Pride and Prejudice (1940)

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Movie
German title Pride and Prejudice
Original title Pride and Prejudice
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1940
length 117 minutes
Rod
Director Robert Z. Leonard
script Aldous Huxley ,
Jane Murfin ,
Helen Jerome
production Hunt Stromberg
music Herbert Stothart
camera Karl friend
cut Robert Kern
occupation
synchronization

Pride and Prejudice (original title: Pride and Prejudice ) is an American film adaptation of the Jane Austen novel of the same name (1813) from 1940. It is the first screen adaptation of this original. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard , Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier stars.

action

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bennet is the second of five sisters in 19th century England . Since her family has no male heir, the Longbourn family estate threatens to fall to his cousin Mr. Collins after the death of her father. Her mother is therefore eager to get her daughters under the hood as quickly as possible. The arrival of wealthy Charles Bingley, his sister Caroline, and his best friend, the even wealthier Mr. Darcy, at the nearby Netherfield estate now causes great excitement, as both Bingley and Darcy are still unmarried.

At a ball, Bingley is immediately bewitched by Lizzy's older sister, Jane, whose beauty and gentle nature are widely known. While she is drawn to the carefree and friendly Bingley, Lizzy and Darcy are anything but fond of each other. Lizzy thinks Darcy is arrogant and too proud when Darcy expresses himself disparagingly about the middle class and refuses to dance with one of the women present. Her bad impression of Darcy is reinforced when George Wickham, who has known Darcy since his youth, tells her that Darcy once robbed him of a respectable position and a large sum of money.

Shortly afterwards, Bingley breaks Jane's heart when he unexpectedly leaves for London without saying goodbye to her or explaining his decision. When Lizzy pays a visit to her friend Charlotte, who has since married Mr. Collins, she meets Mr. Darcy again. His aunt is Lady Catherine de Bourgh, whose large estate is managed by Mr. Collins. After dinner together, Darcy confesses to Lizzy that he fell in love with her and wants to marry her, even if he does not like her family, especially the intrusive and silly behavior of her mother and younger sisters. In the face of this insult to her family and because of their reservations about him, Lizzy firmly rejects his application.

When she returns to live with her family in Longbourn, she learns that her youngest sister, Lydia, ran away with Wickham. Since this incident threatens to ruin the family's reputation and thus minimize Lizzy and her sisters' chances of getting married, Darcy offers his help and finally explains to Lizzy the true background of the dispute between him and Wickham. He had approached Darcy's younger sister Georgiana years ago and wanted to run away with her and her inheritance. Darcy was able to prevent this at the last moment. When Lizzy realizes that she misjudged Darcy, she also realizes that she loves him dearly. But the situation of her family and the memory of her dismissive behavior towards Darcy take away all hope of mutual happiness.

After Lydia surprisingly returns to Longbourn with Wickham as her husband, so that the family's honor is restored, Lady Catherine also arrives at the Bennets' home. She demands that Lizzy never see Darcy again and reveals indignantly that it was Darcy who forced Wickham to marry Lydia. Because Lizzy refuses to obey Lady Catherine's request, Darcy feels encouraged to propose to Lizzy a second time. This time she accepts him beaming with joy and Bingley and Jane find each other again.

background

Pre-production and casting

Laurence Olivier in 1939 on a photograph by Carl van Vechten

As early as 1936, MGM was planning a film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, under the direction of Irving Thalberg , in which Clark Gable and Norma Shearer would play the leading roles. After Thalberg's death in September 1936, preproduction was interrupted and only continued in mid-1937. Norma Shearer suggested Errol Flynn as a screen partner at the time. After further delays in production, it was announced that George Cukor would direct and Robert Donat would play the male lead alongside Shearer. MGM also planned to shoot the film in England. The beginning of the Second World War, however, brought the film studio back from this plan. Since Cukor was otherwise committed to Susan und der liebe Gott (1940), he was replaced by director Robert Z. Leonard. After the great success of Gone With the Wind (1939), Clark Gable was again in discussion for the role of Darcy, while Vivien Leigh was provided for the role of Elizabeth. However, after Gable turned down the role because he did not consider himself suitable for the part, Robert Taylor was proposed as Darcy. Taylor, on the other hand, could not accept the role because he had already been engaged for the film drama Your First Husband (1940). Laurence Olivier, who had recently made two big hits with the Brontë film adaptation Sturmhöhe (1939) and Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940), then took on the role of Darcy, assuming that he would play alongside Vivien Leigh under Cukor's direction would. Leigh would have liked to play the role of Elizabeth, but MGM preferred to cast her alongside Taylor in Her First Man .

