Mrs. Bennet wishes to wed her five unmarried daughters and is overjoyed when a wealthy bachelor begins living nearby, but misunderstandings make happiness difficult.
Greer Garson
Elizabeth Bennet
Laurence Olivier
Mr. Darcy
Mary Boland
Mrs. Bennet
Edna May Oliver
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Maureen O'Sullivan
Jane Bennet
Ann Rutherford
Lydia Bennet
Frieda Inescort
Miss Caroline Bingley
Edmund Gwenn
Mr. Bennet
Karen Morley
Mrs. Collins
Heather Angel
Kitty Bennet
Melville Cooper
Mr. Collins
Edward Ashley
Mr. George Wickham
Marten Lamont
Mr. Denny
E. E. Clive
Sir William Lucas
Marjorie Wood
Lady Lucas
May Beatty
Mrs. Philips
Marsha Hunt
Mary Bennet
Bruce Lester
Mr. Bingley
Gia Kent
Anne de Bourgh
Lowden Adams
Committeeman
Claud Allister
Mr. Beck
Wilson Benge
Flunky
Art Berry Sr.
Footman
Barlowe Borland
Dr. MacIntosh
Vernon Downing
Capt. Carter
Elspeth Dudgeon
Mrs. King
Frank Elliott
Mathews
Hugh Greenwood
Canon Stubbs
Ben Hall
Poet
Payne B. Johnson
School Boy
Gwendolyn Logan
Mrs. Stubbs
Louis Payne
Mr. Phillips
Clara Reid
Maid in Parsonage
Buster Slaven
Beck's Assistant
Gerald Oliver Smith
Col. Fitzwilliam
Wyndham Standing
Committeeman
David Thursby
Groom
Director
Robert Z. Leonard
Adaptation
Helen Jerome
Novel
Jane Austen
Screenplay
Jane Murfin
Screenplay
Aldous Huxley
June 23, 2022
7
Though doubtless the emphasis of this film must be on the two leading stars, I found that an huge degree of the richness of this Jane Austen story came from the wonderfully characterful supporting cast: Mary Boland as the mother, constantly and brazenly seeking advantageous marriages for the "Bennet" brood, with Edmund Gwenn as her husband; Melville Cooper ("Mr. Collins), EE Clive ("Sir William) and the redoubtable Edna May Oliver as "Lady Catherine" all contributing splendidly to this otherwise rather loosely adapted story of "Elizabeth" (Greer Garson) and her rather complicated on/off courtship with "Mr. Darcy" (Laurence Olivier). This is certainly one of the latter's more engaging performance. Though still in ultra-ham mode, he does actually manage to convey the humour of his part, as well as his (largely self-inflicted) struggles to woo, rather well. Garson always was somewhat underrated. I feel she'd have made for a wonderful silent movie star - she had the eyes and the mannerisms that convey what a thousand words could not - and she holds the attention well here as the lively, independently-minded "Elizabeth". The other sisters get more of a look in too - Ann Rutherford ("Lydia") and Maureen O'Sullivan ("Jane) deliver well as they seek out their own beaus. This adaption, led by Aldous Huxley, cuts some of Austen's ever-present wordiness and helps focus the story better, if perhaps less potently and stingingly than the writer intended. I am not really a fan of this genre, nor of this author - but this is entertaining and well made with strong performances, sumptuous settings and quite a bit of charm. Easily the best version of this story to make it onto the silver screen, in my view.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00