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Pride and Prejudice Part One: Casting Analysis
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📖✨ In this episode of Book Watch, we’re diving into character analysis of Pride and Prejudice and its two most beloved screen adaptations—the 1995 BBC miniseries and the 2005 film. How well did each version capture the heart of Jane Austen’s characters? What changes worked—and which ones missed the mark?
💡 In Part 1, we’ll explore:
✅ Character portrayals of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and the rest of the Bennet family
✅ Casting choices and performances—from Colin Firth to Matthew Macfadyen, Jennifer Ehle to Keira Knightley
✅ Key differences in how the characters are interpreted between book, series, and film
Join Sarah-Daye and guest host Krista as they break down what worked, what didn’t, and whether either adaptation does the book justice. 🎬📚
📌 Tell us your thoughts! Which Darcy reigns supreme? Let’s discuss in The Book Watch Lounge on Facebook 💙
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Transcript
Intro
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of Book Watch. I have Krista John with me tonight. We are covering Pride and Prejudice.
00:00:57
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And Krista, when I was telling you about the podcast and asked you if you wanted to do Pride and Prejudice with me, you were so excited and you said, yes, I am the girl for you for this book.
00:01:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I want you to tell me why
00:01:14
Krista John
Well, it has been my favorite book for...
Adaptations of Pride and Prejudice
00:01:18
Krista John
Oh, at least the last 20 years. I think I read it for the first time when I was about 18. eighteen I'm going to be 38 this year. So it has been, actually, it' it's tied with Jane Eyre. I have a love for both Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, but I have strong opinions on the film and BBC adaptation of it. So I am...
00:01:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
which I know we're going to get into that discussion.
00:01:43
Krista John
Yes. yeah and So I just, I just love this book and it has meant a lot to me over the years.
00:01:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I love that. um Well, without further ado, listeners, we will be covering both the 1995 show and the 2005 film adaptations of Pride and Prejudice.
00:02:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So the show was directed by Simon Langton and was adapted by Andrew Davies. The film was directed by Joe Wright and adapted by Deborah Mogick.
00:02:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mogick?
00:02:15
Krista John
Thank you.
00:02:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mogick.
Themes and Character Analysis
00:02:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And so we're going to start, we start off the conversations with our key themes, um which I imagine is probably why this is one of your favorite books.
00:02:28
Krista John
Yeah, well, all of all of Jane Austen's books have everyday people doing everyday things, and their stories have lasted through, you know, all through time, and we still can appreciate the themes and the the stories today, and that's that's probably what I love most about her writing.
00:02:47
Krista John
So everything that happens in the book is still powerful to people reading it today.
00:02:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. And the I would say two of the main themes in Pride and Prejudice is in the title itself, which is Pride and in Prejudice, especially of that time.
00:02:59
Krista John
Of course, yeah.
00:03:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But it's evident in both of our main characters, both Darcy and Elizabeth, showcase both Pride and Prejudice. So talk to me a little bit about those two themes throughout the story and how the two, the film and the show sort of touched on those themes.
00:03:22
Krista John
the classic enemies to lovers trope, right? and they're
00:03:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, like the original.
00:03:28
Krista John
Right. Yeah, it is the original. And yeah, they both show it in slightly different ways. You know, Darcy's pride in his social status, in his upbringing, you know, lead him to judge Elizabeth and her family, of course, pretty harshly.
00:03:46
Krista John
and then Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy, which is fueled by Mr. Wickham's lies, right, which is one of my biggest problems with the film aspect, the the the film version. Yeah.
00:03:57
Krista John
But, you know, that makes her blind to who Darcy really is. So you couldn't have the the book without the theme of Pride and Prejudice.
00:04:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
hu
00:04:07
Krista John
There would be no story.
00:04:08
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, exactly.
Class System and Economic Pressures
00:04:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And social class is another big theme of this book. And how Austin critiques the class system. Even back then, she was critiquing the system.
00:04:21
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And the economic pressures on women to marry well. And the Bennett family particularly has so many different ways this plays out, which was really interesting to see.
00:04:33
Krista John
Thank you.
00:04:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And we get more of that in the book and the show than we do the film because we're we're short on time. um But talk to me a little bit about that that theme of the book.
00:04:43
Krista John
Yeah, i I like the way it's portrayed actually in both of them. i think the the film plays it up a little bit more, you know, like with the the pig running through the house.
00:04:55
Krista John
and That's, you know, they're really playing up the the difference in the Bennetts' life and their social class versus and Darcy's.
00:04:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Hmm.
00:05:04
Krista John
But, um you know, I think... Overall, though, the the outcome of it is that it doesn't matter where you come from.
00:05:15
Krista John
You know, love is love is love. um Once they figure out each other's true character and you know And then, of course, other characters play into it, too.
00:05:25
Krista John
I'm just talking about Elizabeth and Darcy, but there's Lady Catherine.
00:05:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:05:30
Krista John
She's probably the most eccentric, ver you know you know, obvious version of the the upper class. And she kind of drives me nuts, I think.
00:05:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:05:41
Krista John
She's probably one of my least favorite
Relational Dynamics in the Bennet Family
00:05:43
Krista John
characters.
00:05:43
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, she has the most pride and the most prejudice against other classes.
00:05:43
Krista John
And then, character yeah. Yeah, and the and, you know, Bingley's sisters,
00:05:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Oh, yes.
00:05:53
Krista John
Yes. their Their costumes in the BBC and version make me laugh. They remind me of the ugly stepsisters from Cinderella.
00:06:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
as That's a really good description of them.
00:06:04
Krista John
Yeah. But it's to show the contrast between the two.
00:06:08
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
00:06:09
Krista John
yeah
00:06:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And of course, love and relationships is throughout the entire book, as well as family and reputation. um Again, the Bennett family and the reputation that they have and how that impacts Jane and Elizabeth and their matches.
