Best Jane Austen adaptation?
I am–and this is embarrassing–finally watching the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. And yes, it does have Colin Firth in a sexy white shirt.
Jennifer Ehle is superb and the world created by the show feels very real. And yet….
I prefer the more modern movie version with Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFayden. Which has one of the most romantic scenes I’ve ever seen in a film and NO I DON’T CARE THAT IT ISN’T IN THE BOOK.
I was unable to find any accounting of how many Austen adaptations have been made over the years but I hazard it’s at least in the hundreds. The first film version came out in 1940 and the first TV one in 1938. They are a global phenomenon (they’re very popular in Bollywood).
Everyone those they love and those they don’t. The 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice is my favorite but I also routinely rewatch the 1996 film of Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow and Bridget Jones’ Diary.
How about you? What’s your favorite Austen adaptation?