These days, when many think of their favorite Pride and Prejudice movie
adaptation, their minds immediately find the 2005 version with Kiera Knightly and
Matthew Macfadyen. And while that movie has beautiful cinematography and lots of
cute moments, it cannot compare to the BBC miniseries released in 1995 starring Colin
Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Why? Because you forge deeper connections with the plot and
characters and get a more accurate adaptation of the book.
The 1995 BBC miniseries is around six hours long, with one hour per episode.
The 2005 version is only a two-hour film. Kiera Knightly’s film is good to watch on a time
crunch, but you can also limit yourself to one episode at a time with the miniseries, so
you actually end up saving time. And, if you’re in the mood to sit and binge the whole
thing in one sitting, you can! And it also happens to be quite a rewarding experience.
Going through the story with beloved Jane Austen characters for so long allows you to
get truly invested in the plot and the romance.
Because you’re spending so much time in Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s world, you
easily get more attached to them. When watching the 2005 movie, the connection you
as the viewer have with the characters cannot even begin to compare with what you
have with the 1995 characters. The romance between Kiera Knightly and Matthew
Macfadyen’s characters come across as more sudden and rushed. But in Firth and
Ehle’s series, the romance is more realistic and easier to believe. You see Elizabeth
and Mr. Darcy genuinely fall in love throughout the events of the series. You find
yourself rooting for almost every character (except for Wickham and Lydia) because of
the more deep understanding you have of their story. Because it takes longer for
important twists to hit, and said plot twists have more screen time,
Because the 2005 Pride and Prejudice is only about two hours long, a lot of
scenes from the book had to be cut. While this is understandable, it detracts from the
plot and the relationships between the characters. Because the screen time is about a
third of BBC’s miniseries, plot points and twists seem very sudden and rushed. One
moment you’re shocked at Lydia and Wickham running away, and the next you watch
Mr. Bingley proposing. You have little to no time to fully process what is going on
without being thrown into the next twist.
Meanwhile, BBC’s Pride and Prejudice takes in every event of the book and
takes time with its plot points. The show is a nearly perfect adaptation plot-wise. Nothing
is taken out, and the only thing they add is a scene with Mr. Darcy at the lake. Plot
twists get more screen time and hit more deeply due to it having more time to be built
up. You understand the plot better because of the show’s slow pace, making it easier to
follow.
Due to more screen time, deeper connections, and having a closer adaptation to
the book, BBC’s Pride and Prejudice miniseries takes the cake of being the best
adaptation of Jane Ausen’s beloved romance. Obviously, everyone is entitled to their

own opinion and other adaptations work for different people. In all honestly, both

versions are immaculate.