is soon going to be engaged to someone else, and suggests Elizabeth instead. Meanwhile, the handsome and charming Lieutenant Wickham of the newly-arrived militia captures the girls' attention; he slanders Darcy, telling Elizabeth that Darcy cheated him of his inheritance. At a ball at Netherfield, Elizabeth, startled by his abrupt appearance and request, accepts a dance with Mr. Darcy, but vows to her best friend Charlotte Lucas that she has "sworn to loathe him for all eternity." During the dance, she attacks him with witty sarcasm, and Darcy responds in kind. At the same ball, Charlotte expresses concern to Elizabeth that Jane's behaviour to Mr. Bingley is too reserved and that Bingley may not realise she loves him.

The next day, at Longbourn, Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth much to her chagrin; she refuses him, which angers her mother but pleases her father. When Bingley unexpectedly returns to London, Elizabeth dispatches a heartbroken Jane to their aunt and uncle in London, the Gardiners, in hopes of re-establishing contact between Jane and Bingley. Later, Elizabeth is appalled to learn that Charlotte will marry Mr. Collins, not because she loves him but to gain financial security and avoid becoming a spinster.

Months later, Elizabeth visits the newly-wed Mr. and Mrs. Collins at Rosings, the manor estate of the overbearing Lady Catherine; they are invited to dine at the grand house and there meet Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam, Lady Catherine's nephews. Here Darcy shows a greater interest in Elizabeth, especially when she replies to Lady Catherine's jabs with spirited wit. The next day, Colonel Fitzwilliam lets slip to Elizabeth that Darcy separated Bingley from Jane. Distraught, she flees out into the rain; Darcy chooses that moment to track her down and propose marriage. He claims that he loves her "most ardently," despite her "lower rank." Elizabeth refuses him, citing his treatment of Jane and Bingley, and of Wickham, and they argue fiercely, with Darcy explaining that he had observed Jane and had been convinced that she did not return Bingley's love. Darcy leaves angry and heartbroken. He finds her later and presents her with a letter, which exposes Wickham as a gambler who demanded and received cash in lieu of the position intended for him by Darcy's father, and who later, on being refused more money, attempted to elope with Darcy's 15-year-old sister, Georgiana, in order to obtain her £30,000 inheritance, but abandoned her upon learning that he would never receive a penny of the money, devastating Georgiana.

Elizabeth does not tell Jane what she has learned. Later, the Gardiners take Elizabeth on a trip to the Peak District and visit Darcy's estate, Pemberley. Elizabeth is stunned by its wealth and beauty and hears nothing but good things about Darcy from his housekeeper. There, she accidentally runs into Darcy, who invites her and the Gardiners to meet his sister. His manners have softened considerably, and Georgiana takes an instant liking to Elizabeth. When Elizabeth learns that her immature and flirtatious youngest sister Lydia, who was sent on holiday unsupervised, has run away with Wickham, she tearfully blurts out the news to Darcy and the Gardiners before returning home. Her family assumes their ruin for having a disgraced daughter, but they are soon relieved to hear that Mr. Gardiner has discovered the pair in London, and that they have been married. Lydia later reveals to Elizabeth that it was Mr. Darcy who found them and who paid for the marriage.

When Bingley and Darcy return to Netherfield, Jane accepts Bingley's proposal of marriage. The same evening, Lady Catherine pays Elizabeth a surprise visit and insists that Elizabeth renounce Darcy, as he is supposedly engaged to her own daughter, Anne. Elizabeth refuses, and unable to sleep, she goes walking on the moors at dawn. There, she meets Darcy, who has also been unable to sleep after hearing of his aunt's behavior. He admits his continued love, and Elizabeth accepts his second proposal. Mr. Bennet gives his consent after Elizabeth assures him of her love for Darcy.

In the U.S. release of the film, an additional last scene shows a newly-married Elizabeth and Darcy outside of their Pemberley estate showing affection for each other.

Cast

See also: Main characters of Pride and Prejudice

• Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet
• Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy
• Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet
• Talulah Riley as Mary Bennet
• Jena Malone as Lydia Bennet
• Carey Mulligan as Catherine "Kitty" Bennet
• Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet
• Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet
• Claudie Blakley as Charlotte Lucas
• Simon Woods as Mr. Charles Bingley
• Kelly Reilly as Caroline Bingley
• Rupert Friend as Mr. George Wickham
• Tom Hollander as Mr. William Collins
• Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh
• Rosamund Stephen as Anne de Bourgh
• Cornelius Booth as Colonel Fitzwilliam
• Penelope Wilton as Mrs. Gardiner
• Peter Wight as Mr. Gardiner
• Meg Wynn Owen as Mrs. Reynolds
• Tamzin Merchant as Georgiana Darcy
• Sinead Matthews as Betsy

Production

Writing and filming

Screenwriter Deborah Moggach changed the film's period setting to the late 18th century partly out of concern that it would be overshadowed by the 1995 BBC adaptation.

