5.0 out of 5 stars
A dated but faithful and engaging adaptation, December 18, 2011
This review is from: Pride and Prejudice (Amazon Instant Video)
This adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is the 1980 BBC miniseries,adapted by British novelist Fay Weldon and is a very faithful adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. It consists of five episodes and stars the engaging Elizabeth Garvie as Ms Elizabeth Bennet and the aristocratic-looking and handsome David Rintoul as Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy.
This was the first adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that I watched, almost 16 years ago back when I was in college, and till today it remains one of my favorite adaptations of Austen's works, right up there with the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. In fact, both Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul do a very credible job portraying the lead roles.
Although Jennifer Ehle was charming and feisty in her role in the 1995 version, Elizabeth Garvie makes a spirited Elizabeth and a very attractive, bright woman. She delivers her lines with great spirit and I was utterly charmed by her performance. Her chemistry with Mr. Darcy was also very believable, from the early days of misunderstanding and tension to the gradual growing of affection between them. David Rintoul's Darcy may not be as popular as Colin Firth's but he definitely brings a certain dignity and charm of his own to the role.
As for the adaptation of the novel itself, the 1980 version is more faithful than the 1995 version, as it also contains about 75 extra minutes of dialogue that adds to the authentic feel of the adaptation. The rest of the casting in the 1980 adaptation was also well-done - Priscilla Morgan is hilarious as Mrs Bennet,Moray Watson is wonderful as the beleaguered Mr Bennet,Sabina Franklyn as the very beautiful and very nice Jane Bennet, Marsha Fitzalan made a very conniving Caroline Bingley and Judy Parfitt is perfect as the haughty and meddlesome Lady Catherine de Bourgh. However, I must admit that I preferred the 1995 casting with respect to the roles of Mr Collins [suitably oily], Lydia Bennet and Mr Wickham.
In Episode 2, Mr. Collins reveals his intentions during his visit, i.e. that he wishes to take one of the Bennet girls for a wife. Initially he targets the eldest Miss Bennet (Jane), but when Mrs. Bennet makes it clear that she is already 'taken', he shifts his attentions to poor Eliza Bennet, who clearly detests the presumptuous, overbearing man. There is so much comedy here to entertain, especially during the hilarious proposal scene, where Elizabeth tries her best to hide her revulsion and maintain her composure. The part where Mrs. Bennet insists on Mr. Bennet talking some sense into Elizabeth (into accepting Mr. Collins' proposal) and his reaction is worth a good laugh.
What lets down this older adaptation though is the poor production quality - the lighting is too dull and scenes of dancing at the balls are very uninspired with cheap looking, very small sets that don't enhance the dramatization. It's a pity for with better production values, this could have been a stellar production given that it had a great screenplay and wonderful acting.
On the whole, I find it hard to fault this adaptation. It will always remain one of my favorite adaptations, not just of Pride and Prejudice, but of Austen's works as it is very faithful and well-cast. I recommend this to all Austen fans and also those who have only watched the 1995 adaptation and the 2005 movie version starring Keira Knightley.
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