katveze1 I like all the movies that have been made for Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice." This one is my favorite. The humor that Greer Garson brings to it is delightful and the chemistry between her and Laurence Olivier is very evident and captivating. The mother and father roles "Mr. and Mrs. Bennet" played by Mary Boland and Edmund Gwenn are precious and very funny. Of course, the way the movie explores the depth and sometimes the shallowness of relationships and life are memorable and full of Truth. Love it!!!!

heloiseno6 since I read the book at the age of ten I have been trying to work out which was the worst adaptation of the novel:The 2005 one where all the actors seem scared of some thingthe 1995 where all the actors are to old1980 one where all the acting is stilted but this one left the all behind. the script is awful ('"but you are too proud" "and you are too prejudiced" '), There is little or no respect for the novel and costumes are form a completely different era. My usual rule is that the older adaptations of films are always better. I have found the exception that proves it. this film is nothing like the book. Jane Austen would turn in her grave if she saw it. Anyone who likes it should go and read the book again.

jandesimpson MGM's "Pride and Prejudice" must have been pretty popular cinema-going fare in the '40's. I remember seeing it eight or nine times - not bad going in those days when one didn't have access to a private film collection and had to rely solely on getting ones cinematic "fix" from whatever "dream palace" was on hand. Until the arrival of "The Third Man" it was the film I had watched the most number of times, so much so that I could quote much of the dialogue, especially lines that I believe were not even in the book. I even remember picking up a second hand Collins edition lavishly illustrated with stills of Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier and others. I could not have seen it so many times if I had not enjoyed it. A peep a few evenings back merely reconfirmed that, with very few exceptions, I tend to enjoy what pleased me in those far off years just as much now, in spite of the derision that my many purist friends sometimes shower on me. What does it matter if the costumes are early Victorian rather than Regency, the dialogue more akin to Hollywood screwball than Austen vernacular, many of the characters a good deal more quirky than those that Jane imagined, when the result is such fun. One simply has to forget the original and see this as an entirely different entertainment. I get enormous enjoyment from Mary Boland's outrageously silly Mrs Bennett and Edna May Oliver's gloriously over the top Lady Catherine. Some of the men are possibly more plausible in the Austen sense. Who could take issue with Edmund Gwenn's wisely spoken Mr Bennett. And then there is the great Olivier, who, in a performance of real authority as Darcy, for me, absolutely convinces as a man who has to face up to the eponymous faults of the book's title before gaining his Elizabeth. Greer Garson's performance is not quite in the same class but at least she is endowed with the looks and intelligence that enabled her to go on to stoically face the traumas of the Blitz (Mrs Miniver) and discover radium (Madame Curie). MGM gave its one excursion into Austen country its full production values with sumptuous ball and garden party sequences and a lush score by its in-house composer, Herbert Stothart, which must cover at least three-quarters of the film with its Wagnerian leitmotivs suggesting many of the characters. A score well worth a listen in its own right.

atlasmb To those who condemn this film because it is not true to the original book, look elsewhere for an opinion. I believe each work of art should be judged on its own merits. If this film could be improved by being truer to the original, that would be a valid criticism, but I am happy to say that this version of Pride and Prejudice is exceptional.The greatest attribute of this film is the dialogue, followed closely by the plot--both of which are a credit to Jane Austen, of course.I absolutely loved the music which, like the music of the previous year's The Wizard of Oz, is a perfect complement to the action on screen, including delightful themes for some characters.The costuming, though sometimes criticized for not being true to the period, is nevertheless true to the story, adding glamor and comedic emphasis where needed.Although I can imagine other actors playing various roles in this film, all of the casting was enjoyable. Greer Garson, especially, displayed an emotional depth. Olivier, of course, was excellent as the tortured Mr. Darcy. Edna May Oliver as Lady Catherine de Bourgh was spot on.All in all, Pride and Prejudice is a satisfying cinematic experience that transports one to a different time and culture. It might have been improved with color film, but we will never know.