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 (screen play), Jane Murfin (screen play)

Stars:

Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Mary Boland

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greer Garson	...	Elizabeth Bennet
Laurence Olivier	...	Mr. Darcy
Mary Boland	...	Mrs. Bennet
Edna May Oliver	...	Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Jane Bennet
Ann Rutherford	...	Lydia Bennet
Frieda Inescort	...	Miss Bingley
Edmund Gwenn	...	Mr. Bennet
Karen Morley	...	Mrs. Collins
Heather Angel	...	Kitty Bennet
Marsha Hunt	...	Mary Bennet
Melville Cooper	...	Mr. Collins
Edward Ashley	...	Mr. Wickham
Bruce Lester	...	Mr. Bingley
E.E. Clive	...	Sir William Lucas

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

pride | flute | looking out a window | garden | marriage engagement | 

---

Taglines:

The Gayest Comedy Hit of the Screen! Five Gorgeous Beauties on a Mad-Cap Manhunt! With the Stars of "Mr. Chips" and "Rebecca"...and a Superb Cast!

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Más fuerte que el orgullo

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

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

In 1947, MGM considered making a musical adaptation of this movie. The studio hired Sidney Sheldon and Sally Benson to work on converting the script from this movie into a musical production. Ultimately, the project was scrapped, and MGM abandoned attempts to convert it into a musical.

---

Goofs

When Mrs. Bennet is seen steaming open the letter to Jane from Caroline Bingley, the envelope is a modern day gummed envelope fit for stationery letters. The year the film takes place is 1815, letters would have been folded in and sealed with a wax seal.

Gummed envelopes would not be invented for another 100 years; therefore it should have been impossible for Mrs. Bennett to steam open a letter that had been sealed with a wax seals.

---

Quotes

Mr. Darcy: I rather admired what you did this afternoon Miss Elizabeth. Your resentment of what you believe to be an injustice showed courage and loyalty. I could wish i might possess a friend who would defend me as ably as Mr. Wickham was defended today.
Mr. Bennett: At this moment it's difficult to believe that you're so proud.
Mr. Darcy: At this moment it's difficult to believe that you're so prejudiced.

---

Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: It happened in OLD ENGLAND . . . . in the village of Meryton . . . .

---

Connections

Referenced in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

---

Soundtracks

Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
(uncredited)
Traditional English folk melody

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.