As with several recent Jane Austen adaptations, Pride & Prejudice's production was the result of an Anglo-British collaboration that involved British studio Working Title Films (in association with StudioCanal) and its American parent company Universal Studios. The film was given a budget of $28 to $29 million. As Working Title Films co-chairman Tim Bevan explains, his studio began development on Pride & Prejudice out of a desire to "bring Austen's original story, concentrating on Lizzie, back in all its glory to the big screen for audiences everywhere to enjoy."

Screenwriter and novelist Deborah Moggach attempted to be as faithful to the 1813 novel as possible, believing it "is so beautifully shaped as a story – the ultimate romance about two people who think they hate each other but who are really passionately in love. I felt, 'If it's not broken, don't fix it.'" Raised with three other sisters, Moggach was particularly interested in the story's family dynamics. She was careful in adapting Jane Austen's dialogue, commenting that she "sort of pulled a comb through" it. The screenwriter noted that while they could not reproduce the novel's "fiercely wonderful dialogue in its entirety," they attempted to keep much of it. Moggach inputted small details that acknowledged wider events outside of the characters' circle, such as the events then occurring in France. Citing the fact that Austen first began writing Pride and Prejudice in 1797, the period setting was changed from 1813 (the novel's publication date) to the late eighteenth century; this decision was partly because director Joe Wright wanted to highlight the differences within an England influenced by the French Revolution, and also because he hated dresses with an empire silhouette. In the film, Caroline Bingley references the former in her critique of French ballroom designs being unpatriotic.

Despite Moggach's desire to work closely with Austen's dialogue, Wright made an effort to not "be too reverential to [it]. I don't believe people spoke like that then; it's not natural." Another alteration to the dialogue concerned politeness; Wright noted that while Austen's work had characters waiting before speaking, he believed that "particularly in big families of girls, everyone tends to speak over each other, finishing each other's sentences, etc. So I felt that the Bennet family's conversations would be overlapping like that."

"I wanted to make something that is about young people, about young people experiencing these emotions for the first time and not understanding the feelings they are having. If you have a 40-year-old man as your star not understanding the feeling he's having then it becomes a bit unbelievable and suspect, rather like The 40-Year-Old Virgin or something instead of Pride & Prejudice."

— Director Joe Wright commenting on the ages of the actors in the 1940 adaptation

Joe Wright, previously a television director, made his directional film debut with Pride & Prejudice. He was considered a surprising choice for a film in the romance drama genre due to his past work with social realism. Wright's previous work had impressed the film producers, who then sent him a script despite the fact that Wright had not read the novel. He commented that at the time, "I didn't know if I was really all that interested; I thought I was a little bit more mainstream then this, a bit more edgy. But then I read the script and I was surprised I was very moved by it." He next read the novel, which he called "an amazing piece of character observation and it really seamed [sic] like the first piece of British Realism. It felt like it was a true story; had a lot of truth in it about understanding how to love other people, understanding how to overcome prejudices, understanding the things that separate us from other people… things like that." The only adaptation of Pride and Prejudice Wright had seen was the 1940 production, which was the last time the novel was adapted into a feature film. The director purposely did not watch the other productions, both out of fear he would inadvertently steal ideas and because he wanted to be as original as possible.

In comparison to the 1995 BBC version, Paul Webster desired to make an adaptation that "doesn't conform to the television drama stereotypes of a perfect clean Regency world." Wright and Moggach opted for a "muddy hem version" of Longbourn, presenting a more rural setting than in previous adaptations out of a desire to depict the Bennets in "very close proximity to their rural life" and to emphasize their poverty. The filmmakers changed several scenes to more romantic locales than the ones in the book. For instance, in the film, Darcy first proposes outdoors in a rainstorm near a beautiful lake (Stourhead) in Wiltshire; in the book, this scene takes place inside a parsonage. In the film, his second proposal occurs on the misty moors as dawn breaks; in the book, he and Elizabeth are walking down a country lane in broad daylight.