At the request of studio boss Louis B. Mayer , the female lead finally went to Greer Garson, who Mayer had discovered on the theater stage in London in 1937 and who had only recently achieved the breakthrough with Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). However, Garson was already 36 years old at the time and would have been more suitable for the role of Mrs. Bennet. In his autobiography Olivier, who had previously played Romeo and Juliet with Garson for an early television broadcast on the BBC and in the piece he produced The Golden Arrow , wrote that he was "very unhappy with the film". "It was hard to turn Darcy into anything other than an unattractive snob, and dear Greer didn't seem right to me as Elizabeth," says Olivier. The fact that not Cukor, but Robert Z. Leonard should ultimately direct, caused Olivier further disillusionment. In addition to the recognized author Jane Murfin , the British writer Aldous Huxley was also able to be won as a screenwriter , who, according to his own statement, accepted the offer for the money alone.

Differences to the novel

Austen's novel, which was designed as a social satire, was greatly shortened and modified by the scriptwriters in favor of a two-hour romantic comedy. Some scenes, like the one at Darcy's Pemberley estate, were completely deleted as a result. But the authors made it a point to stay true to Austen's humor and intricate plot. Laurence Olivier complained that some key scenes of the novel were missing from the script and that more attention was paid to the costumes than to the actors. Jane Austen's novel is set in the time of the Regency . However, in order to be able to exchange the rather simple English clothing of the early 19th century for more sumptuous costumes, MGM moved the plot of the film to the year 1835. The film studio is said to have thought of the budget and inexpensively recycled costumes from Gone With the Wind .

Fictional characters were also depicted differently because of censorship . For example, the profession of Mr. Collins - a hypocritical clergyman in the book - was more or less neglected and presented as a mere opportunist . The role of the haughty and authoritative Lady Catherine de Bourgh was again created as a comic character, presumably to make the ending more amusing on the one hand and to adapt it to the image of the actress Edna May Oliver on the other . When she pays a visit to Elizabeth Bennet shortly before the end of the film, her request for Elizabeth to renounce a marriage to Darcy turns out to be a test to determine whether Elizabeth actually loves Darcy. In contrast to the novel, in the end all Bennet girls have the prospect of an early marriage.

reception

publication

The film, shot from the end of January to the beginning of April 1940, was released in US cinemas on July 26, 1940 with the slogan “Bachelors Beware! Five gorgeous beauties are on a Madcap Manhunt. ”(Eng .:“ Bachelors, watch out! Five gorgeous beauties are like crazy on a man hunt ”). The film proved to be a huge hit with both critics and audiences, which made Austen's novels sustained popularity in the United States . According to the critics, MGM's film adaptation of Austen has proven that literary classics can be tastefully adapted and that Austen's works also appeal to a modern audience. The film also cemented Olivier's reputation as a heartthrob and screen idol and established Garson as the leading lady.

In Germany, the film was shown in cinemas for the first time in 1946, presumably in the original language with subtitles. A dubbed version was broadcast on German television for the first time on September 17, 1979. It was released on DVD in 2007.

Reviews

“Environmentally accurate and with fine irony,” said the lexicon of international films . The result was a "family saga with brilliant actors". According to Prisma , director Robert Z. Leonard delivered a "brilliantly staged and excellently cast adaptation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel" with pride and prejudice . The film is "effectively broken" with subtle irony and depicts "the world of the British landed nobility in the early 19th century" in great detail. Greer Garson show next to Laurence Olivier "one of their best acting performances".

Bosley Crowther wrote in the New York Times that producer Hunt Stromberg and his partners had succeeded in producing "a film that perfectly captured the spirit and humor" of the novel. In addition, it is rare “that a cast of such uniform perfection is put together”. Greer Garson was "right out of the book [...]: self-confident, graceful, independent, witty, stubborn and as lovely as a woman can be". Laurence Olivier is “Darcy, that's all you need to say”. The “exquisite comedy” is highly recommended. Time especially praised Olivier. The moment "when, as Mr. Darcy, he enters the ballroom in Meryton provincial with a memorable mocking smile," the film really starts. Variety , on the other hand, came to the conclusion that the film was "not really satisfactory despite the lavish set-up, the costumes and an acting ensemble with unique talents". Laurence Olivier appears "very unhappy in the role of Darcy". Still there are "some good performances".

Dan Jardine of the All Movie Guide believed that Robert Z. Leonard's pride and prejudice was "a relatively faithful film adaptation of Jane Austen's most famous novel". The main roles are "conventionally but effectively played by the attractive couple Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson". The costumes and backdrops would "be more in the Victorian era than in Austen's early 19th century", but the overall impression is "true". The film critic Leonard Maltin described the film as an “outstanding adaptation” which, as a “classic social comedy”, had “excellent cast” and “beautiful historical flair”. Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse would have "rightly" received the Oscar for their films. Pauline Kael found the film "very lively". He is therefore more Dickens than Austen. As soon as you get used to it, however, the film becomes “an exhilarating and carefree film experience”.

