2.4.

3 Transcoding Pride and Prejudice in 1995

Adaptations made starting with the 1990s reflect keener attention to the visual elements. The
general aim seems to be to please the eye. With historical accuracy in mind, costumes, hair style,
interior furnishing, gardens are recreated in a clean, neat manner. Visuals reflect the beauty of an
era, or at least the filmmakers perception of those times. Landscape and the hero, less
emphasized in the novel than the heroine was, come to the foreground and become the object of
spectators gaze. Darcy, whom readers knew little of in comparison with Elizabeth, is now in the
limelight and has the same amount of importance as Elizabeth does. As Davies admitted in
showing that his desire for Elizabeth is the motivation of the plot, Ive perhaps pushed it a bit
more to being a story about Elizabeth and Darcy, rather than a story about Elizabeth (qtd. in
Birtwistle 4).
Not only landscape and Darcy become targets of gaze in the adaptation, but the life of a
nineteenth century family as well. In several acts of voyeurism made possible by the camera,
spectators can have a glimpse at the Bennets activities and listen to their discourse without being
noticed. Following the news of Wickham having become engaged to Miss King the camera pans
the house at Longbourn from the outside and shows fragments of the Bennets activities and their
conversation. Undisturbed by any other element of cinematic rhetoric they might need to pay
attention to, spectators may look into this familys life. The father is alone in his library involved
in paperwork, mother and younger daughters discuss Wickhams character while decorating
bonnets, and Elizabeth is reading a letter sitting on the window sill in her room. Not only does
the camera show the Bennets from the outside, but glances into their bedrooms as well.
Elizabeth and Jane have half of their important conversations in the intimacy of their bedroom
before going to bed. The familys bedrooms are shown already in the first episode. The sequence
occurs after the Bennets discuss the news of Netherfield being let out and it starts with the elder
sisters in nightgown discussing their expectations and ideals as far as marriage is considered in
their room. Lizzys realistic nature shows when she acknowledges that only their charms would
recommend them since their inheritance is merely fifty pounds a year. In an attempt to avow that,
the camera follows her when she says goodnight and offers viewers a glimpse of Mrs Bennet
lying in bed with a headache and then shows Lydia in undergarment in her bedroom. The

adaptation abounds in scenes that show the girls dressing, doing their hair, asking each others
opinion about the dresses they should wear. It even goes as far as putting Mr Collins in an
embarrassing situation when he sees Lydia only half dressed before the Netherfield ball.
The direction of viewers gaze to landscape, Darcy and the privacy of a family reflect an
approach according to which producers attempt to bring the world of Austens Pride and
Prejudice close to viewers, show not the story of a classical novel but of a regular family. This is
also what producer Birtwistle acknowledges in her book on the making of the film; one of the
arguments used to convince management to allow the adaptation was to describe the novel
without mentioning either the authors or the characters names (vi). The existence of a unifying
approach is all the more perceivable in the adaptation since producers intend to stay true to the
spirit of the novel (2), but not follow its plot closely.
Filmmakers interest when rendering a literary text to the film is to have in mind the media they
transcode the novel into. An adaptation should work on the screen and for this reason filmmakers
need to detach themselves from the source novel. Presenting the dialogue and the plot of the
novel in a faithful manner may not serve the production well. Novelistic elements cannot simply
be copied onto screen, but they are subject to transformation. In addition to this, as Birtwistle
acknowledges all too easily an adaptation can lovingly copy a book scene by scene only to find
that the final product is too literary and undramatic (2).
Scriptwriter Andrew Davies justifies the reason for favouring the spirit of the novel to its letter.
In his understanding what is the justification of spending money if youre just going to produce
a series of pictures alongside the dialogue of the novel? (Davies qtd. in Birtwistle 2-3). Fidelity,
in his reading, is a mere production of images beside the dialogue. Total fidelity to a novel has no
grounds for it is not an original artefact in addition to the fact that it is not a true film. A filmic
adaptation according to him has to reflect a reading of the novel. Therefore, he claims that
filmmakers need to be as original as the author of the novel they are adapting. The final product
will be different from its source especially since readers already adapt the novel in their mind
and imagine the novel when they read it. According to Davies the process of adapting the novel
can only be validated if the final product will be different even if to a small extent from the
novel, especially because the novel is still there for anybody to read (qtd. in Birtwistle 3).