00:06:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And, you know, how um Yeah, it just shows that how reputation and behavior affect not just individuals, but the entire family as a unit.
00:06:40
Krista John
Yeah. And I love how in the story we get to see all different types of love and relationships, which makes it so that, you know, anyone can connect to it. You can find people that you know in almost every couple that you see throughout the story.
00:06:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:06:59
Krista John
You know, the Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, you know, they're mismatched people. you know, total opposite personalities that's really played up, I think, in the and the BBC one, especially.
00:07:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, I think um it is. We'll get into it when we talk about our cast. But the two Mr. Bennetts are, I felt very portrayed very differently in the two different adaptations.
Timeless Appeal and Actor Performances
00:07:23
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So, well, let's well, let's before we dive into the characters, why do you think this story has lasted generations and been adapted so many times?
00:07:38
Krista John
Yeah, I've been trying to think about that. I think, so there were previous versions, right?
00:07:43
Sarah-Daye McDougall
hey
00:07:43
Krista John
There were previous adaptations. there was one in the think it was 1940. Then there was in the And then the 95, 2005. And now we're getting another one I've been think...
00:07:54
Krista John
i
00:07:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:07:54
Krista John
i've been seeing um i think I don't know. It's just, like I said earlier, it's a story that the themes and the characters are just timeless.
00:08:06
Krista John
It doesn't matter, you know, even what time. i think you could you could set this in any time and the the themes and the relationships would still be something that we can all relate to.
00:08:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:08:17
Krista John
And I think up until the 95 version, the ones that had been tried, I think there were there were also other like TV versions um in the fifty s
00:08:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:08:28
Krista John
um But nobody really did it justice. So that's, I think, why the 95 one was so different from anything that had been done before or has been done since.
00:08:39
Krista John
um
00:08:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Hmm.
00:08:40
Krista John
So they were really trying to stay true to Austin's writing and include everything, every character, every, you know, lots of dialogue i'm just taken straight from the book.
00:08:52
Krista John
So I think it was, it was time for something like that by 1995. ninety ninety five and then 2005 was a blockbuster movie, right? So they were trying to make it more. i think some people didn't like the 95 one because it feels a little stiff.
00:09:06
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:09:06
Krista John
you know It's not as creative. so But it made people be interested in the story. you know A lot of people saw that maybe and hadn't even read the book.
00:09:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:09:15
Krista John
And then they went and read it. And I think the 2005 one did that even more. most like you didn't you didn't read the book first, right? You saw that movie first, right?
00:09:23
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Correct. ah Yes.
00:09:24
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah.
00:09:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
As much as my mom wanted me to read the book, I i did not until this podcast.
00:09:29
Krista John
Yeah. Well, there you go Yeah. so I think it inspired every time they adapted it, it might inspire more people to read it.
00:09:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Exactly.
00:09:37
Krista John
And when you read it, you love it even more. And so I think people just kept trying to, you know, get it right. And i think both of them, both words we're talking about got something right. And I love that the 2005 one inspired more people to, I think it inspired problems more people in recent years than any of the others to to actually read, read the book.
00:09:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:09:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, exactly.
00:09:58
Krista John
And it was,
00:09:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I feel like it's generational. Like the 1995 was my mom's generation.
00:10:00
Krista John
good
00:10:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
i know that you like it, but then the Keira Knightley version was our generation. And now the next generation is getting their version, which I believe Amazon is the one producing the next Pride and Prejudice.
00:10:12
Krista John
Right, yeah.
00:10:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I think it's going to be a show. um So I'll have to have you back on to talk about that when that airs.
00:10:20
Krista John
like Yeah. yeah
00:10:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um But let's let's go ahead and dive into our key characters. We have a decent sized list. um Oh, and I forgot. I'm so sorry, i listeners.
00:10:35
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Obviously, we're talking about um Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which was written in 1813, which I think is probably one of my oldest books on the podcast to date.
00:10:48
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And I also like to share audio book because I am an audio book listener. I listened to the narration by Rosamund Pike, who is in the film. So now without further ado, um we will start with Elizabeth Bennett.
00:11:03
Krista John
Okay.
00:11:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So we'll go through the characters um one by one and have a discussion about each one. So Elizabeth Bennett in the show was played by Jennifer Ely.
00:11:14
Krista John
Ely.
00:11:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay. And in the movie, ah she was played by Keira Knightley.
00:11:20
Krista John
Yes.
00:11:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So I know you have, yes, I know you have lots of thoughts on the show versus the movie.
00:11:21
Krista John
You want my opinion?
00:11:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So let me have it.
00:11:28
Krista John
I'm not going to say that they love Jennifer Ely as as Elizabeth. I think she did a great job. It's just, she's probably not what I like picked but i picture Lizzie to look like, but Keira Knightley is maybe more what I think she physically what should look like, but...
00:11:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
okay
00:11:46
Krista John
I just think she was just too modern. and And I know it was a it was meant to be more modern and and ah and it's a beautiful movie.
00:11:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:11:57
Krista John
i But she, even just like her hairstyle, the the way she jesus she's witty, like she's supposed to be witty and and sharp towards others, but she's almost too confident erect for the for the time period.
00:12:13
Krista John
um Even how she like... makes eye contact and speaks so strongly back at Darcy. It's done in like a too modern of a way where I think Jennifer Ely matched that. She showed Elizabeth Bennet's like that she's witty, she's intelligent, but it was appropriate for the time period, the way she portrayed that. I think Keira Knightley felt more like, I don't know. it
00:12:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Bold.
00:12:37
Krista John
ah Yeah, like that's a good word. Yeah, bold, exactly. It was a little too bold for me.
00:12:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, I can see that.
00:12:42
Krista John
So I think Jennifer Ely... heard it more with more like subtlety I guess but it still conveyed the characterization of Elizabeth Bennett as being someone who's witty and intelligent so yeah
00:12:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:12:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Yeah, I can agree with all that. um Again, I grew up basically on the movie, so it was hard for me to, when I was reading the book, picture anyone else but the movie characters.
