Problems with P&P0

Kali, I agree with you regarding P&P0. I read in a video guide book that gave P&P0 and P&P1 five out of six stars and P&P2 got six out of six stars. I cannot agree with the rating for P&P0. The liberties taken in the plot line (in P&P0) really strained me. Though I didn't see Demi Moore's Scarlet Letter, I often think about the reviews I read on it when I think back on P&P0. The performance were good but they should have called it First Impressions or something other than P&P. Wickham was introduced in the beginning of the plot. Only one Bingley sister is portrayed. And Lady Catherine being portrayed in a pleasant light. . shall this be endured!

So much story line is lost in P&P0 I wonder they called it a Jane Austin adaptation. I watched it after reading the book and seeing P&P2 so maybe my expectations were too high. Besides what Karen has mentioned I thought the Lydia/Wickhem thing was glossed over. It didn't seem like such a big deal in P&P0. It pales in comparison to both P&P1 & 2.

There was also no visit to Pemberley, no Georgiana-so Lizzy changed her mind on Wickham thing alone, and Mr Collins, what they did to Mr Collins!!!-He wasn't a clergyman anymore... Also, at the end, they show Mary "flirting" for want of a better word with some flute playing gentleman, and Kitty w/ an officer, so the implication is they will get married, too. And the scene with Lady C. telling Lizzy she could take all Darcy's money away if he married Lizzie or soomething like that, and then in fact, being agreed w/Darcy on his choice! Ugh!!!!

Marsha, that sound HORRIBLE! but is it certain, absoulutly certain? no visit at Pemberly? No Georgiana? and Mr. Collins isn't a clergyman?Shocking!

"Mr. Collins isn't a clergyman?" I do not think the P&P0 script writers thought the 20th viewers would understand the dependency of a clergyman on his benefactor or the 'giving' of pastorates as a favors so they changed both Wickham's story of mistreatment and Mr. Collins' career. And they only had about 90 minutes(?) to tell the story so they had to cut savagely. I was so disappointed when I first saw the movie, but it does grow on you after a while. (except Lady Catherine as a clever nice person instead of a stupid bad one - that never becomes pallitable!)

How about Col. Fitz in a kilt?

I'm a huge Greer Garson fan, and I must say that even though it isn't a faithful adaptation, I've always had a soft spot for P&P0. I've read some bios of Aldous Huxley where his basic view was that the studio didn't give a fig for the book, so he tried to keep as much integrity as he could. Does anyone else like Garson's performance as Lizzie? I thought she was quite arch & charming -- certainly not as multidimensional as JE, but I thought her musical laugh went a long way to making her Lizzie very ple sant.

Yes, I thought Garson WAS not bad as Lizzie, but that dress!!! (now I sound like Caroline) And didn't Mr Collins look much older than "young man" described by Austen? What about Darcy-am I right, or is it only my nightmare that he didn't say his famous line about "not handsome enough to tempt me?" What about the relationship between Mr and Mrs Bennet-they seemed to be much fonder of each other then should be... Oh well. The lady who plays Lady Catherine is Edna May Oliver, and since I am an old movies fan I've seen her in some other movies and she always plays the starchy character with nice heart (e.g. the Nurse in "Romeo and Juliet" w/ Leslie Howard, she also has a bit in "stagecoach' as the banker's straight-laced wife). If they didn't spoil it at the end, about her being nice, I thought she would have made a successfully domineering Lady C.

I loved Ann Rutherford as Lydia...flighty and charming as hell...she played it to the hilt. A refreshing change from Careen O'Hara.

Marsha - you are right. Instead of the "not handsome enough to tempt me" line, I believe Olivier makes some comment that "he's in no mood to tolerate the middle classes at play" or something to that effect. Poor Greer. She did so many costume movies she got thorougly sick of bustles. I noticed that someone had posted before that she was 37 when she made P&P0 in 1940, but she was actually only 27. Only one year older than JE!

Two conflicting points: 1) I loved P&P0 when I first saw it years ago as a girl mainly because it was the only P&P around on film and it reminded me a bit of LITTLE WOMEN then also; 2) Lawrence Olivier was very young and handsome then, but he was preferable to me in WUTHERING HEIGHTS (I like 'em moody and passionate, I guess)!

I think Greer was disappointed not to get the lead in Gone With The Wind and made a fetching Scarlett in P&P0. The costuming was also appropriate and Olivier was little more than a stick figure waiting for Scarlett to say yes, simply one of many beaus at Tara. Poor Olivier, it's a wonder he ever consented to visit the colonies again.

Garson had said very candidly that the only reason Olivier did the film was to finance his theatrical ventures in Britain. He didn't care a fig about the film, which surprised her.

Truly, in my first and only viewing, I'm so disappointed. The plot does not come close to JA's novel. EEyeikks..Eehrie to think Lady C in with Darcy to get him marrried. The worst? Greer Garson, sorry to those who love her performance, is unbelievable. What is this, during the first proposal? Snobbish? Not very vexed, her mood inappropriatly haughty and distant. She is crying at what Miss Bingley tells her? Rubbish. What about Olivier, sweet as caramel and leaning dramatically over her. Actually, I prefe his performance altough overdone, not the taciturn nor almost inhebited type. Typical melo-comical Hollywood of the day. Will rewatch and maybe will become acclimated to it...

Well, MGM was never known as a serious place to remake classics. You kind of have to look to David O. Selznick for that. MGM's speciality was more musicals and "big event" productions like GRAND HOTEL and THE GOOD EARTH.

They also made Jane sort of flighty and I hate to say it silly. They made Lady Catherine actually WANT mr.Darcy and Lizzy to be married. As Oliver sai as Darcy"...she enjoys a bit of rudeness and finds it refreshing...".

I did think though that the actress who played Miss Bingley did a great job. Almost as good as Anna Chancellor.

Selznick? Oh, no...GWTW and King Kong weren't over-the-top, were they? ;) Margaret Mitchell had a heart attack when she saw the Twelve Oaks set...

Even so, he did pretty credible adapations of DAVID COPPERFIELD and INTERMEZZO. He did have a love of literature, and was very adamant about not deviating too much from the books he had read as a boy. And I hate to say it, but he was probably much more faithful to GWTW than another Hollywood producer would have been. Can you imagine what an Irwin Allen or Joel Silver might have done?! All things said, I wish that Thalberg had made GWTW. There was a man with class (sigh).

Re 17:19 When Miss Bingley delivers the following line : "a certain something in her air..." the resemblance with Chancelor's voice and performance is quite striking

Yes, I noticed that too! The two actresses are really remarkably similar. And I thought the Miss Bingley of P&P0 did one heck of a job.

I liked the parrot...that was a very Austen-film-adaptation kind of comic-relief which I thought was very fitting and rather hilarious! I don't know, maybe parrots are just funny...did you guys like the parrot bit at Mrs. Jennings' townhouse in S&S ? In Emma Thompson's film diary/screenplay book she seems quite pleased with herself over that little addition...;)