Oftentimes, a look will do when one of the authors incredible speeches simply cannot fit.
In honor of the films 20th anniversary and re-release,ScreenRantinterviewed Wright for a walk down memory lane.
I was really shocked by that because I was hoping for a career in directing!
Despite that, he began his work with something of a blank slate.
I don’t think I really took on the weight of expectations with an Austen adaptation.
The alternative he saw is part of what makes the 2005 version stand out to this day.
Custom image by Ana Nieves
And yet, film adaptations even modernized ones rarely cast actors who are that young.
The primary point for Wright, though, was the narrative.
Honestly, no, Wright reflected.
That being said, she did stand out to him from the start.
She came in and read for us, and she was just delightful and funny and so excited.
I remember her walking onto the set of the ball and bursting into tears, he recalled fondly.
I asked, What’s the matter?
She said, Oh, it’s all just so beautiful.
It was the first time she’d ever walked onto a built film set.
It’s really thrilling to see what’s happened with her career and her meteoric rise.
What I was interested in was this conflict between their intellects and their bodies, he explained.
The body is often smarter than the mind, and their bodies knew something their minds didn’t.
Wright included another sequence as part of that pattern: the iconic rain proposal.
Wright came down definitely on one side, saying, I like the British version’s ending.
It’s just simpler [and] less sugary.
In retrospect, he pointed to how it honors Donald Sutherland.
Why does it remain in the U.S. cut, then?
As I said at the time, the American audience likes a bit of sugar.
It’s very exciting.
He had none to give, though he was complimentary.
I’m sure they’ll reinvent and reinterpret it for a new generation.
His reason was a rather endearing one: I love the book Pride and Prejudice so much.
I think it’s my favorite, and I’m not sure how I’d follow that up.
Thankfully, though, he did not rule out returning to that well in the future.
Another well that he was more enthusiastic about returning to was his collaboration with Keira Knightley.
The duo had a stellar followingPride & Prejudice, withAtonementandAnna Kareninareceiving much critical acclaim.
Would that trilogy ever become a quadrilogy?
The cast is great, and it’s gratifying to see that it’s having this life.
Pride & Prejudiceis being re-released in select theaters beginning on April 20, andtickets are available through Focus Features.
Your Rating
Your comment has not been saved
