Pride and Prejudice - Adaptations etc.

OK, so I realise that at this point it's kind of a cliche to gush about how much you love Pride and Prejudice, but you guys, I really love Pride and Prejudice. Shamefully I only read it for the first time about 3 years ago, but since I was raised on a diet of BBC miniseries I was already familiar with the story thanks to the 1995 adaptation.

A lot of people dismiss Pride and Prejudice as a girly book (I don't have time to rant about people dismissing things they perceive to be overly feminine as inherently frivolous and lacking in value right now, so let's just skim over that for the moment) but it's so much more than that. Firstly - Pride and Prejudice is funny as hell, Elizabeth Bennet is a beloved character for a reason, and that reason is that she's a sassy BAMF - if you want any evidence of that just check out pretty much any of her interactions with Mr Collins, Lady Catherine, Caroline and Whatsherface Bingley, or her mother. Secondly - Mr Darcy. I know I'm venturing even further into cliche territory here, but Mr Darcy is an adorable socially awkward uber-man and if you're not in love with him then you're wrong.

OK, now I'm going to get into the actual point of this post, which is adaptations. LET'S GO!

BBC Miniseries, 1995

Let's be real - this is the only acceptable answer to the question of which is the best adaptation. With 5 and a half hours of Darcy-y goodness to offer, I don't think the other versions on this list can really compare to the thoroughness of this adaptation, 90 minutes of screen-time just isn't long enough to do justice to the subtleties and slow development of Darcy and Lizzie's relationship. Also - Colin Firth.

Joe Wright Film, 2005

The first time I watched this film, it didn't really have an impact on me and I promptly forgot all about it, but I re-watched it a couple of months ago and loved it. For starters, this film is absolutely gorgeous, every shot is like a freaking work of art, and the music fits perfectly and is amazing. As an adaptation I'm not that crazy about this one, but as a film in its own right it’s stunning and brilliant. Adaptation wise, it doesn’t cover everything (obviously) but it does a really great job of picking and choosing all the essential moments and it is cast perfectly – I have a special spot in my heart for ginger Bingley. One of my favourite moments in this film is when Bingley is practicing proposing to Jane by roleplaying with Darcy, UGH! THESE TWO GOOFBALL ROMANTIC BFFS! So cute.

Lost in Austen, 2008

Another miniseries, this one isn’t exactly an adaptation but I’m including it anyway because it almost is, and I love it so I want to talk about it. In Lost in Austen a 21st century woman (Amanda Price) who is bored out of skull with her crappy call-centre job and even crappier boyfriend somehow ends up switching places with Elizabeth Bennett and finds herself trapped in the world of Pride and Prejudice. Essentially, every Pride and Prejudice fangirl’s fantasy - it all gets very meta when Amanda actually asks Mr Darcy to come out of the lake with his shirt on a la Colin Firth, and I love me some meta. This series is pure escapism and wish fulfilment and I enjoyed every minute of it, Jemima Rooper is charming as usual as the often idiotic Amanda, Alex Kingston kills it as Mrs Bennett (I bloody love Mrs Bennett) and Darcy is perfectly Darcy-like, what more could you want!?

The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, 2012 – 2013

I’ll be the first to admit that I was super sceptical about this adaptation – Pride and Prejudice told through video diaries? I even watched the first few episodes when the series started and made the decision not to keep up with it, but I came back to it a few months later when it was over two thirds of the way through and I am so glad I did. I think this series really benefits from being watched in several long sittings, rather than watching each of the ~ 5 minute episodes individually, and I think that’s why I didn’t really get into it when I first tried to watch it. This adaptation is definitely not for everyone, and by not for everyone I mostly mean it’s not for Austen-purists who will be bothered by the modern setting, which obviously necessitates a lot of changes in the plot. However, if you can get past the modern setting and the plot changes it’s so worth it, mainly because the story is evidently told with a lot of love, and I think that's what makes a great adaptation. Also this adaptation gives us a really great insight into a lot of the characters through seeing the story from their point of view. Lydia and Charlotte Lucas in particular really benefit from this re-telling, and become complex characters in their own right, with their own stories, rather than just plot devices to advance Lizzie’s storyline. Also I have a soft spot for Mary as a socially awkward emo-kid.

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So there you go - my favourite Pride and Prejudice adaptations. I know I said that the BBC miniseries is indisputably the best adaptation but to be 100% honest if I had to pick a favourite from these four I don't know if I could do it, they're all very different and I love them all!