My favorite Pride and Prejudice adaptations are the 1940’s one with Greer Garson and Lawrence Olivier, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with Lily James. Many people are fans of Jane Austen’s classic novel. Their favorite on screen version, however, differs with mine. The 2005 adaptation seems to be on everybody’s lips for the favored adaptation. I had never seen this film (other than one clip), my reasons to be explored later on in this article. To be entirely fair in my judgment, I did watch the film very recently and still found myself asking, “Why this Version gets so much credit?”
Elizabeth and Darcy’s interaction was totally off: At first glance, Darcy appears lovestruck with Elizabeth and she makes fun of him for being miserable (feeling the need to repeat her one joke about the miserable half three times). This is supposed to be funny or empowering for Elizabeth, I suppose. But when did it become funny to mock someone for looking miserable?
You can take many approaches to Darcy and Elizabeth’s interaction: In the 1940’s version, Elizabeth says Darcy “seems so supercilious” in the way he enters the ballroom and appears disinterested with everyone around him. She only ventures to mock him by mimicking his haughty tone after he insults her. In the Zombies version, Lily James seems taken with Darcy at first sight but becomes defensive after he ridicules her to Bingley and makes fun of her foible with the dishes. Is the wrath of Keira Knightly’s Elizabeth merited? Look at the facts:
Kiera Knightly takes every opportunity to make fun of Darcy. When he tells her “his good opinion, once lost is lost forever,” she smiles and says, “She can’t tease him about that.” She seems to be seeking opportunities to tease him, whereas the other Elizabeth’s (including the one from the novel) have to be forced into conversations with Darcy and only then do they defend themselves with sarcasm and clever dialogue. When the response is unnecessarily more harsh than the offence, one could accuse Elizabeth of overcompensating.
Darcy and Elizabeth are supposed to be equally matched, it’s one of the things I love most about their relationship. Kiera Knightley’s portrayal is very much in control in the relationship and how the conversations go. She never seems challenged by Darcy or intimidated (this is probably one of the reasons why so many women like this version).
Darcy spends the film looking at her like a wounded anti-social puppy. He really doesn’t look proud in this film. He comes off as socially awkward and Elizabeth constantly poking at him felt haughty and cruel. The scene where he insults her also loses its punch because she was already making fun of him, so its fair play and not as uncalled for as in the original. Besides, we saw the way he was looking at her (he already likes her.) Their conversation at the dance about poetry is not in the book, it just gives Elizabeth a chance to take another jab at Darcy and walk away like she did something (she leaves the ball with the upper hand and has it the whole movie, there’s no balance of give and take). It’s easy to be “empowered” when you’re opposition isn’t putting up much of a fight. It might be a woman’s fantasy, but it’s not Pride and Prejudice.
The Feel for the Movie was all wrong: Pride and Prejudice is a romantic comedy, or satirical romance—not an intense drama. In many scenes, I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. I never laughed, I know that much. At the party scene where Elizabeth and Darcy dance I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO FEEL. Was it romantic? Antagonistic?
The party: was it funny or sad? Mary was crying and I felt bad for her. Elizabeth did nothing but hide dramatically behind a wall, gathering herself from…I don’t know what.
Dinner with Mr. Collins, was it funny or insulting?
The scene with Elizabeth and her parents after Collins proposes to her was played way too serious. The scene is supposed to be kind of comedic but the humor of even Austen’s lines is lost on such a dramatic delivery. Why we needed a ten minute scene of Elizabeth twirling on a swing, doing her best Bella from Twilight impersonation, was also beyond me.
Wasted Time: The aforementioned immaterial scene of Lizzy on a Swing was just one of the moments that fell into the category of unnecessary footage. Another one was all the time spent with Elizabeth and her relatives traveling before we get the Lydia conflict that was presented and wrapped up in like five minutes. Bingley coming over only to leave and then needing to be persuaded—again apparently—by Darcy to man up and tell Jane how he feels was not only pathetic, untrue to the novel, but also a waste of my time. The movie didn’t need to be as long as it was (or it could've used its time better).
Characters were untrue to the novel and previous adaptations:
Mr. Collins was the most polite, least annoying, one yet. Naturally, they make fun of him at the table and again in public at the dance. In the Zombies version, Collins dances like a fool and yet Elizabeth doesn’t make fun of him. He also gets snubbed by Darcy and we see it. In the 2005 version, Elizabeth warns Collins about approaching Darcy because he’s “so rude” but we don’t see this. In both the 1940’s and 2016 Zombie adaptation, Collins is pompous in his proposal to Elizabeth. He assesses her sisters’ attractiveness in public and announces which one to intends to give the honor of making his wife. In this film, he actually asks for Elizabeth’s hand in private at first, having a conversation with Mrs. Bennet.
Wickham was barely in this version and pretty forgettable. He’s overly flirtatious, though, and inappropriate for back then but for some reason Elizabeth is okay with this and hates Darcy…whatever.
My favorite scenes were ruined: As mentioned earlier, I’d originally only seen one scene in this movie and decided I didn’t like it—and this was the proposal scene. You could say I’m like Mr. Darcy in this-my good opinion once lost is lost forever. Why didn’t I like the proposal scene? It was all wrong. Let’s break down why.
-Elizabeth seems less surprised at his confession than in the other versions and she immediately fires back at him. Considering she’s been picking at him the whole movie, her retorts don’t hit as hard as someone who’s been pushed the whole film to get to the point where she has to harshly reject someone.
-Darcy asks for forgiveness and tries to explain himself. This was a big deal breaker for me. Darcy doesn’t do this, that I’m aware of, anywhere else. In the novel, Darcy is literally leaning on the mantlepiece barely controlling himself in anger so he won’t interrupt Elizabeth when she’s giving her reasoning for rejecting him. He does not apologize for his opinions or explain.
-They look like they’re going to kiss at the end. This may seem romantic to some, but it’s not the feel you’re supposed to get from the proposal scene. In this scene their opinions and personalities go head to head and you see a real love-hate relationship. Darcy may be in love with her, but he’s stubborn and proud. He hates having to stand there and listen to her critique his behavior (but he’s a gentlemen so he does). Elizabeth is not in love with him at this point. She has not had her “Oh, Mr. Darcy…” moment like in the 1940’s version when she realizes her feelings for him. To make it look like they would kiss at this stage is not true to the characters and overdramatic, hence doing it in the rain. It gives feels but it’s not Darcy and Elizabeth. Kiera Knightly also wanting to kiss him after telling him “he’s the last man in the world she could ever be prevailed upon to marry” makes it seem like she’s wanted him this whole movie and has been pretending not to in order to save face. That could work. I’m convinced Lily James’ version likes Darcy the whole film, but she won’t submit to her feeling until he changes. They don’t almost kiss because it would make their conflict for the entire film seem irrelevant if they’re willing to give in to feelings when no reform has taken place.
-The end confession was also overdramatic and nothing like the book. Let’s have Darcy cross a field in his bedclothes and meet Elizabeth in her pajamas at dawn to really hammer in this film’s drama. I believe you ham up the special effects when you have nothing to say. This shouldn’t be the case with Austen’s material, but that’s how it felt. Darcy tells her he loves her three times and she says, “you’re hands are cold.” Then the sun blocks their kiss. Okay…
I’ve read the book twice and seen the 1940’s film over a dozen times. I love Pride and Prejudice, but I’m just saying—I was not a fan of this.
-Hannah