Pride and Prejudice (1940)

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five unmarried daughters, and Mrs. Bennet is especially eager to find suitable husbands for them. When the rich single gentlemen Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come to ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Aldous Huxley (screenplay), Jane Murfin (screenplay),

Stars:

Edward Ashley, Marten Lamont, Greer Garson

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Ashley	...	Mr. Wickham
Marten Lamont	...	Mr. Denny
E.E. Clive	...	Sir William Lucas
Marjorie Wood	...	Lady Lucas
May Beatty	...	Mrs. Philips
Greer Garson	...	Elizabeth Bennet
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane Bennet
Ann Rutherford	...	Lydia Bennet
Marsha Hunt	...	Mary Bennet
Heather Angel	...	Kitty Bennet
Mary Boland	...	Mrs. Bennet
Edmund Gwenn	...	Mr. Bennet
Laurence Olivier	...	Mr. Darcy
Frieda Inescort	...	Miss Bingley
Bruce Lester	...	Mr. Bingley

Storyline

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five unmarried daughters, and Mrs. Bennet is especially eager to find suitable husbands for them. When the rich single gentlemen Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come to live nearby, the Bennets have high hopes. But pride, prejudice, and misunderstandings all combine to complicate their relationships and to make happiness difficult.

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Plot Keywords:

pride | comedy of manners | social life | marriage | friend | 

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Taglines:

When pretty girls t-e-a-s-e-d men into marriage...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Orgulho e Preconceito

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play by Helen Jerome, also called "Pride and Prejudice," opened in New York on 5 November 1935 at the Plymouth Theater, New York City, and closed in May 1936 after 219 performances. The opening night cast included Adrianne Allen as Elizabeth Bennet, Colin Keith-Johnston as Mr. Darcy, Lucile Watson as Mrs. Bennet, Alma Kruger as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Helen Chandler as Jane Bennet and Joan Tompkins as Lydia Bennet. There were 2 Broadway revivals: "All the Comforts of Home" with Celeste Holm in May 1942 which closed after 8 performances, and "First Impressions" in 1959, which lasted 92 performances and starred Polly Bergen, Hermione Gingold and Farley Granger.

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Goofs

When their cousin Collins is expected to dinner, the butler comes in to light the candles. The mother asks about Collins and when we cut back to the butler, all the candles are lit.

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Quotes

Lady Catherine de Bourgh: You must learn, Mrs. Collins, to draw a firm line between the deserving poor and the undeserving.

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Connections

Featured in Pride and Prejudice Revisited (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks"
(pub. 1886) (uncredited)
from "Pictures at an Exhibition"
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky

User Reviews

Slightly Rushed

This film version of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice is generally pleasant to watch. The cast is certainly glamorous and a slight change in the period moved the story into one with fancier costumes to look at. At a few places the plot had to be rushed a little to make it fit into two hours and the ending is also a touch happier than in the novel. Some critics lamented the slightly changed ending but this works actually very well for this medium. The rushed plot elements increase the overall pace but compromises somewhat the credibility of the characters, while the increased pace is at odds with the much more tranquil way of life in days gone by.

Therefore, this is really watchable, but the definite version is the 1995 BBC mini series which is much closer to the novel as well.