Costume design

Known for her BAFTA-winning work on the film Vera Drake, Jacqueline Durran was hired on as the costume designer of Pride & Prejudice. Because of Wright's dislike of the high waistline, Durran focused on later eighteenth century fashions. To differentiate the Bennet sisters, Durran viewed Elizabeth as the "tomboy", clothing her in earthy colours because "she loved the countryside." For the other sisters, Durran remarked, "Jane was the most refined, and yet it's still all a bit slapdash and homemade, because the Bennets have no money. One of the main things Joe wanted was for the whole thing to have a provincial feel. Mary is the bluestocking: serious and practical. And then Lydia and Kitty are a bit Tweedledum and Tweedledee in a kind of teenage way. I tried to make it so that they'd be sort of mirror images. If one's wearing a green dress, the other will wear a green jacket; so you always have a visual asymmetry between the two." In contrast to the 1940 film, the 2005 production displayed the Bennet sisters in worn-down but comfortable dresses.

The costume of Mr. Darcy went through a series of phases. Durran noted that "the first time we see him he's at Meriton [sic], where he has a very stiffly tailored jacket on, and he's quite contained and rigid. He stays in that rigid form for the first part of the film. By the time we get to the proposal that goes wrong in the rain, we move to a similar cut, but a much softer fabric. And then later he's got a completely different cut of coat, not interlined, and he wears it undone. The nth degree is him walking through the mist in the morning, completely undressed by 18th-century standards. It's absolutely unlikely, but then Lizzie's in her nightie, so what can you say?"

Filming

Filming of Pemberly partly occurred at Chatsworth House (pictured), often believed to have been Austen's inspiration for the Darcy residence.

Pride & Prejudice was filmed entirely on location within England during an 11-week schedule in the summer of 2004. Co-producer Paul Webster noted that "it is quite unusual for a movie this size to be shot entirely on location. Part of Joe [Wright]'s idea was to try to create a reality which allows the actors to relax and feel at one with their environment." Shooting occurred at several stately homes, including Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, the largest privately held country house in England. Chatsworth and Wilton House in Salisbury stood in for Pemberley), Groombridge Place in Kent (as Longbourn), Basildon Park in Berkshire (as Netherfield Park), and Burghley House in Cambridgeshire (as Rosings – the adjacent town of Stamford served as Meryton). Other locations included the Temple of Apollo and Palladian Bridge of Stourhead (for the Gardens of Rosings), Haddon Hall (as The Inn at Lambton), Hunsford (for Mr. Collins' parsonage and church), and Peak District (for Elizabeth and the Gardiners' tour).

Casting

Though Wright had not initially pictured someone as attractive as Keira Knightley for the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet, he cast her after he realised that the actress "is really a tomboy [and] has a lively mind and a great sense of humour." Knightley had been a fan of Austen's since age 7, but feared taking the role for fear of doing "an absolute copy of Jennifer Ehle's performance" from the 1995 BBC series, which she deeply admired. For the period, Knightley studied etiquette, history, and dancing but ran into trouble when she acquired a short haircut while preparing for her role in the bounty hunter film Domino.

Knightley (left) remarked that she was blown away with Macfayden's line-reading as Mr. Darcy.

Wright found casting of the film to be "very hard" because he was very particular about "the types of people [he] wanted to work with." Co-producer Paul Webster found the casting of Darcy especially difficult due to the character's iconic status and because "Colin Firth cast a very long shadow" as the Darcy from the 1995 television adaptation. The crew had to balance who they thought was best for each role with what the producers wanted– namely a big name attraction. Wright later commented that his choice of Knightley allowed him to cast comparative unknown Matthew Macfadyen, something that would have been impossible had a less well known actress been chosen for Elizabeth Bennet. Wright called Macfadyen "a proper manly man... I didn't want a pretty boy kind of actor. His properties were the ones I felt I needed [for Darcy]. Matthew's a great big hunk of a guy."

According to Wright, Rosamund Pike was cast as the eldest Bennet sister "because [he] knew she wasn't going to play her as a nice, simple person. Jane has a real interior world, she has her heart broken." Despite being Pike's ex-boyfriend, Simon Woods was cast as her love interest Mr. Bingley. The other three Bennet sisters were played by Talulah Riley, Carey Mulligan, and Jena Malone. The only American actress among them, Wright believed Malone to have a "pretty faultless English accent". Mulligan heard about the casting call at a dinner hosted by actor and screenwriter Julian Fellowes, whom she wrote a letter to after failing to get into drama school; she won the part after three auditions. Pride & Prejudice was her film debut.

