1980's BBC Version of Pride and Prejudice

The inevitable comparison is to the 1995 A&E production starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and, honestly, I'm still undecided about which I prefer. I think I'd have to watch the 1980 version a number of times and in close sequence with the 1995 version to make a final conclusion. But, really, the movies are so different!

I was very pleasantly surprised by Elizabeth Garvie's performance-she's so much more like the Elizabeth I remember from the book! Jennifer Ehle manages to completely confuse the point as to whether she's pride (she comes across very contemptuous) or prejudice (which she's supposed to be, but doesn't seem very much so). Garvie, on the other hand, presents a much younger Elizabeth who's genuinely flawed in a likable way and actually grows throughout the course of the story. She's not as witty or enticing as Ehle's Elizabeth, but I found myself identifying with her in a way I never could with Ehle's version.

Like Garvie, David Rintoul was much more what I'd expected from reading the book. Although I'd always imagined Mr. Darcy as being at least forty, for some reason, but Rintoul plays the part very seriously, and it's also easy to see why Elizabeth disliked him so at first! Also, while Firth's Darcy was only slightly flawed (and thus only changes slightly), Rintoul's Darcy is really quite stuck-up at the beginning and is much humbled by the end, which makes the entire story that much better. Nevertheless, I think Colin Firth is undeniably a better actor than David Rintoul, so... the 1995 production scores here.

Perhaps the best thing about the 1980 version is its treatment of the minor characters. Mr. Bennet is a deeply flawed man, as the book portrays him, not just funny as he is in the newer movie. I liked that; the 1995 version glossed over him way too much, almost glorying in his follies. Mrs. Bennet, on the other hand, is far more reasonable-another plus. The 1995 version is nothing but a caricature; in this one, you can understand why her husband married her and why Lizzy and Jane love her despite her many faults. Mr. Collins, also, is far better portrayed: in the 1995 version he's just plain slimy, and absolutely torturous to watch. Not so here. Charlotte Lucas is much better played as well. Mary is bookish and antisocial, but not as exaggerated as in the new movie. Also, Lydia is young, as she should be, and could pass for pretty. Oh, and necklines are a bit higher-or perhaps just more consistently high; the ballroom scenes are still rather indecent, especially in the first half of the movie (for some reason, I didn't notice any such issues in the second half at all, which was very odd).

Those things said, the 1995 version is far superior in terms of production values (although Pemberley is oddly much grander in the 1980 edition), and does a better job with the remaining characters: in particular, Aunt Gardiner, Georgiana, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Miss Bingley, Jane, Kitty, and, most especially, George Wickham. There's also a decided tension between Lizzy and Darcy that is the source of most of the fun of the movie (waiting for them to get together!)-which is largely, if not entirely, absent from the 1980 production. 1995 is undeniably a more modern movie, and more appealing, I think, to modern sensibilities. 1980, by comparison, is slow and tedious, caught up in a world of morals and classisms that modern people don't generally understand or appreciate. But I liked it very much, nevertheless.