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:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

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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

Initially scheduled to start pre-production in 1936, under the supervision of Irving Thalberg with his wife, Norma Shearer as Elizabeth Bennett, but pre-production was put to a halt after Thalberg's death.

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Goofs

The story takes place in the Regency Era (early 1800's) but the costumes, recycled from Gone with the Wind according to Greer Garson, are from the US Civil War era with wide hoops and corseted bodices.

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Quotes

Mr. Darcy: You must allow me to tell you how much I admire and love you.

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Connections

Referenced in The Stepford Wives (1975)

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Soundtracks

"Now is the Month of Maying"
(1595) (uncredited)
Written by Thomas Morley

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.