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1941 , Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse received the Oscar in the category Best Production Design in a Black and White Film .

German version

Lingua-Film produced the German dubbed version in 1979 on behalf of ARD . Gert Vorkamp wrote the dialogue book, and Gert Rabanus directed the dubbing .

role actor Voice actor
Elizabeth Bennet Greer Garson Lis Verhoeven
Mr. Darcy Laurence Olivier Peter Fricke
Mrs. Bennet Mary Boland Alice Franz
Lady Catherine de Bourgh Edna May Oliver Carola Höhn
Jane Maureen O'Sullivan Ursula Mellin
Caroline Bingley Frieda Inescort Charlotte Kerr
Mr. Bennet Edmund Gwenn Kunibert Gensichen
Mr. Collins Melville Cooper Karl Walter Diess
George Wickham Edward Ashley Werner Schulze-Erdel
Charles Bingley Bruce Lester Christian Quadflieg

Further film adaptations of the novel

MGM's successful screen adaptation was followed by a number of other film adaptations of Austen's pride and prejudice , including mainly British multi-part television programs. 1952 was the first six-part television adaptation of the BBC , which was followed in 1958 and 1967 by two more BBC multi-parts, each with six parts. In 1980 the BBC produced a five-part version starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul .

In the mid-1990s, the British broadcaster decided to adapt Austen's novel again as a six-part. In Pride and Prejudice from 1995, Jennifer Ehle played the role of Elizabeth alongside Colin Firth , who became a heartthrob with the role of Mr. Darcy. In 2004, a Bollywood version starring Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson was released with Love, Indian . A year later, another was theatrical version with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen released. In 2008, the four-part play If Jane Austen knew a modified TV version of the BBC, in which a Jane Austen fan of the modern era swaps roles with Elizabeth Bennet.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b cf. Notes on tcm.com
  2. ↑ “I was very unhappy with the picture. It was difficult to make Darcy into anything more than an unattractive-looking prig, and darling Greer seemed to me all wrong as Elizabeth. " Laurence Olivier quoted. according to Notes on tcm.com
  3. ↑ cf. Roger Fristoe on tcm.com
  4. ↑ a b c d cf. Rob Nixon on tcm.com
  5. ↑ Pride and Prejudice in the All Movie Guide (English)
  6. ↑ Sue Parrill: Jane Austen on Film and Television: A Critical Study of the Adaptations . McFarland, 2002, ISBN 0-7864-1349-2 , p. 49.
  7. ↑ Pride and Prejudice. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 27, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  8. ↑ Pride and Prejudice on prisma.de
  9. ^ “Hunt Stromberg and his associates have managed to turn out a film which catches the spirit and humor of Miss Austen's novel down to the last impudent flounce of a petticoat […]. It isn't often that a cast of such uniform perfection is assembled. Greer Garson […] stepped right out of the book […]: poised, graceful, self-contained, witty, spasmodically stubborn and as lovely as a woman can be. Laurence Olivier is Darcy, that's all there is to it […]. We most heartily recommend this exquisite comedy. ” Bosley Crowther : 'Pride and Prejudice,' a Delightful Comedy of Manners, Seen at the Music Hall . In: The New York Times . August 9, 1940.
  10. ↑ “From the moment when he, as Mr. Darcy, walks into a ballroom in provincial Meryton with a memorable sneer, the picture is in.”. In: Time . July 29, 1940. Quoted from Barbara Tepa Lupack: Nineteenth-century Women at the Movies: Adapting Classic Women's Fiction to Film . Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1999, ISBN 0-87972-805-1 , p. 90.
  11. ↑ “The film is something less than satisfactory entertainment, despite lavish settings, costumes, and an acting ensemble of unique talent. Olivier appears very unhappy in the role of Darcy […]. There are some good performances. " See Pride and Prejudice . In: Variety . 1940.
  12. ^ “ Pride and Prejudice is a moderately faithful re-telling of Jane Austen's best-known novel. […] The leads [are] played conventionally but effectively by the attractive pair of Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson […] the costumes and sets seem more at home in a late Victorian setting than in Austen's early 19th century - but the overall effect is truthful. " Dan Jardine, cf. omovie.com
  13. ↑ “Outstanding adaptation of Jane Austen's novel […]. Excellent cast, fine period flavor in classic comedy of manners […]. Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse's art direction deservedly earned an Oscar. ” Leonard Maltin , cf. tcm.com
  14. ^ "Animated and bouncing, the movie is more Dickens than Austen; once one adjusts to this, it's a happy and carefree viewing experience. " Pauline Kael: 5001 Nights at the Movies . Henry Holt and Co., 2011, p. 595.
  15. ↑ Thomas Bräutigam : Stars and their German voices. Lexicon of voice actors . Schüren, Marburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-89472-627-0 , CD-ROM.
  16. ↑ Pride and Prejudice. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on May 27, 2019 .