00:13:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then when I was watching the show, get used to them.
00:13:07
Krista John
yeah yeah
00:13:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I know we'll get more into this on our next character because there's huge debate among all of Pride and Prejudice fans on who is your Mr.
00:13:13
Krista John
yeah
00:13:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Darcy. So Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy in the show and Matthew McVaden is our movie Darcy. um So I have to admit, when we were first started talking about this and you were like, you're going to love Colin. i was like, yeah, sure.
00:13:37
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then even the first couple episodes, I was like, um
00:13:38
Krista John
Do you? Because I've been waiting a very long time to hear it.
00:13:44
Sarah-Daye McDougall
the first couple episodes, I'm like, Matthew is still my Darcy. But Colin did grow on me by the end of the show. Now, do I choose Colin over Matthew? I'm not sure. i think i'm I'm pretty torn at this point. I'd have to watch both again, maybe even read the book again.
00:14:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um Again, I've grew up on Matthew McVaden being the Darcy in my mind.
00:14:06
Krista John
Yeah.
00:14:11
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So to and and Colin, I've seen in so many other things. um And I've always known he was Darcy, but I've never seen him as Darcy. So it's still very tough for me to imagine him as my Darcy.
00:14:25
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I understand all of the Colin is my Darcy folks because I get it. I do. He was a very good Mr. Darcy.
00:14:35
Krista John
Yeah. I love Colin Firth just like beyond Mr. Darcy. So I have, i just love all, all of the classic movies that he's been a part of bringing to, to classic literature, I guess that he's, you know, Shakespeare and, and as Mr.
00:14:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:14:52
Krista John
Darcy, I just love all the roles that he plays. So I guess I'm kind of biased towards him already, but um I don't know. I just think he's a hard character to portray.
00:15:03
Krista John
I think,
00:15:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:15:04
Krista John
the first time you read The first time you read the book, and I read the book before seeing any adaptation of it.
00:15:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:15:10
Krista John
So I read it blind, not knowing anything about it. And like I hated Mr. Darcy at first. I was like, what is this about? like Why why does everyone love love Mr. Darcy, right? so And I think he he gets that across really well. He he he shows his pride and his pride.
00:15:31
Krista John
you know, you don't like him at first and you're not supposed to like him at first. But I think, I think that Matthew McFadden has more, he's more, comes off as like shy, not so much as being and
00:15:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I, so I can agree with that in the later part of the film, when he starts talking to her more, I do see the shyness. um I feel like I'm almost opposite of what you just said, ah because I feel like when we first meet Matthew McVeigh-Den's Darcy in the film, he's,
00:16:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
He is just very, i don't like this guy. He's very just dry and not fun. Not even that like attractive at that point either. but
00:16:13
Krista John
Yeah.
00:16:13
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um but then as the conversations go on, I get the shyness. um
00:16:18
Krista John
Yeah.
00:16:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But on my first impression of the show, that's how I felt Colin Firth was just shy, not really prideful. um Whereas he's supposed to be just very off-putting at first.
00:16:31
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So it's interesting that we both have opposite opinions.
00:16:31
Krista John
Yeah. That is, yeah, we have the opposite. I don't know
00:16:34
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Well, and that just means art is subjective.
00:16:35
Krista John
Yeah, yeah it totally, yeah. I don't know, I just think if he comes off more as, like, socially awkward, maybe, like, you know, yeah, but Colin yeah yeah but colin Firth is is more, like, I guess more believable in his, like, I don't know.
00:16:43
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Yes. Socially awkward is a great word for him. And you're talking about Matthew McVadie, right? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:16:55
Krista John
I just think he comes off as being more more controlled and
00:17:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Oh, control a good word for him.
00:17:00
Krista John
Do know? Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:17:03
Krista John
So I don't know. I, I, that is just how my experience reading the book was, you know, and he's the one I think that portrayed that better, but
00:17:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, I will.
00:17:12
Krista John
Agree to disagree.
00:17:13
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:17:15
Krista John
and
00:17:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
It'll be fun to throw the new cast into the mix.
00:17:15
Krista John
and
00:17:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I know that we have a Darcy and Elizabeth and a Mrs.
00:17:19
Krista John
Yeah.
00:17:21
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Bennett. I just don't know who they are off the top of my head for this new production. um So it'll be fun to throw them into the mix because also the new Mr.
00:17:26
Krista John
Yeah.
00:17:30
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Darcy just seems so young to me. ah But I think that's because I'm older.
00:17:32
Krista John
Yeah.
00:17:34
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So it's going to be hard for me to.
00:17:35
Krista John
Yeah, well, they, but they are supposed to be young. You know,
00:17:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I
Portrayals and Costuming in Adaptations
00:17:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
know. Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:38
Krista John
Keira Knightley was only, I think, 18 or 19 when she played Elizabeth Bennett.
00:17:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:17:43
Krista John
And that's actually how old Elizabeth Bennett is supposed to be. So they are supposed to be young. I think, I think that is one thing that kind of bothers me about all, all the versions besides the 2005 is that they're all much older than they actually are in the book.
00:17:59
Krista John
So I think that's common in, in, in film anyway, but, Yeah, I think younger younger people might make makes sense.
00:18:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:18:06
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, so we'll see. Yeah, we'll see how this new adaptation, I don't know about, I'm pretty, it's either Netflix or Amazon that's doing it.
00:18:08
Krista John
Yeah. yeah Okay.
00:18:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I think it's Amazon and i um i have my hesitations, but we'll we'll just have to see when that time comes.
00:18:17
Krista John
Yeah.
00:18:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um
00:18:19
Krista John
Well, Colin Firth will always be my Darcy.
00:18:21
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I know he will.
00:18:22
Krista John
I'm jealouslly ah umm jealous of the person that bought his white shirt. I sent you that article, right?
