Pride and Prejudice (1940)
- Starring:
- Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, (more)
- Director(s):
- Robert Z. Leonard
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- NR
- Category:
- Comedy
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Long before 19th-century novelist Jane Austen became a hot property in Hollywood, MGM produced this opulent and entertaining adaptation of one of Austen's best-known novels. The elegant and slyly satirical comedy of manners gets under way when socially conscious Mrs. Bennet (Mary Boland), with the begrudging assistance of her husband (Edmund Gwenn), begins seeking out suitable (and suitably wealthy) husbands for her five daughters: Elizabeth (Greer Garson), Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan), Lydia (Ann Rutherford), Kitty (Heather Angel), and Mary (Marsha Hunt). One of the least likely matrimonial prospects is Mr. Darcy (Laurence Olivier), a rich, handsome, but cynical and boorish young man. Naturally, Elizabeth Bennet, the strongest-willed of the Bennet girls, is immediately fascinated by him, and she sets out to land him -- but only on her own terms, and only after she has exacted a bit of genteel revenge for his calculated indifference to her. Though Austen's novel was set in 1813, the year of its publication, the film version takes place in 1835, reportedly so as to take advantage of the more attractive costume designs of that period. Not surprisingly, a few changes had to be made to mollify the Hollywood censors (eager to find offense in the most innocent of material): the most notable is the character of Mr. Collins (Melville Cooper), transformed from the book's hypocritical clergyman to the film's standard-issue opportunist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 118 mins
Complete Cast:
- Greer Garson - Elizabeth Bennet
- Mary Boland - Mrs. Bennet
- Edmund Gwenn - Mr. Bennet
- Maureen O'Sullivan - Jane Bennet
- Karen Morley - Mrs. Collins
- Marsha Hunt - Mary Bennet
- Melville Cooper - Mr. Collins
- E.E. Clive - Sir William Lucas
- Marjorie Wood - Lady Lucas
- Vernon P. Downing - Capt. Carter
- Clara Reid - Maid in Parsonage
- Buster Slaven - Beck's Assistant
- Laurence Olivier - Mr. Darcy
- Edna May Oliver - Catherine de Bourgh
- Ann Rutherford - Lydia Bennet
- Frieda Inescort - Miss Caroline Bingley
- Heather Angel - Kitty Bennet
- Edward Ashley - Mr. Wickham
- Marten Lamont - Mr. Denny
- May Beatty - Mrs. Phillips
- Lowden Adams - Committeeman
- Claud Allister - Yardgoods Clerk
- Bruce Lister - Mr. Bingley
- Gerald Oliver Smith - Fitz William
- Director(s):
- Robert Z. Leonard
- Writer(s):
- Aldous Huxley, Jane Murfin
- Producer(s):
- Hunt Stromberg
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- NR(Suitable for Children, Adult Situations)
- Categories:
- Comedy
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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- 1940 - Pride and Prejudice - National Board of Review - Best Acting
- 1940 - Pride and Prejudice - New York Times - 10 Best Films