A cinematic adaptation of a classical novel is a matter of choices. The decisions producers make
range from the actors playing the roles to the soft furnishing provided in a suitable location they
have to find. The age of the actors has to correspond to that of the character in the novel, and in
addition to that, the actors have to be apt for the part. Locations have to be accurate to a certain
extent, that is, they need to reflect the correct period. In case there are more than one like in
Pride and Prejudice they also need to be commensurate and reflect the social hierarchy Austen
related in the novel. Even if the perfect location is found, sets have to be built, since these houses
have not been preserved in the original state they were built in several modernizing additions
are sure to have been added, like central heating or false ceiling, especially if these houses were
inhabited. In this case, the set needs to be redesigned and the way it is done depends on the
research done on the historical era, choices of the filmmakers, and on the message they want to
send.
The goal of the adaptation was to exploit the possibilities of visual storytelling to make it as
vivid and lively as drama as possible (2).
In the case of a third-person narration, however, the camera can tell you a great deal that a
narrator would, but in a different and quicker way (2). The added scenes with Darcy illustrate
the case the best. These lack dialogue and rely only on images to express Darcys state and
emotional development. Elizabeths feelings and her emotional development is also revealed
with minimal discourse. It is only to Jane that she talks to on this matter, in most of the cases
however, close-up shots unveil her emotions.
make it on film so that it would have an energy and vitality to match the book (v)
each episode opened as vibrantly as possible and ended as strongly as possible ideally at a
key turning point in the story (1).
The opening music - Carl Davies - two aims: (1) pick up the essence of the book its wit and
vitality, its modern feel (2) suggest the theme of marriage and affairs of the heart (65). The
music supports the credit sequence which presents the image of a piece of elaborate embroidery
in the process of making. The sequence represents an picture of womens domestic activity and
narrows down its target audience.

Langton mentions that the development in film industry also eased shooting a film. One of the
difficulties surmounted by the nineties was the studio-based filming, which meant that after
several days of rehearsal the film was shot in two hours in a studio. Furthermore, the way Davies
wrote the script with a filmic sense of rhythm (14) would appeal to the young generations
brought up on film since the latter is shot and structured in a different way. First of all, scenes are
not filmed in a chronological order; secondly, several locations are used and some of the scenes
are shot outdoors.
According to Birtwistle, each episode cost approximately one million pounds (27) With a
period production, design is the key element and it governs the shape of the shooting schedule
(Scott in Birtwistle 27). The view reflects one of the major characteristics of heritage films,
namely their historical accuracy. In set design scale is very important; you have to know how
figures will look in relation to each other to determine the size of the room and plan where the
light should come from. (37). Furniture will have to fit, doors and windows have to be set.
Walls have to be built. (37) Getting the flavour right was important (39) At Longbourne, for
instance, Mrs Horn, the owner, was moved to a smaller part of the house and major changes had
to made, like removing the heating system, false ceiling. Filmmakers also had to think of weather
cover, what to do if filming outdoors was not possible on the scheduled day.
Paul Broderick, production manager was in charge with scheduling filming, - talks about the
differences in difficulty of shooting a room-scene and a street-scene. This version was written for
film, which means that there is a lot of movement both inside and outside the houses. Also, of
particular importance to Pride and Prejudice was the significance of the seasons as they reflected
the ups and downs of the relationships between the characters (qtd. in Birtwistle, Conklin 29).
Locations in terms of seasons was the following: Rosings in the spring, Pemberley and
Longbourn in the summer, Netherfield, Meryton and Longbourn in autumn.
Interpretation of the novel is needed not only on the level of the plot and character development,
but also as far as the catalyzers are considered. Every author is portraying a specific world, and
its our job to recreate that world and make it accessible to an audience (35) It is important to
understand the way people lived in 1813, but we are not making an academic study of the period
[] grasp the spirit of the time (35). A lot of props were needed that no longer existed (35)
replace it with something that did not feel out of its place (35). Authors write for readers in

