Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation.
One may argue that since the release of the iconic Bridget Jones’ Diary, there has been an over abundance of Pride and Prejudice adaptations. To those people, I say “Yes, you’re probably right, BUT GIVE ME MORE.”
My Austen insanity aside, let’s have a quick look at a few of the more recent adaptations:
Bride and Prejudice (2004) – A surprisingly charming Bollywood retelling.
Pride and Prejudice (2005) – A feature film staring Keira Knightley. It’s still too soon for me to talk about this. Just… I can’t.
Lost in Austen (2008) – An Austen obsessed fan gets sucked into the world of Pride and Prejudice, and whilst trying to maintain the story manages to destroy it in every way possible. I thought this was going to be horrible, but it’s actually incredibly clever and hilarious.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009) – Pride and Prejudice. With Zombies. This has been adapted into a game, a graphic novel and there have been talks of a feature film. There has also been a prequel, a sequel and various other spin offs.
Austenland (2007)– Yet another Austen obsessed woman travels to a Jane Austen theme park in an attempt to find her real life Mr. Darcy. There is a film adaptation coming out this year.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: breathing new life into an Austen classic.
Last year, Pride and Prejudice made its Vlog debut in the form of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries – a modern story where the protagonist, Lizzie Bennet, shares her life with the internet as part of a grad school project.
The show calls itself an “innovative, original episodic video and social media series produced for the web.” In reality, it’s an addictive bi-weekly retelling of Jane Austen’s most iconic tale, in which Darcy is a hipster, Lizzie is a beleaguered grad student and her mother is an aging Southern Belle just as desperate to marry off her daughters as she was in 1813. Oh, and Kitty is an actual cat. LBD is Clueless for the web generation, and viewers experience the story in real time as Lizzie’s videos get interrupted by her sisters, friends – and a certain brooding hero. Continue reading