00:18:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right, there was, yeah, it went for like a lot of money.
00:18:31
Krista John
Yeah, somebody auctioned off the shirt that he wore coming out of his pond at Pemberley.
00:18:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. And that was a scene that stuck with me.
00:18:38
Krista John
Oh, yeah.
00:18:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And that's like the gift that we keep sending back and forth to each other now.
00:18:45
Krista John
Yes.
00:18:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mr. Bennett is next in the show. he was played by Benjamin with written. I'm sorry. i have a speech impediment and W's and R's really messed me up.
00:18:54
Krista John
Whitrow?
00:18:57
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So wit, wit row, I'm not going to be able to say it.
00:18:57
Krista John
Whitrow?
00:19:00
Krista John
Whitrow? Yeah.
00:19:01
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then in the movie, Donald Sutherland, the great Donald Sutherland, plays Mr. Bennett. And I have to say Donald Sutherland is my Mr. Bennett. I can't be swayed otherwise.
00:19:11
Krista John
ah I love Donald Sutherland as an actor again but I still like the BBC Mr. Bennett he just I don't know he just comes off he has more of a connection with Elizabeth I think and he
00:19:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I disagree.
00:19:28
Krista John
and i don't know yeah I know
00:19:31
Sarah-Daye McDougall
we knew this was going to be our conversation going into this, listeners, because you had you knew the 1995 and I had never seen it. I grew up with the movie. And so we knew we were going to have sort of, um you know, an opposite view of this going into it.
00:19:40
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah.
00:19:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I will say I did enjoy the 1995 lot. um
00:19:51
Krista John
yeah
00:19:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But please continue about your conversation about Mr. Bennett.
00:19:55
Krista John
No, that's it. I just like him and Lizzie's connection in that one more. And it's not that I don't like it in the movie. it doesn't there he Donald Sutherland does not bother me as Mr. Bennett.
00:20:08
Krista John
So I'm not like anti-Donald Sutherland. I just slightly enjoy um the BBC version. I just think his tone, like, I don't know.
00:20:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
He's a lot more refined in the BBC.
00:20:18
Krista John
He's just, yeah, I think the tone and yeah, refined is a good word. I think he's, he's fun. It's funny, but he, but he still conveys that even though he's connected, his connection with Lizzie, I think shows through, he still portrays that like emotional distance from everyone else.
00:20:37
Krista John
And he,
00:20:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Sure.
00:20:38
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah. So I think he, and again, Donald Sutherland, still all of it just comes off a little bit more like modern for me.
00:20:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:20:47
Krista John
on And I think it lost some of the, the subtle humor.
00:20:52
Krista John
and think that's missing.
00:20:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Sure.
00:20:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:20:53
Krista John
That's missing from the movie a lot. Like yeah Jane Austen's books are full of subtle humor.
00:21:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
hu
00:21:00
Krista John
And I think they all do a really good job with that in a better job with it. the The show version.
00:21:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, the show is a much more faithful adaptation, like line to line, right?
00:21:13
Krista John
Yes, yeah.
00:21:13
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And then also, i think off when we first started talking about this, you had mentioned a lot of the film was just historically inaccurate, like the costuming, you already mentioned her hairstyle.
00:21:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So I'm sure, so for me, i you know, the movie is what I knew of Pride and Prejudice.
00:21:26
Krista John
Yeah.
00:21:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And even of that Regency era, that was my first introduction to really that era.
00:21:32
Krista John
Yeah.
00:21:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
There was not a lot of other media set in that time.
00:21:39
Krista John
Mm-hmm.
00:21:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So that doesn't affect me.
00:21:43
Krista John
ah Do you know the movie set earlier, right? right
00:21:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
oh no.
00:21:46
Krista John
the costumes from the The costumes from the movie are more from the 1790s, so pre-Regency.
00:21:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Wow.
00:21:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Wow.
00:21:55
Krista John
So there their gowns have a different like waistline, and their hairstyles are totally off. like They're not accurate even to the 1790s, but their costumes are a different time period.
00:22:07
Krista John
But she wrote the she wrote the first version of the book in the 1790s, is what I think I remember. so she... I don't know if they were trying to just distinguish it from the BBC.
00:22:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:22:20
Krista John
And when, when she was writing her first draft of it, she may have had that style in her head, you know, of what they would have been wearing.
00:22:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I'm sure.
00:22:31
Krista John
So I think there's probably two reasons why they did that. So that, I mean, and don't know the hair, the hair styles are interesting because they, I mean, its you know, it have to do with Mr. Bennett so much, but the girls, you know, they, they, um,
00:22:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
right
00:22:45
Krista John
I don't know. I feel like Keira Knightley's hair at the ball. I don't know. It looks like she, I just picture that those pearls in her hair look almost like 2005 butterfly clips or something in her hair.
00:22:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I know exactly what you're talking about. Yes.
00:22:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Yeah.
00:22:58
Krista John
Although they did decorate, they would put things in their decorative things in their hair. So I think I'm just connecting it with like the, the time when it came out, but anyway, that's off off track from, we can talk about the costume and stuff costumes later.
00:23:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:23:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, the reason why I brought costumes up was because the costume, Mr.
00:23:14
Krista John
Yeah.
00:23:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Bennett is dressed so differently in the show than the film.
00:23:17
Krista John
oh yeah yeah
00:23:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I'm wondering if that has a little bit to do with how he's portrayed, you know, because not that he's more uptight, but like you were saying, he Donald's portrayal of Mr.
00:23:22
Krista John
yes
00:23:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Bennett just seems a little bit more like you said, modern and
00:23:38
Krista John
He's a little warmer.
00:23:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Easygoing.
00:23:39
Krista John
and think he's a, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:23:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, warmer is a good word.
00:23:42
Krista John
But in the book, he's not really like, he's pretty awful in the book. Like he's awful to his wife in the book.
