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Pride and Prejudice Overview:

Pride and Prejudice (1940) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Jane Austen published in 1813.

SYNOPSIS

Jane Austen's classic comedy of manners is vividly adapted with a charming cast. Five sisters in 19th-century England are all concerned with finding a husband. The most opinionated of the lot (Garson) rejects a man who has been chosen for her (Olivier) because she finds him full of pride. She changes her mind and wins him when she acknowledges her own pride is hindering her happiness. Huxley was among the writers of the screenplay.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Art DirectionCedric Gibbons, Paul GroesseWon
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Pride and Prejudice BlogHub Articles:

Pride and Prejudice (1940): Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 12, 2021 From 4 Star Films

When you grow up with a sister, I imagine most people are aware of books like Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Anne of Greene Gables, and Little House on The Prairie. However, especially when you’re young, you rarely appreciate them fully or comprehend how notable they are as cultural artifa... Read full article

On Blu-ray: Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier in Pride and Prejudice (1940)

By KC on Sep 23, 2020 From Classic Movies

When I recently watched the new Warner Archive Blu-ray of the 1940 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, it had been many years since I last saw the film. Several minutes into reacquainting myself with it, I realized I had my hands clasped to my chest. I was reminded that it's such ... Read full article

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

By Cameron on Aug 10, 2016 From The Blonde At The Film

via: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2153/Pride-and-Prejudice/#tcmarcp-177585 Unless otherwise noted, all images are my own. MGM’s 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice was the first feature film of a Jane Austen novel, though it was certainly not the last. But this was not the first time that Pr... Read full article

MGM's Pride and Prejudice (1940)

By Rick29 on Jun 18, 2016 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Greer Garson and Laurence Oliver. After viewing MGM's 1940 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, comparisons with the BBC's popular 1995 miniseries are inevitable. That's not altogether fair to the 1940 version which is much shorter than the later miniseries (two hours vs. six hours). Ho... Read full article

MGM's Pride and Prejudice (1940)

By Rick29 on Jun 18, 2016 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Greer Garson and Laurence Oliver. After viewing MGM's 1940 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, comparisons with the BBC's popular 1995 miniseries are inevitable. That's not altogether fair to the 1940 version which is much shorter than the later miniseries (two hours vs. six hours). Ho... Read full article

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Pride and Prejudice Quotes:

Mrs. Bennet: Look at them! Five of them without dowries. What's to become of them?
Mr. Bennet: Yes, what's to become of the wretched creatures? Perhaps we should have drowned some of them at birth.
Mr. Darcy: I have made the mistake of being honest with you.
Elizabeth Bennet: Honesty is a greatly overrated virtue. Silence in this case would have been more agreeable.
Mr. Darcy: I rather admired what you did this afternoon Miss Elizabeth. Your resentment of what you believe to be an injustice showed courage and loyalty. I could wish i might possess a friend who would defend me as ably as Mr. Wickham was defended today.
Elizabeth Bennett: At this moment it's difficult to believe that you're so proud.
Mr. Darcy: At this moment it's difficult to believe that you're so prejudiced.
Mr. Darcy: Yes, she looks tolerable enough, but I am in no humor tonight to give consequence to the middle classes at play.
Elizabeth Bennett: Oh, if you want to be really refined, you have to be dead. There's no one as dignified as a mummy
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Pride and Prejudice Facts
The studio's first choice for Darcy was Clark Gable.
Vivien Leigh was passed over for the role of Elizabeth Bennett in favor of Greer Garson.
According to Edward Maeder, Adrian, the costume designer, asked director Robert Z. Leonard to place the film in a later time period than that of the novel so that the costumes might be more opulent than those of Jane Austen's time.
The play by Helen Jerome, also called "Pride and Prejudice," opened in New York on 5 November 1935 at the Plymouth Theater, New York City, and closed in May 1936 after 219 performances. The opening night cast included Adrianne Allen as Elizabeth Bennet, Colin Keith-Johnston as Mr. Darcy, Lucile Watson as Mrs. Bennet, Alma Kruger as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Helen Chandler as Jane Bennet and Joan Tompkins as Lydia Bennet. There were 2 Broadway revivals: "All the Comforts of Home" with Celeste Holm in May 1942 which closed after 8 performances, and "First Impressions" in 1959, which lasted 92 performances and starred Polly Bergen, Hermione Gingold and Farley Granger.
Initially scheduled to start pre-production in 1936, under the supervision of Irving Thalberg with his wife, Norma Shearer as Elizabeth Bennett, but pre-production was put to a halt after Thalberg's death.
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