Review: Pride and Prejudice (1995)

It's about time I reviewed one of my favourite series of all time. Feel free to join me in fangirling over -- I mean, reviewing -- the amazing, the brilliant, the hilarious Pride and Prejudice miniseries! (AKA, the only good adaptation this novel has ever had.)

Pride and Prejudice is based on a novel by Jane Austen, obviously. It's her second novel, published in 1813. The series sticks very close to the book, taking whole scenes directly from it, and its few differences are usually for the best.

For many of the actors, I've only seen some of their other films/series. And almost everyone knows the cast anyway, so I won't bother listing them 🙂

I'm sure everyone knows the plot, so I'll just give a brief overview then move on to what I thought of the series.

The village of Meryton is excited to hear that a rich young gentleman, Mr. Bingley, is moving into the neighbourhood. Mrs. Bennet is especially excited because he's unmarried, and she immediately decides he must marry one of her daughters.

Mr. Bennet, Jane, Lizzie, and Mrs. Bennet. Mary, Kitty and Lydia are there too, hidden behind Mrs. Bennet's hat.

Jane, the oldest Bennet girl, falls in love with Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy, Bingley's friend, unwillingly starts to fall in love with Elizabeth Bennet at the same time. Lizzie hasn't a clue, and doesn't like Mr. Darcy anyway. She becomes more and more interested in Mr. Wickham, who claims to have been mistreated by Darcy.

Mr. Hurst, Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Darcy, Caroline Bingley, and Mr. Bingley

Mr. Wickham. Ugh. Every time I see this creep I want to punch that smug look off his face.

Jane and Lizzie

Added to this mess is Mr. Collins, who wants to marry Lizzie; Bingley's sisters, who don't want their brother to marry Jane; and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt, who strongly disapproves of Elizabeth.

Mr. Collins

Lady Catherine

Hilarity ensues... until it doesn't.

Lydia, the youngest and most obnoxious Bennet sister, runs away with Wickham. The family is disgraced, until Mr. Darcy insists Wickham marries Lydia. By this time Lizzie has fallen in love with Darcy, and Jane and Bingley are engaged, so both couples have a double wedding and everyone lives happily ever after. Aww 😍

Is this the greatest period drama ever? Quite possibly, though I admit I think Cranford a better contender for that title. There's plenty of comedy in Pride and Prejudice, but not much that will leave you a sobbing wreck.

P+P perfectly captures the wit and humour of Jane Austen's writing, and it's one of the most faithful-to-the-book dramas ever made. Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet, and Lady Catherine are all exactly as hilarious as in the book. Wickham is a perfect copy of his book counterpart from the moment he oozes onto the screen. Jane and Bingley have the sweetest, cutest romance imaginable, and Lizzie and Darcy perfectly show their gradual change from dislike to love.

There are a few things I don't like, though. The most obvious one is the costumes. Yes, low-cut dresses are historically accurate for the period. But this series takes that to extremes. Almost every single dress has a plunging neckline, and there comes a point when it's obviously not for historical accuracy.

Another thing is the portrayal of Mary Bennet. In the book, it's clear that Mary reads and quotes books because she wants to make herself look smart, rather than because she truly enjoys reading. This aspect of her character is removed from the series, where it looks like she's being made fun of because she's a bookworm. As a bookworm myself, this annoys me endlessly.

Is it available online?: It used to be on YouTube, but now there are only a few clips from it. I'm not sure if it can be found anywhere else.

Rating: 9/10.