00:23:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay.
00:23:48
Krista John
Like it's pretty bad. They cut a lot of that out in the movie, I think. Cause it is, it's almost like hard to listen. It would be hard to listen to or watch someone saying the things that he says to his wife in the book on screen.
00:23:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
oh
00:24:01
Krista John
Yeah. So he definitely comes off, I think as a warmer, gentler version.
00:24:01
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay.
00:24:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, even in the show, I don't think that he's as bad as the book is making it sound.
00:24:08
Krista John
no
00:24:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
i i So i I still had a hard time reading this. Like, it's just a different style book that I'm used to reading. And so I would listen to the group of chapters and then watch the episode of the BBC and then go back to –
00:24:16
Krista John
yeah okay yeah
00:24:23
Sarah-Daye McDougall
the um book. So I would like one day to sit down and maybe even annotate this book. Um, because listening, listening to an audio, no matter what you're doing is going to be different experience than actually sitting down and reading the book.
00:24:37
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Um, so I think I missed a little bit of that from the book. Um, because I still thought that Benjamin's Mr. Bennett, um,
00:24:48
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Wasn't mean. He's drier than Donald's Bennett, but um he's just more refined, I thought.
00:24:50
Krista John
Yeah.
00:24:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And like it's still that dry humor that you were talking about.
00:24:56
Krista John
Yeah.
00:24:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Like, um oh, I'm very well acquainted with your nerves. They've been my best companion for 20 years or or something along those lines.
00:25:05
Krista John
Yeah, that's a direct line from the book.
00:25:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I think that line is in both
00:25:07
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah.
00:25:08
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. um So things like that, which which he's just kind of like joking around with her, you know, in the family.
00:25:15
Krista John
yeah
00:25:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah Because they all kind of know Mrs. Bennet is character.
00:25:21
Krista John
yes She is.
00:25:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um Speaking of Mrs. Bennet, in the show, she's played by Alison Stedman.
00:25:24
Krista John
Yes.
00:25:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And in the movie, she's played by Brenda Blathen.
00:25:32
Krista John
So I have to say Alison Steadman is one of my famous favorite British actresses. She's in one of my favorite shows of all time. Gavin and Stacey, if you've never watched it, it's one of the best shows ever made.
00:25:46
Krista John
and It's a Welsh family and an English family, kind of like the clash of the cultures.
00:25:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Oh, uh-huh.
00:25:52
Krista John
And Gary, you know, my husband's Welsh. So we just, we, it's like the iconic Welsh English culture clash. And she plays the English...
00:26:01
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:26:02
Krista John
kid's mom and so I have known her as that character for like a very long time and so I just I just love her and I think her Mrs. Bennett is definitely over the top it's more over the top I think than even in the book you know but it does bring i just think it's hilarious the way she does it so I
00:26:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Well, I do prefer her.
00:26:26
Krista John
um Yeah, I think it's it's different than the book.
00:26:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:26:29
Krista John
I will say it's a little bit more than how she comes off in the book, but I do ah do like how she did it. I think it's total social satire, you know, set social satire at its best.
00:26:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Well, I think they're both pretty over the top, but I do, I think she's one of the ones I do prefer right away preferred her over the movie version.
00:26:44
Krista John
Yeah.
00:26:48
Krista John
Yeah.
00:26:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um not that there's anything wrong with Brenda's version of ah Mrs. Bennett, but, um, I did, I, did I don't know.
00:26:54
Krista John
Yeah.
00:26:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
She just stuck out to me. I really did. Maybe, um, maybe i to check out the show you're talking about because I really did like her a lot.
00:27:00
Krista John
Yeah, it's so good.
00:27:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So, um, do you have anything more to say about Mrs. Bennett before we move on to our next character?
00:27:09
Krista John
No, I just... No, don't think so. i just she probably She probably really annoys some people. I think Alison Stedman, I think she...
00:27:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:27:16
Krista John
Because it's so much, but...
00:27:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Either one, honestly. I think the character just annoys people.
00:27:19
Krista John
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I don't know. I think the the movie one is a little bit, there's a little bit lower energy in that role, which might make people appreciate that that one more.
00:27:30
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Sure.
00:27:31
Krista John
Yeah.
00:27:31
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Well, Jane Bennett is next in the show. She's played by Susanna Harker.
00:27:36
Krista John
Mm-hmm.
00:27:37
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And in the movie, she's played by Rosamund Pike, who is my audiobook narrator.
00:27:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And personally like, and I don't know if it's just my bias from the movie, but I do like Rosamund Pike's version of Jane a lot more than I liked Susanna's.
00:27:52
Krista John
Yeah, I, I, she is the one character. i really, really liked Rosamund Pike's take on Jane. I think she's, she is beautiful.
00:28:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:28:03
Krista John
She's, she looks like almost luminous on the screen, which is how you've, how you think of um Jane, you know, how she's supposed to be.
00:28:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Yeah.
00:28:11
Krista John
And I think she's, she's really good in that role. And I think she has a chemistry with Dingley too, in the movie.
00:28:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:28:19
Krista John
Yeah.
00:28:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:28:19
Krista John
which is, which is nice. Yeah. I, and I think the BBC one, I feel, feel bad for her a little bit. Cause I think she's also, she's beautiful too, but I think that the the hairstyle of that period is just not great.
00:28:31
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Oh, yes.
00:28:32
Krista John
And it makes her just look a little more severe. Like it was a severe hairstyle.
00:28:35
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:28:37
Krista John
And I think, and did i read some, I think I read somewhere that she was pregnant through the show.
00:28:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Oh, really?
00:28:43
Krista John
Yeah.
00:28:43
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Wow.
00:28:43
Krista John
And I think, I don't know. I just, I know. She just doesn't fit the the look of what you think she would look like.
00:28:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, going back to her hair, yeah, I agree.
00:28:51
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And her hair just felt like it was very, very tight. And I i just, I think I was distracted by that a lot of the time.
