"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man of good fortune must be in want of a wife". The renowned lines of Pride and Prejudice are of the most read and highest rating stories of all time. Simon Langton's BBC production of Pride and Prejudice was exceedingly popular when it first aired in 1995. Its popularity has not diminished, but perhaps even grown since then. The film comprises of six episodes that are remarkable in their detail and faithfulness to Jane Austen's original nineteenth century love story novel. Some important points that I would like to discuss today include the enduring popularity of the film, the range of cultural values and more that are raised in the story as well as how individuals are represented throughout the story. Simon Langton has used a range of techniques and effects that help to create and add to these above ideas.
English: Français : Une gravure de 1833 illustran...
Lady Catherine confronts Elizabeth about Darcy, on...
An 1833 engraving of a scene from Chapter 59 of Ja...The idea of a love story draws in many contemporary audiences. The sexual attraction between Darcy and Elizabeth is interesting because of their clashing personalities, an idea which is often adapted in many films in modern film. Pride and Prejudice incorporates modern forms of story-telling and the classification of characters into 'types' which helps modern audiences to relate more to the story. The script and the story itself can be described as witty and ironic in the way it is written. Elizabeth's dialogue especially illustrates this. For example, her ideas about marriage, that it should be for love, not money. We can also see that she is Mr. Bennet's favourite and the two have a sort of bond because he sees her as having some 'wit and intelligence' in comparison to a few of her sisters.
The appearance f some very comical minor characters creates a further interest for modern...