MovieChat Forums > Pride and Prejudice (1940) Discussion > I didn't mind the changes

I didn't mind the changes

posted 10 years ago by NorthstarX
6 replies | jump to latest

I've recently reread the book and loved it which is why I just Netflixed the 1940 version of the film. I thought of some of the changes were a great idea (certain scenes taking place without Elizabeth being present). There were some changes I didn't care for (certain characters being omitted, Catherine acting as "ambassador", Elizabeth's almost instantaneous change in feelings for Darcy) but the characters still felt true to Austen's vision.

I know a lot of people thought Greer was too old for Elizabeth. The only reason I thought she was too old was because to me, she looked much older than her older sister. She's only a few years older, but to me she actually looked more than that. Despite that, I actually thought she and the rest of the cast were perfect.

[–] elena-28 9 years ago

I love this version, too, unfaithful though it may be. But this was the family introduction to Austen, and to this day, my sisters and I delight in trying to imitate the late great Edna May Oliver in her lovely scenes with Greer Garson's intelligent and warm Elizabeth. Also, this cast seems to synch together like no other P&P cast I've seen - watch the little looks they give each other in the scenes; the way they listen and pass energy back and forth between them; the effortless choreography between Garson and Melville Cooper in the proposal scene. This movie catches an enjoyment in the material, where most of the other P&P versions I've watched feel to me as though they're dragging the weight of the book behind them.

[–] tseybert 9 years ago

It's nice to see a thread for people who recognize that the movie made a lot of changes ... but they like it anyway.

Yeah, the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice is so ... 1940! It's got all the looney and often arbitrary changes that make classic Hollywood so much fun! All the ridiculous material is part of the charm of these ancient films.

It's like the actors all walked in from three different movies. Greer Garson and Maureen O'Sullivan are very natural, almost modern in their roles. Olivier is very Shakespearean, like he thinks he's on stage before the Queen. And Melville Cooper and Edna May Oliver act like they've sauntered over from a movie based on Dickens or Alice in Wonderland.

My mother and I (both of us are fans of Austen but I still haven't been able to persuade her to read "Love and Freindship") love to bag on this movie. She said that the costumes made her think that Mammy would be roaming around the house and helping Elizabeth with her clothes.

The first time I saw it, I was a little annoyed that Lady de Bourgh was so helpful and understanding, but later on I realized that the 1940 version would have completely collapsed with the book version of Lady de Bourgh rampaging through the reels. And who wants to see Edna May Olivier as evil and awful as opposed to disagreeable and comically grumpy?

Add in Melville Cooper and you've got the Mother Goose version of Pride and Prejudice.

If you're looking for something closer to the book, you're better off with the Classics Illustrated comic book version.

Janet! Donkeys!

[–] Julie-30 9 years ago

A couple of nitpicks first.

She's not "Lady de Bourgh." She's "Lady Catherine de Bourgh." This is not a small difference. It means quite a bit, actually. A woman called Lady LastName means she married a man with a title. Lady FirstName means she was born with it. And, given what a snob Lady Catherine is, she would want to make sure we use her proper title. 

Second, GWTW takes place in the 1860s. This film takes place in the 1830s. The costumes are NOT the same. Apparently, the filmmakers didn't like Empire dresses, so they dressed the women in hoopskirts. But NOT à la GWTW. 30 years is a big difference! Take a look at this website for some photographs. You'll see the differences: http://www.vintagevictorian.com/library.html

Now, back on topic.

I love, love, love this movie. We are never told how old Elizabeth is, and we are never told that Jane is her older sister. They're just unmarried sisters. I find this movie to be extremely entertaining. Back in the 1970s (before DVRs or VCR)s, if it was on in the middle of the night, I'd set my alarm and sneak downstairs to watch it. It's that much fun.

And, yes, I've read the book. Countless times, in fact.

http://currentscene.wordpress.com

[–] tseybert 9 years ago

I've always heard that Pride and Prejudice of 1940 used the costumes from GWTW to save money. (That's why the setting was moved to the 1830s so the costumes would make a little more sense.)

Is this just a Hollywood legend?

I love the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice so much that I wish they had filmed more of Jane Austen's novels in that time period.

Janet! Donkeys!

[–] Julie-30 9 years ago

Yes, it's a legend.

GWTW takes place in the 1860s and P&P takes place in the 1830s. Look at the links I posted. The dresses from the 1830s do not look the same as the dresses from the 1860s.

And, if that doesn't convince the perpetrators of this myth, I wish they'd watch both movies and tell me exactly which dresses are recycled. I'm betting it can't be done.

http://currentscene.wordpress.com

[–] joystar5879 9 years ago

Total URBAN LEGEND.

ADRIAN designed the wardrobe for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE...using the illustrations in the Dickens book as references. The clothing style was updated to the 1830s silhouette.

WALTER PLUNKETT designed the wardrobe for GWTW. The GWTW costumes were from the 1860s, thirty years Later in style.

ADRIAN was pretty much on the top of the heap as far as designers were concerned, and asking him to "recycle" garments from another designer and studio would be a pointed insult.

Lastly, it would have caused a Stink Royale in the Mayer-Selznick Clan. David Selznick was Mayer's Son-in-Law, and Papa wouldn't wish to humiliate his daughter by such tactics. He was also getting a massive amount of prestige from GWTW. There was the GABLE FACTOR, as well as the OSCAR FACTOR.

Louis B. Mayer may have been a human cockroach as a mogul, but DUMB, he wasn't.

I do hope he won't upset Henry...