00:28:56
Krista John
yeah Yeah.
00:28:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um
00:28:58
Krista John
No, the hair is distracting.
00:29:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:29:00
Krista John
Yeah.
00:29:01
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I agree with what you're saying about Rosamund Pike is that that she's glowing. She really does stand out in that entire film as really a bright light.
00:29:07
Krista John
yeah
00:29:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I think that's why ah Mr. Bingley is so attracted to her. And I think that Rosamund Pike really was well casted.
00:29:18
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah. I think Susanna Harker is still, she played she does the sweetness.
00:29:23
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:29:23
Krista John
She's graceful. She's reserved. I don't have anything, i don't think I have anything wrong with how she portrays Jane. i think it's just, I don't And like said, think she's, she's very pretty and she's beautiful. I just think the way Rosamund Pike looks on the screen is just more what pictured.
00:29:43
Krista John
Maybe it's like, maybe it's the dresses and that, you know, it could just be there the different, slightly different style of dresses. Cause even the Regency dresses are also kind of severe looking. They're just, they're not as like feminine, I guess not as pretty.
00:29:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:29:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:29:56
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:57
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Wow. That is interesting that we finally have a character we agree on.
00:30:00
Krista John
Yes.
00:30:01
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So speaking of Jane and her partner, Charles Bingley is played by in the show, k Crispin Bonham Carter. And then in the movie is played by Simon Woods.
00:30:13
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um But honestly, I feel like these are the same people.
00:30:16
Krista John
You do I love, i love Kristen Bonham Carter.
00:30:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:30:20
Krista John
I think he's so adorable. He's.
00:30:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I think they both are like I really and I feel like they look so similar
00:30:24
Krista John
Yeah.
Character Comparisons and Actor Choices
00:30:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um that I don't like it's hard for me to tell them apart, honestly.
00:30:27
Krista John
Yeah.
00:30:29
Krista John
Yeah. They do look alike. I don't know. I think he, Simon Woods just comes off more like goofy and almost like goofy and kind of like
00:30:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
like Yes.
00:30:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Airheaded.
00:30:41
Krista John
aloof yeah and he's not supposed to be like he's not supposed to be aloof he's just supposed to be charming and you know amiable is the word in the book to describe Bingley over and over again so he's just supposed to be kind and amiable so when what did we send each other golden retriever he's the golden retriever right he's the golden retriever in in the story so yeah I don't have a problem with Simon Woods yeah
00:30:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, yeah.
00:30:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I can see that.
00:30:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:31:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. I think they both did. I can see, I can totally see what you're saying about how Simon Woods a little bit more goofy than Crispin's adaptation, but um I really, like, I really couldn't, i I think they both did such a good job for Bingley, just making him the little sweetheart.
00:31:09
Krista John
yeah
00:31:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But now that I'm thinking about it, you are right.
00:31:18
Krista John
yeah
00:31:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Cause there, i now I'm thinking of a scene um I think it's when Jane is sick in bed and Elizabeth goes over and Simon Woods portrayal of Bingley is just so like not with it, like not understanding the dynamics of what his sister's kind of doing in the scene.
00:31:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um
00:31:38
Krista John
Yeah.
00:31:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
and he's just, like he's just, it's like a hopeless romantic. It's so sweet though.
00:31:43
Krista John
Yeah. I don't have a problem with Simon Woods. I just think it, I just, yeah, it was a little too goofy for me, but it wasn't enough to bother me.
00:31:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:31:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I can totally see that for sure.
00:31:52
Krista John
Like it didn't, it didn't bother me watching like him and him and Jane in the movie. I'm fine.
00:31:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
We're really good pairing.
00:31:58
Krista John
Like I can watch that all day long.
00:31:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:32:00
Krista John
Yeah.
00:32:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah I know. Me too.
00:32:02
Krista John
Yes.
00:32:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay. 180 here going from the sweet, sweet Charles Bingley to George Wickham.
00:32:06
Krista John
Yes.
00:32:10
Krista John
Mr.
00:32:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
In the show played by Adrian Lucas and in the movie played by Rupert Friend.
00:32:10
Krista John
Wickham.
00:32:18
Krista John
Well, you don't see Rupert Friend enough to really even get to form an opinion of him.
00:32:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay. Okay.
00:32:24
Krista John
I mean, I just don't think he's so important to the book and he's like barely, he was totally underwritten in the, in the movie.
00:32:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I can see that.
00:32:33
Krista John
yeah. that bothers me more than anything. And I, I mean, he's handsome. He's smooth. Like he's believable, i think for the little bit that you see him, but I think again, going to have to go with the BBC.
00:32:47
Krista John
i think he's manipulative, believable as being manipulative,
00:32:53
Krista John
He is still charismatic enough. Um, Um, To convince you, you know, to convince, I think it's believable that he's able to deceive Elizabeth.
00:33:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:33:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I will say as a movie only watcher previously, i don't think it's a bad thing.
00:33:05
Krista John
Yeah.
00:33:11
Sarah-Daye McDougall
like because you you, know, you are condensed to only two hours and I think you get enough of his character through his acting and through some other like discourse between the other characters um to understand his importance in the story.
00:33:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um I do. um But I can see what I can see what you're saying based on the book, having read the book now and seeing the show, how they did um cut so much of his story out.
00:33:31
Krista John
Thank you.
00:33:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I don't think like if you were to only to see the film like I previously had, I don't think you are confused at all.
00:33:47
Krista John
yeah
00:33:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I don't think you're, um you know,
00:33:52
Krista John
yeah
00:33:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
like I think they did enough to like to have the main parts of that story still have an impact
00:34:01
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah. it's I don't think it's and don't think you get confused. You still get it. But I think it the the like depth of the situation and how much he really played into the outcome of Elizabeth and Darcy's end result is, is not there.
