Pride and Prejudice (BBC 1995 Miniseries)

"My feelings will not be repressed.  

You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

 "The more I see of the world, the less inclined I am to think well of it."

Casts:

Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet

Colin Firth as Fitzwilliam Darcy

Susanna Harker as Jane Bennet

Julia Sawalha as Lydia Bennet

Alison Steadman as Mrs Bennet

Benjamin Whitrow as Mr Bennet

Crispin Bonham-Carter as Mr Bingley

Polly Maberly as Kitty Bennet

Lucy Briers as Mary Bennet

Anna Chancellor as Miss Bingley

Lucy Scott as Charlottle Lucas

David Bamber as Mr Collins

Adrian Lukis as George Wickham

Barbara Leight-Hunt as Lady Catherine de Bourgh

Emilia Fox as Georgiana Darcy

The Plot:

It follows Jane Austen's classic novel about the prejudice that occurred between the 19th century classes and the pride which would keep lovers apart.

From: IMDB, written by John Sacksteder 

IMO:

I am a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice. It has remained to be one of my favorite novels of all time. I just adore how Elizabeth and Mr Darcy fell for each other and how they struggled to overcome their prides and forget their prejudices in order for the novel to reach its most satisfying conclusion.

I just recently got hold of BBC's 1995 adaptation of this novel. I've heard so much about it. They say it's the best adaptation to date and it made Colin Firth THE Mr Darcy of this generation and catapulted him to heartthrob status. It's kinda funny how I still see titles of articles regarding Colin Firth's new endeavors and how they still refer to him as Mr Darcy. I guess he won't be able to escape this nickname anytime soon. Well, I guess, there are far worse things to be known for (and certainly, being the brooding leading man of Pride and Prejudice is not that!)

Anyway, I think I must first say that I am very partial to the 2005 movie adaptation with Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen, though I think that one was very rushed and some of my favorite scenes were left out, I still love it the same. 

But it is not before long that I also fell in love with this adaptation. Being a miniseries certainly gave it an advantage as they were able to stay almost true to the novel. Most scenes are there and most lines were not altered. It's like Pride and Prejudice the novel came to life (well, almost)!

Now regarding some of the characters, I like Jennifer Ehle. Though I think she is a bit old for the role but I find her so pretty. Her version of Elizabeth's lively wit and sparkling personality is a bit subdued than what I actually imagined for Elizabeth but nonetheless, she does stand out from her sisters.

Mr and Mrs Bennet: Upon my word, they are hilarious! (See what I did there? Haha.) Exactly how I imagined this couple. Mrs Bennet is craazzzy! I would also go crazy if my mother was like that. I certainly have no problem with the voice unlike most people. I think her shrill, screeching voice just adds to the character. Mr Bennet is a lovable father, though a bit uninvolved. He’s also funny when he tries to make a dig on his wife.

Jane Bennet: Hmmm, let’s say, Susanna Harker is not what I pictured as Jane Bennet to be. She’s supposed to be very beautiful and the most beautiful among the sisters but Jennifer Ehle appeared to be prettier than her.

Mr Bingley: It kinda made me awkward seeing how goofy he is but he is nice to look out and exudes that niceness.

George Wickham: Not nearly has handsome as I imagined him to be, but he plays the abominable character nearly to perfection. One would certainly be lured to his charm because he oozes with it but lingering underneath is a mixture of devious mind and false intentions.

Miss Bingley: Ah, she’s very good. Snobbish and proud and condescending! I really hate her character all throughout. And what’s more interesting is the fact that she’s actually related to Jane Austen. Imagine that!

Catherine de Bourgh: She IS Lady Catherine in the flesh. (Sorry, Judi Dench.)

Mr Darcy: Ahhh, let’s be honest here. I love Colin Firth. But maybe, it’s because I was quite a bit influenced by Matthew MacFadyen that at first, I was really having a hard time accepting him as Mr Darcy. He wasn’t tall enough, he was quite stiff in his delivery of lines, and why doesn’t he smile at all????? But like others, he also won me over. He may not be MY Mr Darcy, but he certainly became convincing for the part.

Conclusion:

I truly like this adaptation. I appreciate its length, the added scenes, the combination of casts, the music, the costumes, everything. I can find some things to nitpick at individually and surely, it has flaws but as a whole, it was amazing!

*pics from Google