Pride and Prejudice (1940)
MGM’s version, with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier, co-written by Aldous Huxley.
Treat the novel as a fast screwball comedy with a big studio cast, and let the romance come out of the jokes.
You like old Hollywood, and you want this story played quickly and brightly by two stars.
What it keeps and what it changes
Keeps: the Bennets, the marriage problem and most of the plot, in under two hours.
Changes: a good deal. The screenplay by Aldous Huxley and Jane Murfin drew on a stage version as well as the novel, the period was moved later for grander costumes, and Lady Catherine’s confrontation with Elizabeth becomes a test of her feelings rather than a threat.
Whose story is it?
Elizabeth and Darcy’s, as a pair of 1940 film stars.
How much time does it ask?
1 hour 57 minutes. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard.
Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Mary Boland, Edna May Oliver, Maureen O’Sullivan.
Where to find it
Other ways to get it: Find where it’s streaming — JustWatch
Borrow it free: Find at your library — WorldCat
More ways into Longbourn: Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1980) · Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1995) · Pride & Prejudice (2005)