00:34:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
mm-hmm
00:34:21
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay. Yeah.
00:34:22
Krista John
Yeah.
00:34:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:34:22
Krista John
I don't think you really, you're not, you're not able to understand how deep he is in that plot through the movie, but I guess with, but like you said, without having, without knowing the book, maybe it's not, you know, it doesn't bother you because you just don't even know what you don't know.
00:34:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:34:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:34:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right. um I did appreciate getting like the flashbacks in the show and and seeing a little more.
00:34:37
Krista John
Yeah.
00:34:42
Krista John
Uh-huh. Yeah.
00:34:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I did appreciate that. um
00:34:44
Krista John
Yeah. I like how they do that.
00:34:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But yeah. um So Mr. Collins is next um in the show played by David Bamber um and in the movie played by Tom Hollander.
00:34:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um
00:35:00
Krista John
Yes.
00:35:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
that i think both did a really great job of playing this really creepy cousin. Yeah.
00:35:06
Krista John
Yeah. So it's funny. i I agree. I like them both for different reasons. and But in the book, he's not really creepy. He's actually, he's not even described as being short. So it's interesting that both, he's supposed to be tall and kind of overweight is how they describe him when they first when he first comes in.
00:35:26
Krista John
um So it's interesting that both both of the adaptations chose to make him this short, tiny, creepy guy.
00:35:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:35:33
Krista John
because it's not I mean that's just something they played up in the I guess to visually you know have a contrast between him Darcy I think in the in the movie there's when he goes over to introduce himself to Darcy during the ball and he goes up behind him and he's standing behind him and he's like this big and Darcy's like like towering above him so it is funny just to see the contrast and their size um
00:35:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:35:53
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:36:00
Krista John
Yeah, I slightly, you know, again, I slight i think I slightly like um David Bamber better. I think he's more cringey.
00:36:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yes um Yeah, I, I, well, yeah, I think they're both pretty cringy if I'm remembering correctly, but I think Tom Hollander is just such a well-known person.
00:36:09
Krista John
He's definitely a little bit, yeah, a little bit more cringey for me. but
00:36:23
Sarah-Daye McDougall
actor at least for me because i still don't really know besides Colin Firth a lot of these actors I recognized I think I recognized Allison Stedman but I couldn't tell you what she was in not like some of these other movie characters
00:36:35
Krista John
and no
00:36:39
Krista John
Right, right.
00:36:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um so Charlotte Lucas is next um Lucy Scott plays her in the show and in the movie she is played by Claudie Blakely
00:36:44
Krista John
ah huh
00:36:51
Krista John
who I like both of them. Again, neither one of them really stand out to me more than the other. I think i think the, I think Claudie Blakely,
00:37:02
Krista John
maybe is again, just from a, what do I picture in my head? I think she's more what I picture Charlotte Lucas to look like. She's supposed to be plain and simple. And I think Lucy, Lucy Scott is actually, she's like really pretty and cute.
00:37:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:37:17
Krista John
And like, it doesn't make as much sense to me, I guess, as, as Claudia Blakely there, you know, just the way it all looks on screen, but
00:37:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:37:27
Krista John
I don't know. They're both, and I didn't mind either of them, how they portrayed her.
00:37:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, I think...
00:37:32
Krista John
I think they both, they both did a good job.
00:37:34
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Exactly. I think there's nothing that stands out either way for her character. But... um I mean, and she's just a side character. I there you sort of i mean, she's Lizzie's best friend.
00:37:42
Krista John
Yeah.
00:37:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But... um There's not much...
00:37:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
arc, I guess, for her. um
00:37:51
Krista John
Yeah.
00:37:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Other than marrying Mr. Collins um at the end of the day, just so she would have a marriage, um there's not much arc for her. So um not much for them to do with the character anyway.
00:38:00
Krista John
yeah
00:38:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Um, okay. So, uh, the last character we have, I didn't do all of the Bennetts. Of course, we would be here all night, but I did of course need to talk about Lydia Bennett, uh, cause she does have an integral part to the story in the show.
00:38:10
Krista John
Yeah.
00:38:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
She was played by Julia Swala, Swala, Swala.
00:38:23
Krista John
la Yeah. afternoon
00:38:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then in the movie played by Jenna Malone.
00:38:27
Krista John
Yeah. Again, I like them both. Same. same vie vibe I was getting from Keira Knightley being a little too modern and like oh over the top with her like rebelliousness I think just felt more modern to me with Jenna Malone so I think Julia came off as being more like childish than like ah modern rebellion situation so yeah but I think they're both they're both giddy and annoying and and think they both did a good job
00:38:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
had
00:38:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So I will say Jenna Malone is the one character in the movie. Even when I first watched the movie, I didn't like her performance. And I like Jenna Malone. She's been in a lot of stuff that I do like her performance in.
00:39:07
Krista John
Yeah, yeah.
00:39:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I think saying over the top is really accurate for her. And like, yes, Lydia is supposed to be. But there's just something with Jenna's performance never really sat with me and it always took me out of it.
00:39:15
Krista John
Yeah.
00:39:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So I did like Julia's performance a lot more. As soon as she started becoming a a bigger character in the show, i I was drawn to her character as opposed to Jenna's. And um'm I already knew that I would prefer her performance over Jenna's.
00:39:34
Krista John
Yeah. Yeah. I think she's, she's iconic in that role. I think like there's certain, when I, when we're talking about that, my picture in my head first, like who, who do I think of first? And I think of her first in my head.
00:39:47
Krista John
It's like, and I think of Jane.
00:39:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, Rosamund Pike.
00:39:51
Krista John
Right. like Yeah. I think of Rosamund Pike first, like when I say Jane in my head. So yeah, I think that Julia is the one that picture first when it comes to Lydia's character.
00:40:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, yeah. um That's interesting. i Thinking about who we picture first, um If we go with that route, I would say Matthew McFedden is my
Personal Reflections on Adaptations
00:40:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mr. Darcy because that is who I picture first.