Donald Sutherland reminded Wright of his own father, and was cast as patriarch Mr. Bennet; Wright believed the actor possessed the "strength to handle those six women." Brenda Blethyn was hired to play Mrs. Bennet, whom Moggach believed to the unsung heroine of the film; Wright explained that it was "a tricky part [to fill], as she can be very annoying; you want to stop her chattering and shrieking. But Brenda has the humour and the heart to show the amount of love and care Mrs. Bennet has for her daughters." Wright convinced veteran actress Judi Dench to join the cast by writing her a letter that read "I love it when you play a bitch. Please come and be a bitch for me." Other cast members included Tamzin Merchant as Georgiana Darcy, who was hired despite having no previous acting experience after she wrote a letter to the casting director.

Music

Pride & Prejudice [Music from the Motion Picture]
Soundtrack album by Dario Marianelli
Released	November 15, 2005
Genre	Film score
Label	Decca Records
Dario Marianelli chronology
Sauf le respect que je vous dois (2005) Pride & Prejudice (2005) The Return (2006)

Main article: Pride & Prejudice (soundtrack)

Dario Marianelli was hired to compose the film score, the first of three collaborations he would have with Joe Wright. Their relationship began when Paul Webster, who had worked with Marianelli on the 2001 film The Warrior, introduced him to Wright. Marianelli recalled their meeting, "In our very first conversation we ended up talking about Beethoven early piano sonatas: they became a point of reference, and their spirit (or my understanding of that spirit, at least) became the starting point for the score. A few pieces had to be written prior to the shoot, for scenes in which the actors are playing the piano: those pieces already contained the seeds of what I developed later on into the score, when I abandoned historical correctness for a more intimate and emotional treatment of the story." The score featured pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, whom Wright considered one of the greatest piano players in the world. Marianelli was unable to be present on set when actors played his music in various scenes, due to the birth of his second daughter.

Track listing
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dawn"	2:38
2.	"Stars and Butterflies"	1:59
3.	"The Living Sculptures of Pemberley"	3:01
4.	"Meryton Townhall"	1:12
5.	"The Militia Marches In"	0:56
6.	"Georgiana"	1:35
7.	"Arrival To Netherfield"	1:39
8.	"A Postcard to Henry Purcell"	2:39
9.	"Liz on Top of the World"	1:22
10.	"Leaving Netherfield"	1:41
11.	"Another Dance"	1:14
12.	"The Secret Life of Daydreams"	1:55
13.	"Darcy's Letter"	3:56
14.	"Can't Slow Down"	1:10
15.	"Your Hands Are Cold"	5:23
16.	"Mrs. Darcy"	3:43
17.	"Credits"	4:47

Editing

The story was compressed into 2 hours and 9 minutes of screen time. Wright remarked that the story is "obviously about Elizabeth and Darcy, following them, and anything that detracts or diverts you from that story is what you have to cut." Some of the most notable changes from the original book include:

• Heavy time compression of several major sequences, including Elizabeth's visit to Rosings Park and Hunsford Parsonage, Elizabeth's visit to Pemberley, and Lydia's elopement and its subsequent crisis.
• The elimination of several supporting characters, including Louisa Hurst, Mr. Hurst, Lady and Maria Lucas, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, the Gardiners' children, Mrs. Annesley, Mrs. Younge (Georgiana Darcy's governess), several of Lydia's friends (including Colonel and Mrs. Forster), and various military officers and townspeople.
• The elimination of several sections in which characters reflect or converse on events that have recently occurred – for example, Elizabeth's chapter-long change of mind after reading Darcy's letter.

Soon before the North American release, the film was modified to include a final scene (not in the novel) of the married Darcys enjoying a romantic evening and passionate kiss at Pemberley, a source of complaint for the Jane Austen Society of North America and other groups. British audiences soon complained that they were excluded from viewing this version, causing the film to later be re-released in several countries. The British version ends with Mr. Bennet's blessing upon Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's union, thus circumventing the last chapter in the novel, which summarizes the lives of the Darcys and the other main characters over the next several years.

Themes and analysis

Romanticism

Jane Austen scholar Sarah Ailwood identifies the film as "an essentially Romantic interpretation of Austen's novel," citing Wright's attention to nature as a means to "position Elizabeth and Darcy as Romantic figures [...] Wright's Pride & Prejudice takes as its central focus Austen's concern with exploring the nature of the Romantic self and the possibilities for women and men to achieve individual self-fulfillment within an oppressive patriarchal social and economic order." Likewise, Catherine Stewart-Beer of Oxford Brookes University calls Elizabeth's presence on the Derbyshire cliff a "stunning, magical evocation of Wright's strong stylistic brand of Postmodern Romanticism," but believed this was less like Austen and more reminiscent of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.