their time and take certain background knowledge for granted. Austen could easily expect
readers to know the difference between a barouche and a carriage; or that the mother and father
had separate bedrooms or not, which can be open to interpretation as the next Pride and
Prejudice adaptation shows. However, when adapting a novel written almost two centuries ago
research is done both on the level of action and that of the visual elements, which comprise
everything from the set to the costumes of the actors.
Research included minute details such as what the garden looked like, the number of servants the
Bennets had, what weddings looked like, the games the Bennets would play, whether the men
bowed when they entered a room or not. Furthermore, the characters cannot just sit in a room
and talk. Designers had to give each of them a set of things to do that might help to establish
their character (Birtwistle 43) Jane was perceived as the steadiest and patient, so she was
given petticoats to mend and do complicated embroidery. Lizzy was given letters and books.
Mary practiced the piano, while Lydia and Kitty were always involved in decorating bonnets.
Finding soft furnishings for a period production is a nightmare (42). Few original items have
survived and they are usually extremely expensive. The general rule is judging how much
liberty you can take (42).
Producers might deem necessary to emphasize episodes the author of the novel did not dwell
upon. This is the case of the Meryton assembly at the beginning of the film. In this scene does
the Netherfield party acquaint the Bennets; also, the scene offered a great possibility to highlight
the difference between the social level of the Netherfield party and the Bennets. Though Austen
allotted only three pages to the episode the producers decided to build it up substantially in the
adaptation (Birtwistle 1995: 6). They included knees-up lots of heavy drinking and coarse
male laughter going on around the refreshment table (Birtwistle 6).
Dancing received a special emphasis in the film, because it is seen as a dance in wooing and
courting (Birtwistle 70). Actors were trained and professional dancers were used as extras.
The final result represents a new kind of heritage cinema that obsessed over getting historical
details correct in a bid to claim authenticity, while freely giving the ideology of the textual
antecedent a facelift where needed to appeal to contemporary audiences (Goggin Reloaded).

Symmetry
The viewer of the 1995 film is more sympathetic toward Darcys pride than the reader of
Austens novel because our views his and the spectators are so often aligned. (Ellington 107)
Plot In this interpretation of the novel sex and money drive the plot forward. Emphasis is laid
on the social differences between various characters and sexuality.
The book is so tight - her plot works just like a Swiss clock and doesnt have any flabby bits in
(1)
A lot of the novel is about class and money, so an important part of our job is to underline the
different social levels (Scott in Birtwistle 36).
The locations mustnt threaten the social levels and in addition to this, they have to be from the
correct period. (Gerry Scott designer in Birtwistle 21)
Characters income is known as soon as they are introduced. there are many areas where when
we can emphasize these differences for the audience: main houses, the food that is seen on the
screen, the fineness of pianos, carriages (36).
The issue of money and class accentuated when the Netherfield party enters the assembly
room in Meryton (Birtwistle 1995: 7)
Food was also used as an indication of the wealth and social standing of the various families
(Birtwistle 44). Centerpieces were not touched, tables, plates were photographed and rebuilt the
next day.
Indicate that the income of the Bennet family is about a twentieth of the income of the guys
they hope to marry. And you can convey that without any ponderous dialogue (Davies qtd. in
Birtwistle 3)
The not-said, the implied, the certain look captured in the cinematic closeup these are places
of sexuality in the twentieth century (Blum 166).

The added scenes: eroticise Darcy, increase his presence, provide insights into his feelings and
generally construct a model of masculinity far removed from Austens in its emphasis on
physicality and emotional expression. (Aragay 211)
Picture -> frame -> jump into the pond: BBCs Darcy has broken out of the frames that
constrained him in previous readings, to offer the mini-seriess female audience a thoroughly
desirable, corpo-real new man. (Aragay 209)
The intercutting of the Darcy scenes with Elizabeth looking at his portrait Davies wanted to
suggest that there are many portraits of Darcy being formed in the story (Davies qtd. in
Birtwistle 5). He also wanted to give glimpses of him denied to Elizabeth, thus making us
actively involved in the story (Birtwistle 5). In addition to that, inventing a few moments in
which to bridge the transition was crucial (Birtwistle 6).
The BBC mini-series, then, fulfils the late 20th-century Western female spectators desire to
believe in romance its incredible popularity and success only confirming the persistence of
such desire ad of its need to be satisfied (Aragay 211).

Description
An adaptation cannot avoid providing an authoritative description of the characters. On the first
hand, the actors lend their traits to the character and will instantly be associated with them. In
Darcys case, for example, he was deemed too attractive for the role. In addition to this, with
some of the actors previous roles may be associated. On the other hand, character description is
done by producers choices involving the costumes they have the actors wear, the fabric and the
colour these are made of, the make-up they would be applied or the hairdos they would have.
Elizabeth was clad in earthy-coloured clothes. The Bingley sisters wore silk dresses in shrill
colours to show their wealth. Also, at balls they were given high headpieces to have the
otherwise tall actresses look even taller.
As far as costumes and hair-design is concerned, Simon Langdon admits that there are few
better-documented eras than the classic/romantic age of Jane Austen (47). Access to collections
is not easy to find says Dinah Collin, the costume designer. (48) Fabrics had to comply with the

