Pride & Prejudice

          A while ago I read an article about different film and TV versions of Pride and Prejudice.  I was shocked to find that the version starring Colin Firth was only vaguely mentioned in a statement about there having been a mini-series at one time.  No offense intended to any other gentlemen who have played Mr. Darcy, but to me, Colin Firth is the one and only Darcy.  In my mind, Mr. Firth epitomizes how this character is, struggling with his feelings, wanting to keep them distant and non-existent, but not able to be rid of them.  So, to have Mr. Firth’s work barely mentioned drove me crazy.  To ease my frustrations, I decided to watch his version of Pride and Prejudice (a mini-series put on by BBC and A&E), and see my one and only Darcy.

                Following the novel by Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice centers mainly around the character of Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle), the second daughter of the Bennet household.  Despite Elizabeth and her older sister, Jane (Susannah Harker), not yet being married, all three of Elizabeth’s younger sisters are “out” and available for marriage.  Unfortunately, the two youngest, especially the very youngest, Lydia (Julia Sawalha), are man crazy.  They flirt and flutter at any man in a regimental uniform, who all love to give these young women attention.  With their mother, Mrs. Bennet (Alison Steadman), encouraging the behavior at every turn, all the more-practical Elizabeth can do is roll her eyes.

                Worried about money and her fate once Mr. Bennet (Benjamin Whitrow) dies (without any sons, there is not a direct male heir), Mrs. Bennet obsesses about marrying her daughters off well.  That’s why she becomes so excited when she hears a new, wealthy man is moving into the area.  Mrs. Bennet is certain this new man, Mr. Bingley (Crispin Bonham-Carter), will fall in love and marry one of her daughters, fixing all their problems as a result.

                Oddly enough, Mrs. Bennet turns out to be sort of right.  Mr. Charles Bingley does fall in love with one of her daughters: Jane.  The problem is, those around him are wary of this connection.  The crassness of Mrs. Bennet and her other daughters (not including Elizabeth) makes Jane appear to be a bad match.  Bingley’s friend Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) is one of the biggest opponents of the match.

                While he is a dear friend of Bingley’s, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is not happy in the countryside and does not hesitate to state so when asked.  This disapproval includes the people of the area.  Most specifically, Elizabeth.  Unfortunately for Darcy, Elizabeth hears his opinion and forms her own unflattering one about him, causing big problems for Darcy when he starts to have feelings for the woman he claims to dislike so much.

                Add to the mix of trouble, Darcy’s old associate Mr. George Wickham (Adrian Lukis) arrives in town, and he does not hesitate to tell anyone and everyone how Darcy has done him wrong.  After all her experience with Darcy, Elizabeth is fully willing to believe Wickham’s version of events, casting Darcy as the villain.  In fact, it is Jane who stands alone in believing things may have not happened exactly as everyone wants to believe.  For it is much easier to believe the charmer than the one who stands so proud.

                Wickham’s story is part of the reason why when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth (and insults her while doing so), Elizabeth is only too happy to tell him off.  Not only does she believe what Wickham has told her, but also, Elizabeth has found out that Darcy is the one who pulled Bingley away from Jane.  Loving her sister dearly, that is not at all to be tolerated.

                Confronted with Elizabeth’s accusations, Darcy writes her a letter explaining everything.  About his role in separating Bingley and Jane, as well as the actual truth about what happened between him and Wickham.  After reading the letter, Elizabeth is horrified by her behavior.  All along she has trusted the wrong man.

                Out of respect for Darcy and his sister, Georgiana (Emilia Fox), Elizabeth vows to keep the truth about Wickham a secret.  The only person she tells anything to is Jane, and Elizabeth knows she can trust her.  With Wickham, Elizabeth never directly says anything about what she has learned, but she alludes enough to make him stay at a distance.

                While, in my opinion, keeping the true story about Darcy and Wickham a secret was the right thing to do, it does cause problems later when Lydia runs off with Wickham.  This happens just when Elizabeth and Darcy are starting to get along.  With her feelings growing for Darcy, she worries that now that Lydia has shamed the family, he will never again have the same feelings for her in return.  In fact, once Darcy finds out about Wickham and Lydia, Elizabeth suspects she will never see him again.

                This version of Pride & Prejudice is long.  I believe it’s over five hours, but it’s well worth the time to watch.  Everything from the costumes, to the sets, to the mannerisms, to the language feels authentic.  In as many times as I have watched this version, I haven’t noticed any modern slips that can so easily happen.  Instead, it feels as though the creators followed the book to the best of their ability, making it seem as though Jane Austen could have put the production together herself, including casting Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.