Technically, we didn't need another version of Pride and Prejudice, either, but when the makers understand the spirit of the book and its means as well as Joe Wright, Deborah Moggach, and the lead actors do, you may find yourself not only reawakened to the treasurable qualities of Austen's novel but to the appeal of literary adaptations generally. It's axiomatic that the adapters of a book can't do a creditable job if they don't understand what kind of book they're adapting. People equate fiction with the novel and we end up with far more misfires like Polanski's Oliver Twist than works that honor and even extend the author's intentions as Wright's Pride & Prejudice does so admirably.
You can find this review and a lot besides at The Kitchen Cabinet.
Alan Dale is the author of What We Do Best: American Movie Comedies of the 1990s and Comedy Is a Man in Trouble: Slapstick in American Movies.
![Pride and Prejudice [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21AESPBF55L._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Great post, Alan - social climbers and hardscrabble minimum wage young'uns never go out of fashion, or demand
2 - Alan Dale
Thanks, Aaman. Yeah, the stories are both "perennials." It's weird how Dickens is still a well-known figure in the popular imagination but based on a very narrow selection of his books. People should branch out--there's a lot better stuff on his shelf than Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.
3 - The Theory
good article.
I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice and very much loved it. I've heard nothing but good things about the movie and hope to see that soon.
I realize you don't really care about any of that, but I'm still sad that the book is over. It's one of those where I wish there was a whole series I could read.
4 - Alan Dale
Thanks for writing. Actually I do care that people read and enjoy books like Pride and Prejudice. I'm sad there are only six Austen books to read.