look the director wanted: fresh and light (50). Elizabeth Bennet was given clothes with colours
that suggested earthiness (52) Another design element to be considered was the colour and
patterns of dresses. Colour was used to convey information about character survived, mood or
atmosphere (42).
What were doing is an interpretation in the end we arent making a museum piece. We
wanted to ensure that the clothes looked attractive to a modern audience (Collin qtd. in
Birtwistle 53)
One of the hobbyhorses of the casting director, Janey Fothergill was to find actors who had wit,
charm and charisma and the ability to play that period. (15) She thought that if people
dont have that light touch watching their performance may render the film boring. Highprofile project no problem in getting actors interested (17)
Readers familiar with the novel have a clear image of Darcy and Elizabeth and when casting the
actors for these roles there is no way in which we can satisfy all these differing notions
(Fothergill qtd. in Birtwistle 15).
For the role of Elizabeth a classical actress had to be considered because its a play-carrying
part and that in itself takes a lot of stature and a sort of gravitas (15). Choosing the right actress
was made difficult by Elizabeths young age, since the actress had to be young and with enough
experience and serious work to hold it together (Fothergill qtd. in Birtwistle 15).
Elizabeth, has these qualities, which are really very modern. Shes fiercely moral, shes got a
terrific sense of humour, she makes fun of people, she doesnt take herself seriously, but she
doesnt put herself down either (1).
Elizabeth manages to be a free spirit in a society that doesnt encourage free-spiritedness, which
is something that I think appeals to young women today because they can sympathize with her.
(Ehle qtd. in Birtwistle 21).
Elizabeth is a tomboyish very active, lively girl, not just mentally, but also physically
(Davies qtd. in Birtwistle 4).
Dialogue

memorable dialogue on the page turns to lead in the actors mouth (2).
Since dialogue dominates the novel especially in the first part, rendering it entirely in the
adaptation would be impossible even in a six-part miniseries. In addition to trimming it, Davies
had to simplify Austens language to a certain extent to avoid overwhelming scenes with
conversation.
The director, Simon Langton realized that language was an important element to concentrate on,
but Daviess dialogue, in his view, was imbued with energy and his whole approach was to
make the character real (14), therefore the prospect of filming a six-hour show was not
perceived as a strenuous project. I suppose I was expecting something more archaic and literary,
closer to the previous productions, which never seemed naturalistic (14).
Dialogue had to be trimmed, though not reluctantly, because the almost musical quality in the
way scenes dovetail would have been disrupted by too dialogue-intensive scenes. (Davies
13). I wanted to make the dialogue sound like something that could be spoken in the early
nineteenth century, but also something you wouldnt think terribly artificial if it were spoken
now (13). Shakespeare is a doddle compared to Jane Austen [] because the sense of the line
comes at the end of it and also the lines are much longer (Ehle qtd. in Birtwistle 13)
Colin Firth about Daviess script: he doesnt have that absurd, academic reverence that people
sometimes have for a great work of literature (100)
In the episode about Elizabeth learning that Lydia and Wickham eloped an extra line was added
because the consequences of an elopement in the nineteenth century would not necessarily been
clear to a modern audience. Our whole family must partake of her ruin and disgrace (11)
At the Netherfield ball theres a conversation between Elizabeth and Darcy thats almost like a
fencing match caught in dance (71).
Script editor, Susie Conklin she adapts the script to film in practice. She does rough trimmings
of the script and designs opening, closing scenes which the scriptwriter will write. Davies makes
the screenplay visual and has an excellent sense of rhythm (30). They key is never to
overload a scene or give a character great chunks of dialogue (Conklin qtd. in Birtwistle 30).

Emotional scenes
The avowed aim of the producers was to stay close to the spirit of the novel and this showed in
the way they handled emotional scenes too. Bingleys marriage proposal is not shown. Darcys
second proposal is very restrained.
We have tried during the production to be as accurate as possible, but we always felt it was
more important to go for the spirit of the original book (Birtwistle viii).

Letters
Dramatizing letters is the biggest difficulty in adapting the book (Davies qtd. in Birtwistle 7).
Voiceovers and flashbacks, people actually sitting down and reading them, people reading them
to each other, voiceover commentary and a mixture of these (Davies in Birtwistle 8). When
referring to the fact that the audience first learns about Mr Collins from Mr Bennet reporting
Collinss letter, Davies admits that it was a useful way of introducing and describing new
characters (8).
Letter: a complex sequence of flashbacks and invented scenes (10) when referring to Darcys
and Wickhams Cambridge past. The passages in which Darcy recalls the behaviour of the
Bennets at assemblies and balls are shown in heightened flashbacks to exaggerate the
humiliating spectacle (10). Comic exaggerations. (10).