Conversely, Carole Dole, a professor of film studies at Ursinus College, argues that Pride & Prejudice is "a hybrid that embraces both an irreverent realism to which younger audiences are accustomed (and which reflects the director's realist aesthetic) and the classic heritage film's reverence for country houses, attractive landscapes, and authentic period detail." Such "irreverent realism" included the depiction of Longbourn as a working farm complete with chickens, cattle, and pigs; as Dole explains, "The agricultural realities of 1790s England are equally evident in the enclosed yard with barn and hay where Lizzie twirls barefoot over the mud on a rope swing". Referring to recent adaptations such as 1999's gritty Mansfield Park, Dole cited Pride & Prejudice as evidence that the heritage film is still around but has "been transformed into a more flexible genre."

Familial themes

Various Austen scholars noted the 2005 film's changes to the depiction of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.

Brock University professor Barbara K. Seeber believes that in contrast to the novel, the 2005 adaptation emphasizes family over romance. She notes that Pride & Prejudice "significantly recast the Bennet family, in particular its patriarch, presenting Mr. Bennet as a sensitive and kind father whose role in the family's misfortunes is continually downplayed." Seeber further observes that the film is "the first to present Mrs. Bennet in a sympathetic light," with Mr. Bennet displayed as "an attentive husband as well as a loving father."

Stewart-Beer also observes alterations with the depiction of the Bennet family, remarking that while their family home "might be chaotic, in this version it is, at heart, a happy home—much happier, and much less dysfunctional, than Austen’s original version of Longbourn... For one, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet actually seem to like each other, even love each other, a characterization which is a far cry from the source text." Producer Paul Webster acknowledges the familial theme with his remark "Yes, it's a great love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, but underpinning it all is the kind of love that runs this family."

Depiction of Elizabeth

In another departure from Austen's work, Catherine Stewart-Beer notes that the 2005 film's Elizabeth Bennet has an "increasingly aloof and emotionally distant" relationship with her family, highlighting as an example Elizabeth's gradual alienation from Jane as the film progresses; this is in contrast to the book, where Elizabeth confides more of her feelings to Jane after difficult events. In her "feisty, impassioned" interactions with Mr. Darcy and "rebellious refusal to 'perform'" for Lady Catherine, Stewart-Beer also sees Knightley's depiction as "far removed from Austen's original Elizabeth, who has a greater sense of grounded maturity, even though both Elizabeths have an occasional inclination to fluster, fun and giggles."

Observing a "deep yet childlike nature", the writer notes however that perhaps "Knightley's Elizabeth truly is an Elizabeth for 2005—a time when young men and women are often forced, because of a precipitously expensive housing market, to live with their parents and are therefore rendered unable fully to take on the onerous responsibilities of adulthood, suspended in a false state of prolonged childhood. Knightley's Elizabeth, along with her sisters, is notably excluded from major ongoing 'adult' discussions (hence the eavesdropping habit), perpetuating a sense of infantilism. Elizabeth’s uncertain status as a young female, forever hovering on the threshold, continues for much of the action in Wright's film, most notably at Pemberley, where she tentatively spies on Georgiana and her brother. Interestingly, by the closing stages of the film, Elizabeth's family has resorted to eavesdropping on her (and her spat with Lady Catherine). Adulthood, a world of personal responsibilities and secret burdens, has arrived."

Reception

Marketing

London bus with Pride & Prejudice ad

After a string of Jane Austen semi-adaptions in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Pride & Prejudice was positioned to take audiences "back into the world of period drama and what many saw as a more authentic version of Austen," as explained by author Andrew Higson. It was positioned to attract mainstream and young audiences, with one reviewer referring to it as "the ultimate chick-flick romance" and "more commercial than previous big-screen Austen adaptations." An ampersand was injected into the film title, a similarity to the 1996 postmodern film Romeo + Juliet. Several commentators likened the main promotional poster of Pride & Prejudice to that of 1995's Sense and Sensibility, which was seen as an attempt to attract the same demographic group of viewers. Advertising noted that the film came "from the producers of Bridget Jones's Diary" before even mentioning it was a Jane Austen adaptation.

