Pride and Prejudice 1940 to be featured on Turner Classic Movies
Alert Janeite MJ Ryan let us know that the 1940 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice will be spotlighted on Turner Classic Movies on July 21. MJ tells us,
The hosts for this series this season are Robert Osborne and Carrie Fisher. A short (2-3 minute) discussion by the two hosts of the movie and why it’s an essential will precede and follow the movie.
A good opportunity to see it if you haven’t–they’re all worth seeing at least once, no matter what you’ve heard.
July 9th, 2007 at 6:22 am
The plot may be changed, but I still enjoyed Laurence Olivier’s Mr. Darcy. The 1940 version also recently came out on DVD.
July 9th, 2007 at 7:11 am
There’s a lot to nit-pick in this version, but Greer Garson rocked. See it if you haven’t, it’s well worth it. I still chuckle over the opening scenes.
July 9th, 2007 at 9:55 am
I actually just watched this movie yesterday. I was highly disappointed in said plot changes. I do not recommend this movie for the true Austen fan. There is a lot to nit-pick, and as we all can guess, my opinion is that Olivier’s Darcy cannot even begin to compare with Firth’s Darcy. I have begun a post on my site about my frustration with the film. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend it to anyone except my mother, who hated the Thompson/Winslet version of Sense and Sensibility.
July 9th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
I hadn’t seen this movie since my 8th grade English teacher made us watch it because she had a crush on Olivier. We didn’t even READ Pride & Prejudice in the class - we just watched this film! About a month ago I DVRd this from TCM. I couldn’t get past the first 20 minutes!!! Wickham is AT the Meryton assembly?! What era did they set this movie in with those HUMONGOUS gowns with obnoxious bows and hats??? I may try again sometime but it will have to be when I’m in a comedic mood and can laugh along with the complete understanding that this is not a faithful adaptation in the least.
July 9th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
No, it’s not faithful in the least to either the chronology of Austen or even the time period itself, but it’s clever and full of some brilliant actors and wonderful supporting character actors. Mr and Mrs Bennet are especially good. Yes, we know the telescoping of time regarding Wickham and Lydia etc (and don’t mention the eye-rolling development regarding Lady Catherine!) is more than annoying to those of us who love the book, but the film is not beyond the beyond. Before there was any other version of P&P I loved it and I still am fond of it. Olivier is no modern Darcy as Firth presented him, but he is a great actor in a totally different style.
July 10th, 2007 at 12:42 am
I love this version, it’s so hilarious. I mean, you can just see the director thinking, “Hmmm, well, Jane Austen’s novel didn’t end happily enough for me, so let’s slot in romantic attachments for Mary and Kitty, and turn Lady Catherine into an old crone with a heart of gold. That’ll do the trick.” Also, I heard that they used a lot of the Gone with the Wind costumes to cut costs, they are so ridiculous!
July 10th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I have liked this version since childhood.It has some wonderful actors and actresses.I like seeing Merlton in the beginning of the film and the carriage race home.
I liked Edmund Gwynn as Mr.Bennet and the man who played Mr.Collins-he was the Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Who cares about the costuming?Lots of period movies and television get “costumes” wrong.An example is the Sharpes tv series…..
This movie like many of its time is a classic with a Great Cast!
July 10th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Whoever made the comment that costumes seen in Pride and Prejudice were once worn in Gone With The Wind is full of Hot Air! Both Gone With The Wind (Selznick International) and Pride and Prejudice (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) were big budget features and even the idea of “borrowing” costumes for either one of them would have been unthinkable! I would suggest that whoever posted that ridiculous, highly inaccurate statement should take time to research their subject matter before commenting.
July 10th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Well, this isn’t a scholarly costumers forum so no harm done. The gowns certainly seem imitative of GWTW, and coming out a year later, it’s not a big leap in logic to assume if they were not shared, they were inspired by the first film and its popularity.
July 10th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Actually, according to the trivia section of IMDB, some of the costumes from GWTW were used in the large crowd scenes for P&P 1940. Link. Also, in the goofs section of the IMDB article, it mentions that Greer Garson pointed that out.
It is a fact that a lot of things are reused for the purpose of saving costs. Often filmmakers and television companies will reuse sets, automobiles, costumes, etc., so that they can cut costs in one area and spend that money in other areas where it might be needed more.
And seriously, Mags is right, this isn’t a scholarly costumes forum. It is just a friendly site dedicated to Jane Austen. You could be a little kinder to someone when you think they are incorrect.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Just out of curiousity, jlt, did you know for certain that I was wrong or were you making assumptions that the costumes couldn’t possibly be borrowed? As Nicole has pointed out, what I said was not all ‘hot air’ - maybe imdb got its facts wrong, but I’d question whether you had any proof to the contrary before you commented.
Thanks for posting that link Nicole, I knew I’d read it somewhere.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:05 am
You’re more than welcome, Aimee. I had just visited the site a day or so before the comments were made, so it was still fresh on my mind.