Pride and Prejudice (1940)

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Jane Austen (novel)
Aldous Huxley (writer)

Release Date:

26 July 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The Gayest Comedy Hit of the Screen! Five Gorgeous Beauties on a Mad-Cap Manhunt! With the Stars of "Mr. Chips" and "Rebecca"...and a Superb Cast!

Plot:

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five unmarried daughters, and Mrs. Bennet is especially eager to find suitable husbands for them...

Plot Keywords:

Pride | 19th Century | Arranged Marriage | Dysfunctional Family | Friend

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

Greer Garson	...	Elizabeth Bennet
Laurence Olivier	...	Mr. Darcy
Mary Boland	...	Mrs. Bennet
Edna May Oliver	...	Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane Bennet
Ann Rutherford	...	Lydia Bennet
Frieda Inescort	...	Caroline Bingley
Edmund Gwenn	...	Mr. Bennet
Karen Morley	...	Charlotte Collins
Heather Angel	...	Kitty Bennet
Marsha Hunt	...	Mary Bennet
Bruce Lester	...	Charles Bingley
Edward Ashley	...	George Wickham
Melville Cooper	...	Mr. Collins
Marten Lamont	...	Mr. Denny

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Vivien Leigh was passed over for the role of Elizabeth Bennett in favor of Greer Garson.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The story takes place in the early Victorian Era (mid 1830's) but the costumes, recycled from Gone with the Wind (1939) according to Greer Garson, are from the US Civil War era with wide hoops and corseted bodices.

Quotes:

Elizabeth Bennet: Oh Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley here is eager for her lesson. I hope you will enjoy it, Miss Bingley, and that you will learn to direct your darts with greater accuracy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Emma (1996)

Soundtrack:

Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks

Good for Hollywood

Like most early Hollywood films based on classic novels, the script alters the novel considerably, but not as much as much as they usually were. As it happens, even with the changes this is a charming and endearing film.

Mary Boland as Mrs. Bennet, Edna May Oliver as Lady Catherine De Burgh, and Melville Cooper as Mr. Collins eat the scenery in their respective roles. They give some of the best supporting player performances that I ever remember seeing in early films. They manage to steal scenes from the greatest actor of the 20th century and making him look good at the same time!

Maureen O'Sullivan is charming as Jane, but of course Greer Garson is fabulous as Elizabeth even if she doesn't fit my idea of Elizabeth.

I recommend this movie highly as a nice addition to any classical movie collection.