Pride and Prejudice - Novel/Movie

Pride and Prejudice Novel/Movie:-

This blog is in response to the Thinking activity of the novel Pride and Prejudice assigned by Yesha ma'am.

Which version of the novel is more appealing? Novel or Film? Why?

                                     

 The novel Pride and Prejudice is written by Jane Austen in 1813. While comparing the original novel and its adaptations, especially movies, there is always a question, which version is more appealing. When we lead towards this, the first and foremost important thing is to collect various aspects like, Plot, Narration, Character traits, Reforms, Additions, etc. The narration and Plot of the novel and a movie is quite different. Because movies run in a very short time limit, while novel has advantage of presenting elaborations. But the movie has the advantage of realism. There are lots of movie adaptations of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. The top 4 Adaptations are given below.

1. Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Pride and Prejudice is a six-episode 1995 British television drama, adapted by Andrew Davies 

2. Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Joe Wright.

3. Pride and Prejudice (1980)

Pride and Prejudice is a 1980 television serial, adapted by British novelist Fay Weldon. 

4. Bride & Prejudice (2004)

Bride and Prejudice is a 2004 Romantic Drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha..

Among all these adaptations, I am going to compare the original novel Pride and Prejudice with the movie of the same title to the novel Pride and Prejudice 2005 by Joe Wright.

1.  Directed by Joe Wright
2. Screenplay by Deborah Moggach
3. Chief Characters=Actors

• Keira Knighley as Elizabeth Bennet
• Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy
• Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet
• Simon Woods as Mr. Binley
• Rupert Friend as George Wickham

    4. Release Date:- 11 Sep, 2005

          Cinema has become more popular nowadays. As it is a part of Literature, it is very important to look at its various aspects. Visual formats are always amiable, as it gives clear understanding through running images and sound and does not consume much time in comparison to reading. 

          The movie wass going to be very true to the book. All the dialogue was kept the same and almost the entire movie was going to be from the perspective of Elizabeth. In the end, the dialogue in the film varied between being exactly the same as the book in some scenes, while most scenes had altered dialogue. This was done to help a modern audience better connect with the movie and the characters. The movie also features scenes from the perspective of Mr. Darcy, these are additional and not in the book. This was done to show Darcy as more human as well as to show the genuine closeness of his friendship with the character of Mr. Bingley. It was a good adaptation of the novel and almost everything was the same. The Pride and Prejudice movie may not be as descriptive as the novel, but still shows major themes that should be represented from Jane Austen 's time. The Great advantage of a movie is, it is not time consuming. Reading a novel will take at least 5 to 10 days, while the movie is only about 127 minutes. But it is not as appealing as the original text.

        To decide which version is appealing, we have to first consider what sort of similarities, amendments and additions a film has in terms of storyline and Character Development. There are four major changes we can find between novel and film.

1. Time frame                                
2. The main characters
3. Selected scenes. 
4. Final scene and extended ending

          The first noticeable difference is the time frame. The book takes place between 1797 and 1813, when the novel was accepted for publication by Thomas Egerton of London. However, the time frame of the film is in an earlier period. The movie is different to the times and manners of those times in which Jane Austen lived and the novel is published. The movie wasn’t exactly accurate to the novel. As there is a big generation gap between the novel and the movie, and the setting was more modern than it was described in the book.

        The difference between a novel and its movie is that there is a lot lost in translations. We can see many dialogues, which are translated or transformed in the movie. Many important scenes are also not depicted.

      The movie eliminates some important characters. In the novel there is five person, who come to Netherfield Park, including Mr. Bingley, Two sisters of Mr. Bingley, His brother-in-law Mr. Hurst, and His friend Mr. Darcy. Whereas in the movie, Only person is there, Mr. Bingley, His sister and Mr. Darcy. The movie also lacks some supporting characters like Louisa Hurst, Mr. Hurst, Maria Lucas, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, the Gardiners ' children and some officers with townspeople, and they are presented in the novel. 

            The movie also combines certain scenes into one. While watching only movie, we may not realise this, but When we look at both the versions simultaneously, Novel as well as the Movie, we would realise that yes, there are many scenes which are combined in a single scene or action. We can also find that there are many important scenes, which are completely omitted or placed differently while making the movie. Mingling two or three scenes together sometimes ruins the development of plot as well as the characters. So in this manner, the Novel is more appealing.

        There are many things that are not described in the novel but are shown in the movie and that are described in the novel but not shown in the movie. The movie avoids some important conversations or dialogues.

         Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation Pride & Prejudice had more differences from the Jane Austen novel than just changing the time period, making the film more realistic and romantic in the process. Joe Wright took a more romantic approach to the novel, grounded in realism, that turned Pride & Prejudice into a critical success for blending traditional period-film traits with a modern approach. 

          The Bennet family in Pride & Prejudice is portrayed as much poorer than their novel depiction, partially due to Joe Wright's shifting away from the formal portrayal of the Regency Era by putting the family home in a more rural setting. The Bennet sisters wear worn-out dresses that don't quite match, and the family home is in a state of clear disrepair.

          According to my observation of Miss. Elizabeth Bennet, she is not portrayed as a headstrong girl as Jane Austen’s. 

      The Biggest Change Joe Wright did is, not to end the story by marriage of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, instead he show intimate moments of Mr. Darcy and Miss. Elizabeth Bennet, who are now married. 

           So, I prefer to read a book, whether I have watched a movie or not, because by only watching movie, we can only get an outline. And book gives a more accurate understanding of the storyline, development of the central problems which are associated with Male and Female protagonist, Pride and Prejudice, which last turned into Love and marriage.

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