Pride & Prejudice is one of those cases where I liked both the book and the film, considering them both beautifully written and edited, but prefer the book due to all of the details and dialogue, much of which had to be manipulated of cut in the film, for various reasons. In my opinion, this book would be a dream to make into a big budget film because there is so much material to work with, thus giving a high degree artistic license to the film maker. Following are some of the questions I have regarding just a few of the challenging situations in adapting the book to a film.
1. What characters will you need to omit from the story? Which ones are vital to the telling of the story? All of the characters in the book have something to offer the story and play a big part in developing the main characters.
Detail of a C. E. Brock illustration for the 1895 ...
Wm. S. Bennet, J.J. Lyon (LOC)
English: This diagram, or map, illustrates the rel...If you omit some of the characters, how will you then develop the main characters?I would omit the neighbors (excluding Charlotte) as they mainly provide a way for gossip to be spread and do not play any major part. This will also cut some of the dialogue, which is going to necessary in the film adaptation.
2.Who will you cast as some of the main characters? Will you change some of the characters personality traits in order to exaggerate them? For instance: Mrs. Bennet and her nervousness and desperation. Is she more like a servant class than middle class in her personality? I think Dame Judy Dench as Lady Katherine was the most brilliant choice in casting. Darcy will have to be tall, dark, handsome and stoic. Possilby Jude Law. Expressive face as that is our main insight to Darcy.
3. Keira Knightly was a...