Carole Dole notes that "the critical and financial success of Pride & Prejudice has only made it more likely that future adaptations of Austen will feature, if not necessarily mud, then at least youthful and market-tested performers (most immediately, Anne Hathaway as Austen herself in Becoming Jane) and youth-oriented filmmaking techniques balanced with the visual pleasures of the heritage film."

Release and box office

Pride & Prejudice was released on 16 September 2005 in the United Kingdom. The movie took the number one spot in the UK its first week, earning £2.5–6 million ($4.5–6 million) while playing on nearly 400 screens. It stayed on the top spot for two more weeks, earning a total of over £14 million at the UK box office at that time and was featured on 1,335 screens at its widest domestic release.

On 11 November 2005, the film debuted in the United States with an opening weekend of $2.9 million on 215 screens. Two weeks later, this was increased to 1,299 screens, and box office returns increased to $7.2 million. The film has grossed over $121,147,947 worldwide at the cinema box office.

Critical reception

The 2005 film was only the second faithful film version after "the famed, but oddly flawed, black-and-white 1940 adaptation, starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier," and until 2005, The Times considered the 1995 television adaptation starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth "so dominant, so universally adored, [that] it has lingered in the public consciousness as a cinematic standard." Comparing six major adaptations of Pride and Prejudice in 2005, the Daily Mirror gave the only top marks of 9/10 to the 1995 serial and the 2005 film, leaving the other adaptations behind with six and fewer points. The 2005 film is rated 86 percent fresh by Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic reported Pride & Prejudice had an average score of 82 out of 100, based on 37 reviews, and classified the film as a universal acclaim.

Some critics noted the 2005 film's time constraints do not capture the depth and complexity of the television serials and called the film "obviously [not as] daring or revisionist" as the 1995 TV serial. Joan Klingel Ray, president of the Jane Austen Society of North America, preferred the young age of Knightley and Macfadyen, saying that Jennifer Ehle had formerly been "a little too 'heavy' for the role," while Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, while heavily praising Keira Knightley for having given an outstanding performance as Lizzy Bennet "which lifts the whole movie," considered the casting of the 2005 leads "arguably a little more callow than Firth and Ehle." He does add that "Only a snob, a curmudgeon, or someone with necrophiliac loyalty to the 1995 BBC version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle could fail to enjoy her performance." Critics were divided about Matthew Macfadyen's portrayal of Darcy, expressing pleasant surprise, dislike for his lack of gradual emotional shift as in the novel, and praise for his matching the insecure and sensitive personality of the book character better than Firth.

Awards and nominations

Pride & Prejudice garnered a number of awards and nominations. At the 78th Academy Awards, it earned five nominations, including Best Actress in a Leading Role for Keira Knightley, Achievement in Art Direction, Achievement in Costume Design for Jacqueline Durran, and Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) for Dario Marianelli's score. The film was nominated for six BAFTAs at the 59th British Academy Film Awards, ultimately winning the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer (for Joe Wright).

Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Academy Awards	Best Actress	Keira Knightley	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Dario Marianelli	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Jacqueline Durran	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama	Keira Knightley	Nominated
	Golden Globe for Best Film – Musical or Comedy		Nominated
British Academy Film Awards	Best Film		Nominated
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Brenda Blethyn	Nominated
	Most Promising Newcomer	Joe Wright	Won
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Deborah Moggach	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Jacqueline Durran	Nominated
	Best Makeup & Hair		Nominated

Home media

Universal released the standard DVD and VHS on 28 February 2006 in widescreen and fullframe; attached bonus features include audio commentary by director Joe Wright and a look into author Jane Austen's life.

The deluxe edition includes both widescreen and fullframe, the original soundtrack CD, collectible book, collectible booklet, and 9-dual layer.

References

Bibliography

• Austen, Jane (2006). Jane Austen: Complete and Unabridged. New York: Barnes & Noble Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0760774013. 
• Cartmell, Deborah (2010). Screen Adaptations: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: A Close Study of the Relationship between Text and Film. London: A& C Black Publishers Ltd. ISBN 1408105934. 
• Dawson Edwards, Kyle (2008). Corporate fictions: Film adaptation and authorship in the Classical Hollywood Era. Ann Arbor: ProQuest Information and Learning Company. 
• Higson, Andrew (2011). Film England: Culturally English Filmmaking Since the 1990s. New York: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1848854544. 

External links

• Official website
• Pride & Prejudice at the Internet Movie Database
• Pride & Prejudice at AllRovi
• Pride & Prejudice at Box Office Mojo
• Pride & Prejudice at Rotten Tomatoes