Pride And Prejudice [VHS] [1940]

I think that the Greer Garson - Laurence Olivier duo as Elizabeth and Darcy was fantastic. Garson was original and spirited and Olivier was attractive and aloof at the same time. The chemistry between them worked just fine. So did the chemistry between Jane and Mr Bingley, excellently characterized by Maureen O'Sullivan and Bruce Lester.

Mary Boland was delightful as Mrs Bennet and Edna May Oliver great as Lady Catherine, it was not her fault that she was given a very different character to play (yes on this point I have to say that her pretending to be formidable while she is good at heart was a bit far-fetched). Frieda Inescort was a deliciously snooty Caroline Bingley.

OK, so the costumes seem like they were borrowed from "Gone with the wind", still, it couldn't destroy the delightful, light atmosphere of the film as a whole. It is a delightful comedy of manners and thus one should treat it as such.

The story revolves around the upper middle class Bennett family, who live in a small, provincial town. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, wonderfully played by Mary Boland and Edmund Gwenn, have five daughters whom they must marry off. So, when Mrs. Bennett receives news of a wealthy bachelor, Mr. Bingley, moving into town, Mrs. Bennett is over the moon with joy. She soon begins maneuvering her daughters, so that perhaps one of them may be taken off her hands in happy wedlock.

Jane Bennett, beautifully played by the lovely Maureen O'Sullivan, manages to engage Mr. Bingley's heart at a local ball. Elizabeth Bennett, intelligent and articulate, manages to capture the interest of Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley's even wealthier best friend. Greer Garson is superlative in the role of Elizabeth, while Laurence Olivier is perfect in the role of the arrogant, soon to be humbled by love, Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Darcy, drawn to Elizabeth, falls in love with her, but makes a proposal of marriage filled with such snobbery that Elizabeth, who has since discovered that Mr. Darcy had negatively interfered with Jane's romance with Mr. Bingley, is repulsed and turns him down. Elizabeth later finds out through the machinations of Mr. Darcy's aunt, delightfully played with autocratic hauteur by Edna May Oliver, that perhaps she had misjudged Mr. Darcy, and she overcomes her prejudice against him.

Driven by a love that sees him humbled, Mr. Darcy puts away his pride and overcomes the snoberry he initially felt towards the Bennetts. In the face of a great scandal that threatens to eclipse the Bennett household, Mr. Darcy stands steadfast in his love for Elizabeth, and demonstrates it in a way that provides a solution to the impending scandal.

How this comes about and unfolds is a source of pure cinematic delight for the viewer. The dialogue is brilliant and the acting is superb. This is one of Greer Garson's best performances. It is also one of the finest period pieces ever made.