I have seen the Ehle-Firth Pride and Prejudice BBC/A&E adaptation several times and loved it. After reading the book, I downgraded the series to just 3 stars because Elizabeth Bennet is portrayed as more meek and soft-spoken than the character whom Jane Austen has written as a determined, outspoken, and fiercely honest girl. I like Firth but his portrayal of Mr. Darcy is also not consistent with the book. And don't forget that cringe-worthy dip in the lake scene.
The most horrible and not recommendable adaptation is the Keira Knightly version and there are older ones I have not seen yet. I recently watched the 1980 BBC production, now available to stream from Amazon, to discover to my delight that it is almost perfection. All the characters and dialogue are truer to the book. I like that Mr. Collins is not portrayed as a creepy oily guy as in the Ehle-Firth adaptation. Yes, he talks nonstop and is overly fawning over Lady Catherine, but he's also funny and even his own wife makes fun of him in jest with her best friend Lizzie Bennet. If you have read the book, you won't be disappointed with this adaptation. If you haven't, Ehle-Firth is okay.
tags: Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice BBC adaptation
Highly recommended for people who have read Pride And Prejudice book
