Sophia Sullivan // Staff Writer
Netflix has a new television adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic “Pride and Prejudice” set to release in fall of this year, but will it be able to stand up to the ones that came before it?
The 1995 and 2005 retellings of the story have most certainly stood the test of time, but from what we know about this latest addition, will it be able to captivate audiences in the same way?
Each piece is surely brilliant in its own light, but as a die-hard fan of the original story and the past adaptations, I’ve succumbed to my curiosity and decided to do a little comparison of the three with the information we have so far about the new one. The content that Netflix has ladled out so far gives us a small idea, but an idea nonetheless, of what the newest adaptation will look like. With all the excitement, it seems time to take a trip down memory lane and examine it against its predecessors and ponder whether or not it’ll be worth the watch.
From what the trailer shows, there is a bright simplicity in the camera work, but also a hefty amount of swoonworthy close-ups. And from what the eye can see, pun intended, there is a perfect balance of similarity to both original takes, as the 1995 show has the tender cinematic serenity of that decade’s period drama camerawork. Furthermore, it also pays the same lovely homage to the 2005 film, filled with zoomed-in cuts of its Mr. Darcy.
This period piece could also never be complete without the novel’s signature picturesque setting in the English countryside. Both of the earlier renditions definitely create that immaculate vibe with their settings of rolling green hills and lush country manor houses, but will this newcomer do the same?
If the first few sneak peeks are any hint of what’s to come, I would say that it definitely will, as all of what we’ve been treated to so far has been majestic in every way that counts. It’s even worth adding that modern camera usage may create majesty on an even greater scale, as such technology has, in my opinion, allowed for a set of striking hues that are simply mesmerizing and only give me more hope for the series as a whole.
There is also the matter of casting, and from the brief introduction that the latest trailer provides, audiences won’t be disappointed. It’s undeniable that Kiera Knightly and Mathew Macfadyen were wonderful leads in 2005, and that Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle were just as captivating in 1995, but it seems that this year’s take will have no lack of amazing talent at its disposal.
With the modernization of film and television and a seemingly ever-present “iPhone face” of a world driven by 21st-century social media, many look at upcoming period pieces with concern, wondering whether their casts will seem out of place in historical settings, but that does not seem to be the case with this adaptation.
The clips we’ve been treated to with Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet and Jack Lowden as Mr. Darcy have so far left very little to be desired, as both stars, at least to this viewer, seem to blend marvelously with the Regency era setting and draw one in fabulously to its charming story.
With any change, there is always concern for the survival of an original story, but at least so far, we appear to be in very capable hands. Though created in the modern day and in an industry very different from what it was before, this retelling of “Pride and Prejudice” seems to be shaping up into just as compelling a tale as those whose shoulders it is standing on.
I’m off to reread every chapter and rewatch previous adaptations before this new series airs, but I have hope that there are incredible things in store and that it too will overjoy viewers for years to come.