Joe Wright's adaptation of the ever-popular Jane Austen story Pride and Prejudice attracted a whole new generation of fans who discovered the story due to an entirely different aesthetic than the previous adaptations, most famously the miniseries with Colin Firth.
There is a very particular vibe Joe Wright wanted in his adaptation Pride & Prejudice, and he did his job so well, this movie is still among the favorites in the eyes of fans. But there are some behind-the-scenes facts that will make the experience of watching it next time even better.
Rosamund Pike Rejected Harry Potter
Among the actors who turned down a role in Harry Potter is a Pride & Prejudice star, Rosamund Pike. Rosamund Pike rejected a role in Harry Potter to play Jane Bennet. After already signing up to play Rita Skeeter in The Goblet of Fire, Pike opted out after learning she would also have to film scenes for the next movie in the franchise.
Despite limited scenes in the fifth Harry Potter movie, she felt she couldn't commit to both and ultimately ended up choosing her role of Jane Bennett, which she was perfect for.
Different Endings
American and British audiences saw a different ending of the movie. The American version had an off-book ending, which included the "Mrs. Darcy scene", followed by some endearments and kissing. The British audience apparently did not take that well, so they changed the ending in the British version.
So if any of the audience has seen the movie that ends with Lizzie's dad granting her permission to marry Mr. Darcy, it was most likely the British version of the movie.
Profanity Gets Joe Wright Everywhere
Dame Judi Dench is known for her ability to play unpleasant roles to a tee. So the role of Catherine De Bourgh was written in her DNA. But Joe Wright didn't go the usual route when convincing her to star in his adaptation.
Instead of resorting to flattery, he wrote Dench a letter, in which he wrote "I love it when you play a b****!". And it worked, Dench agreed to work on the project and she was a great fit for the role.
Main Musical Theme
There was a lot of effort and work put into the movie, making it as cohesive as possible. When Elizabeth is prompted by Lady De Bourgh to play the piano, she plays the main musical theme, which can be heard throughout the film, titled 'Dawn' by Dario Marianelli who composed the entire soundtrack for the movie.
The awkwardness with which she played added to the charm of the movie and displayed her clear lack of formal education on the things that were considered important for young ladies of that time.
First Impressions
At the beginning of the movie, Elizabeth is seen reading a book called First Impressions, which some fans will recognize as Austen's original title for the book before it was renamed Pride and Prejudice.
The text showing visible pages of the book contains the last chapter of Pride and Prejudice with names and locations changed, so in a way, Elizabeth was reading her own ending at the beginning of the movie.
Red Flag
Matthew Macfayden has very poor eyesight. During the scene where Mr. Darcy walks towards Elizabeth in the foggy morning, Wright had to stand behind the camera with a red flag so Macfayden knew which direction to walk to.
This just shows how resourceful Wright is when it comes to filming, but the way Matthew slightly stumbles and looks like he doesn't know where he's going also adds to the scene in a way, so it worked out well. It's considered one of the best adaptations of the novel.
Special Thanks To Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson received a "Special Thanks" credit for her work and contribution to the script. Thompson helped Wright on the script when he was looking for advice on how to tackle an Austen movie.
In the end, she also ended up writing the script for the scene where Elizabeth is struggling to tell Mr. Darcy along with the Gardiners about Lydia's elopement. Elizabeth entering the room, rushing out to collect herself and then returning was Thompson's idea.
Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet dated
Wright was skeptical to cast Simon Woods as Mr. Bingley, even though he was convinced that Woods was perfect for the role. The reason for this was that Pike and Woods used to date in university. In the end, Wright ended up calling Rosamund Pike and asking her if she'd mind.
Her reply was, as many would've guessed: "Absolutely not." This resulted in the perfect chemistry between Jane and Mr. Bingley. Ironically, Pike dated Joe Wright while filming the movie, as Wright told The Guardian in an interview.
Almost Kiss
Many fans will remember the utterly romantic proposal scene, which ended with an almost-kiss between Elizabeth and Darcy. Fewer fans will perhaps know that this scene was specific to this movie, in fact, it was specific to Macfayden and Knightley's portrayal.
It was something that came up in Macfayden's screen test with Keira Knightley due to their chemistry. And the choice to keep the scene in the movie was great. Of course, her passionate speech about all the reasons she would never marry him was a memorable part of the movie as well.
Mr. Darcy's Hand Flex Was Unscripted
One of the favorite scenes from the movie is Mr. Darcy's hand flex after helping Elizabeth enter the carriage. At first an act of seeming disgust, it becomes clearer that it's meant to portray Darcy's conflicting feelings towards Elizabeth.
it was also not scripted. Macfayden told Collider he did it during a rehearsal take, but Joe Wright liked it so much he instructed the cinematographer to get an extra shot of the hand. "No, it's credit to Joe, because he's— I think, he doesn't miss a trick, and he's so alive to things, and he saw me do it in a rehearsal take and I remember him just going, 'Get that!' So they just did an extra shot on the hand."To this day it remains a favorite of many fans of the movie, so his hunch was correct.