Sue Birtwistle

This 120 page book was packaged with my 10th anniversary boxed set of DVDs of the BBC/A&E production of Pride and Prejudice. My expectations were quite low as I usually find books like this to be poorly written. So when it turned out to be an extremely interesting page-turner, I was pleasantly surprised.

The book covers all the details of putting making a film. I was especially fascinated by the part on finding locations. The costume design part was also very interesting. Each section is show more written by the expert who handled that section of making the film. And there's a whole chapter by Colin Firth on how he approached Darcy!

Jennifer Ehle (who played Elizabeth Bennet) had something very interesting to say about learning the dialogue: "It's the hardest dialogue I've ever had to learn. Shakespeare is a doodle compared to Jane Austen. I think this is essentially because the sense of the line comes at the end of it and also the lines are much longer. When I get to the end of a sentence I usually say 'Oh, I see!' and then I have to go back and read it again. Sometimes the thoughts are quite convoluted--you do all these hairpin bends--so it takes some getting used to. But it's like anything--by the end I found it much easier to learn. It's like learning another language." I think that captures the challenge of reading Austen that a lot of readers experience!

The book is chock-a-block with high quality colour photos, and from a graphic design standpoint, it is a delight. It looks as if no expense was spared.

Recommended for: Obviously, anyone who loves the film, but I also recommend it to anyone who is interested in the details of how films--especially period ones-- are made. show less

What an absolutely wonderful book this is. Far from the sort of fluffy, slap-dash "making-of" books one sometimes comes across and suspects were rushed together only to capitalize on fans' momentary hunger for a particular production, The Making of Pride and Prejudice lays out in detail, usually in the words of the artists and crew involved, the process of the making of the 1995 BBC miniseries production of P&P ("The Colin Firth One"). Adapting the script from the book, casting, show more location-scouting, make-up, costuming, composing, choreography, acting, lighting, editing--every aspect of the production gets its own section full of interesting information about how films in general--and this one in particular--are made, as well as full-color photographs of the actors, costumes, sets, locations, and so on. Of particular interest is an extensive interview with Colin Firth about his approach to playing Darcy. Recommended to fans of this film version of P&P, as well as film enthusiasts. show less

This is the Austen adaptation that led to a revival, one might even say a craze--and it made Colin Firth, the Darcy, a star. I loved Jane Austen well before I ever watched this miniseries, and I thought it did wonderfully by her. Just about every member of the cast was pitch perfect. Parts of this made me burst into wild laughter (particularly the whole scene where Mary plays and sings accompanied by a howling dog) and parts moved me to tears--and most definitely wide smiles.

It's difficult to know why there is a slightly unsatisfactory air to this sequel. The performances, settings, story etc are all good, in some cases very good. But the sentimentality which always lurked at the heart of the first series is in more evidence here, and the makers have not been able ro resist little flourishes like the end of film party to soup things up. Perhaps they would argue that this is Mrs Gaskell and not George Eliot - more the pity.