"You have bewitched me, body and soul..."
Pride and Prejudice turns 20...
I love Joe Wright’s gorgeous, sensual adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (with screenplay by Deborah Moggach, based on Jane Austen’s beloved novel). It’s steeped in gorgeous nature imagery, giving it a sensory richness that, prior to its release, was not often seen in so-called costume dramas. This film helped redefine Austen as a romantic writer (as opposed to one focused mainly on social satire and intrigue) and lent new boldness to on-screen period dramas.
Joe Wright’s brilliant film adaptation has bewitched me, body and soul, for twenty years, and now it’s showing in theatres (AMC and various arthouses) in honor of its 20th anniversary. Here is a more in-depth piece I wrote for The Arts Fuse, exploring the film’s sumptuous use of the natural world to reflect the characters’ depth and complexity.
If you can’t see it in a theatre this week, it’s available to stream on Netflix, Prime, Apple TV, and other channels, and on DVD. And before you ask, yes, I also love the BBC 1995 mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. But I do prefer the 2005 version.
And if you didn’t know, the two Misters Darcy square off in another English period film (part political thriller, part romance), 2022’s Operation Mincemeat.
