Pride and Prejudice

This version aired on UK TV fifteen years before the renowned Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle adaptation of Jane Austen's famous book. As such, it shows its age, being rather studio-bound and stiff in its construction.

However, Elizabeth Garvie does come across as closer to Austen's conception of Lizzy Bennet that either Jennifer Ehle or Greer Garson in the Hollywood film. Sabina Franklyn is particularly good as Jane, not a mouse but just a genuinely nice person, while Clare Higgins (Kitty), Tessa Peake-Jones (Mary), and Natalie Ogle (Lydia) are good as the remaining Bennet sisters.

Of particular interest though is David Rintoul's Darcy. Of a very different stamp to the brooding landowner of the 1995 version, he gives an extremely interesting portrayal, just as attractive in its way, and again, closer to the character depicted in the book. Others of note in the cast are Moray Watson as Mr Bennet, and Judy Parfitt as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

I have a soft spot for this version. I saw it when it was on Masterpiece Theater with my dad (who died last year) and the rest of my family.

Garvie is the best Elizabeth I've seen. Ehle's Elizabeth had more verve, but I felt Garvie's Elizabeth was truer to the character of the novel.

I would have loved to see her opposite Firth (I know she was too old in 1995, so it is just fantasy casting!), who I liked as Darcy better.

Firth was able to portray the changes in Darcy which Elizabeth's angry rejection brings about better.

I didn't think Rintoul managed to convey this as well.

I liked Mrs. Bennet better here, she was more restrained than the 1995 version. Jane was far superior in this version too.

However, the 1995 version is still my favorite and NOT because of Firth.

I think the 1995 version stuck closer to the novel than this one did.

A few examples: The scene where Elizabeth gets the letter from Jane alerting her to Lydia's elopement. In the book and the 1995 version, Darcy walks in on her right after she learns the news. In this version Elizabeth runs to Pemberly looking for her Aunt and Uncle and runs in to Darcy's sitting room.

Darcy walking in on her is important, it doesn't make sense she would share her troubles with him if he hadn't caught her unawares. Especially considering her mortification over her family AND that Wickham was involved. (This bugs me in the 2005 movie too, in that version Darcy is sitting with the Gardners, which again, makes no sense. Why would she tell him once she found her Aunt and Uncle?) The conversation with Lady Catherine is cut down in this version. Elizabeth's anger is much more muted here than in either the book and the 1995 version.

The second proposal scene. In the book and the 1995 version Elizabeth, Darcy and Kitty go walking with Jane and Bingley. Kitty runs off to see Maria Lucus, then Elizabeth thanks Darcy for his role in Lydia's marriage.

In this version, Darcy sends a note to Elizabeth to meet him in the grove, which she does. This eliminates her fears over Darcy's feelings for her, she is more sure of herself because he has made the first move (by asking her to meet him). In the book and 1995 version, she breaks the ice by thanking him, and later in the book teases him that she made the first move in assuring their happiness. He denies this by saying he was about to bring up Lady Catherine's visit but she beat him to the punch (not in those words of course, LOL).

There is no final scene between Mr. Benett and Elizabeth where he asks for her assurance that she really loves Darcy. It is a touching scene in the book which illustrates the father/daughter bond.

This is not to say this version isn't very good, it is. I love this story and don't think there can be too many versions, if done well.

I agree with another reviewer in that I wish they would dramatize the end of the book better, the story doesn't end after second proposal. I would love to see Collins come running back to escape Lady Catherine's wrath at the news and his subsequent behavior towards Darcy.

I don't know why for example, the 2005 USA release of the movie had to end with such a silly scene at Pemberly to show us a kiss. They could have easily stayed truer to the novel and had Collins come upon them in the grove in a clinch for example. LOL!! In conclusion, while the 1995 version remains my favorite, this one is extremely well done and worth the time

I have seen the movie with Greer Garson and the new BBC mini-series, and this 1979 version is my favorite of the three. But they all have something to recommend them. The Greer Garson movie is gentle and courtly and it doesn't take itself seriously at all...the new BBC series is *very* romantic. But I think the Garvie/Rintoul series really does capture the spirit of the book. What some people have described as stilted reading is, I think, just evidence of the care that Austen took with each phrase, so the words are carefully chosen and carefully spoken...and, assuredly, the Darcy/Elizabeth exchanges are filled with emotion underneath the surface of propriety. David Rintoul does a wonderful, wonderful job, he is totally believable as the enigmatic Darcy, and Garvie as Elizabeth is wise and restrained, yet also shows her youth. The other characters are also well-played, and the music is very appropriate. The sets are simple, yes, but they seem very authentic, and the scenery is marvelous. Although I did enjoy both other versions I saw, it is in this one where I feel the real passion is, despite of, or, perhaps because of, the restrained actions of the characters...you can see them boiling underneath the veneer of civility. :) But the lush BBC version and the gentle, kind movie version have much to be said for them, too...they are all good in their own ways, and, therefore, should be enjoyed for what each of them brings to the novel. Enjoy. :)

I find this version of Pride and Prejudice extremely good. Lizzy Bennet as portrayed by Elizabeth Garvie really dose have 'fine eyes' and Mr Darcy is a 'big tall fellow' and suitably haughty. It's a shame that the Colin Firth and Jennifer Elle BBC adaptation has taken precedence in the public mind - as this is superior in many ways, though the acting is perhaps more stilted and the costumes and scenes seem more 'staged' to a modern eye. Fay Weldon has kept in much more of the famous lines actually written by Jane Austin and there has been no attempt to try to modernise the story with inclusions of such things as cut away bedroom scenes of Lydia and Whickham, or Darcy in a wet shirt!

For anyone who has actually read "Pride and Prejudice" (rather than just knowing it from the A&E production), this is an excellent and lively adaptation of the book. It is worth watching just to see the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, in action. Unlike the A&E version, which took enormous liberties with Jane Austen's novel, much of the dialogue is straight from the pen of Austen herself. Adorable as Colin Firth is, David Rintoul does a much better job of capturing the essence of Dr. Darcy as created by Austen, and Elizabeth Garvie is a spirited Elizabeth Bennett. The supporting cast is also for the most part excellent, particularly Charlotte Lucas, Mr. Collins, and Lady Catherine. In a few places, the pace is stilted, and it was clearly made for TV before big budgets, fancy sets, and more modern technology. Nevertheless, if someone wants to view an adaptation true to Austen's creation, this is an enjoyable experience.