00:40:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But again, I think that's only because he has been the only Mr. Darcy for so long for me. So I'll have to watch the BBC version more times and then really define who who is my Mr.
00:40:25
Krista John
that makes sense. Yeah.
00:40:30
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Darcy.
00:40:31
Krista John
You have a lot of people on your team, Sarah Day. There's a lot of people that don't like Colin Firth as Darcy or prefer Matthew McFadden over Colin Firth.
00:40:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
and I would say, I mean, it's, it's gotta to be 50 50.
00:40:40
Krista John
Oh, yeah.
00:40:43
Sarah-Daye McDougall
There's a lot of people that like Holland. So yeah.
00:40:46
Krista John
Yeah.
00:40:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um Yeah. It's, it's a fun debate for sure.
00:40:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay. So before we wrap up episode one tell me what were your initial thoughts? um Which was a more faithful adaptation and, or a bold re-imagining or did they both do well in their own rights?
00:41:06
Krista John
I mean, there's definitely one is definitely a reimagining and one is definitely faithful for me. But that's not to say that they don't both have value. Like I i enjoy watching. i actually enjoyed watching the movie more recently than I did when I first saw I haven't watched the movie in a very long time. I watched it a couple of months ago. I watched it again a couple weeks ago.
00:41:29
Krista John
in preparation for talking about it, but it used to really bother me thinking about the movie. And this time I think I noticed more of like the cinematography and the music and how it's just a really beautiful film and it's enjoyable.
00:41:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:41:43
Krista John
If you're, if you can, if I can take away the problems I have with like the things they left out of the plot or the quotes that I wanted to hear Mr. Darcy say, you know, I,
00:41:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:41:54
Krista John
if I can set aside those expectations, I think that the movie is, it's enjoyable. It's that's why everyone, a lot of people love it. So I do, I did enjoy it, but I, but we're being faithful to, as an Austin lover, somebody who actually loves the book and the way she writes and
00:42:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:42:11
Krista John
I have locket with one of the, one of the quotes that Darcy says that I wore for like years and years in my, in my bedside drawer.
00:42:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Oh.
00:42:19
Krista John
I don't, I don't wear it anymore, but it's, it's the quote, you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. And he doesn't say that in the movie. And like ah in that scene, I'm like, ah, say it, say it. And he, and he doesn't say it.
00:42:31
Krista John
So i don't know. I think looking for faithfulness the book but but And hearing the dialogue come to life that I love so much in the book, obviously I have to go with the BBC, but I did enjoy watching the movie this time.
00:42:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:42:45
Krista John
And I think I get it more now than i and I did before, why people like that one.
00:42:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, and that's exactly how I, after finishing the BBC, would summarize the two adaptations is that if you want a faithful adaptation to the book, you watch the BBC version. But if you just want a fun, beautiful film, then you watch the 2005 version.
00:43:03
Krista John
yeah
00:43:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Yes.
00:43:05
Krista John
Yeah, and if honestly, I love that the the movie inspires people to go and read want to read the book.
00:43:11
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:43:11
Krista John
So if that's what it if that's what it does, then I can love it for that too. Because I think it does it does make people want to go and read it.
00:43:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yes Yes.
00:43:20
Krista John
Yeah.
00:43:21
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah Well, I'm excited to compare the next adaptation with you because I do have some worries about it.
Future Adaptations and Bookshop Insights
00:43:28
Krista John
Yeah.
00:43:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah But ah again, I think it's a show, so we'll get more content than the film at least.
00:43:34
Krista John
Yeah, well, that's the other thing. I mean, we didn't talk about that. Just timing-wise, obviously, there's going to be things that have to get cut out.
00:43:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Right.
00:43:42
Krista John
so And that became less of an issue for me this time around, just having that in mind. like They didn't have six-hour-long episodes to do it, so they had to make choices.
00:43:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right. Yep. Something's going to have to go.
00:43:53
Krista John
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I think honestly, and we'll get more into this in the next episode when we talk about the key plot points, but I really do think the film hit those key plot points. And you'll have to let me know when we get into it next week, what, if there's anything glaring that was left out of the film.
00:44:08
Krista John
Sounds good.
00:44:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
All right. Well, um listeners, you will have to join us next week as we get into the nitty gritty of the story and the key plot points. um Until then, um they as well, Krista, is there anything you would like to share with the listeners?
00:44:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
and it like Anything ah but you want to share about your bookshop, maybe? Follow your bookshop?
00:44:30
Krista John
Sure. Yeah, we ah can do that. That's where you asked me to be on the the podcast. So yeah, we back in the fall, we opened up a mobile bookshop here where we live in Williamsburg, Virginia.
00:44:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes!
00:44:44
Krista John
So if you're local, you have to come check it out. We have a very curated, awesome collection of mostly used books including lots of classics and award-winning literature and a huge history section and a huge children's book section.
00:45:01
Krista John
And I also carry new copies of, you know, trending trending books and then also new unique copies of classics. Like I always have unique versions of Pride and Prejudice there that are that are new and, you know, full covers or, you know, pretty...
00:45:20
Krista John
illustrations and them. So yeah, so we right now we just go to our second Sunday market here in our town. So the second Sunday of every month, we are downtown all day long from 11 to four and we are peddling our, our books.
00:45:37
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, and what's it called?
00:45:37
Krista John
And my daughter Izzy is e and it's called the Wordsmith. We have an, and we have an Instagram. If you want to follow us, it's just at the Wordsmith bookshop we Yeah, and you can, if you if you come, my daughter Izzy runs most of the shop at this point.
00:45:54
Krista John
ah She will be helping you find a book, convincing you to buy a book, and then checking you out.
00:46:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah Yes, we love Lizzie.
00:46:02
Krista John
and
00:46:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay. Well, thank you for joining me today and we will see you next week, listeners.