Pride & Prejudice Was First Released 19 Years Ago Today

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Here's a look back on what's widely considered the best adaptation of the classic novel

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It’s 19 years today since Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice (2005) landed in British cinemas on 16 September 2005, starring Kiera Knightly as Lizzy Bennet opposite Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy – of course, based on Jane Austen’s classic 1813 novel of the same name. With a star-studded cast and a ‘muddy hem’ take on the classic, it’s widely considered the best adaptation of the book. Staying true to Austen’s novel, with some lines of dialogue lifted directly from the book, Knightly and Macfadyen’s performances have become synonymous with the classic characters for a whole generation of people – film lovers and readers alike. Here we take a look back at the box office smash.

Pride & Prejudice (2005): Plot, Cast & Where To Stream

Kiera Knightly & Matthew Macfadyen in Pride & Prejudice (2005)

What Is Pride & Prejudice About?

Based on Jane Austen’s best known romance novel, published in 1813, Pride & Prejudice (2005) is a historical romance film set in the 18th century. We centre on the Bennet family – on one of the five daughters, Elizabeth Bennet (Kiera Knightly), in particular – as matriarch Mrs Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) attempts to wed them all off.

Naturally, Mrs Bennet is very pleased when the wealthy bachelor Charles Bingley (Simon Woods) moves into nearby Netherfield Hall – and, when he meets the local society at an assembly hall, he is swiftly taken with Lizzy’s sister Jane (Rosamund Pike). Meanwhile, Lizzy immediately dislikes Bingley’s friend Mr Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), overhearing dismissive remarks about her – and thus begins Austen’s take on an enemies to lovers tale as old as time.

In contrast to Austen’s novel and many adaptations, the action does not take place in 1813 in this film – instead, director Wright shifted the action to the end of the 1700s due to his interest in the impact of the French Revolution on British society. ‘The establishment of England was looking across the Channel at the French Revolution – and wondering how it might affect them,’ Wright explained at the time. ‘The upper classes were frightened, and made the decision to assimilate more with the lower classes. Hence, the Assembly Rooms dances in village halls, which people of Darcy and Bingley’s class would now attend. There, they would mingle with people they wouldn’t previously have ever met socially. It was a whole new era for society. For young women, this was very exciting – like, say, Prince William turning up at a High Street disco. Suddenly, marriage prospects were widened. Bingley handles all this well, whereas his sister Caroline does not readily embrace the idea of these new associations.’

Similarly, Wright’s film really underscores the Bennet family’s relative poverty: Mr and Mrs Bennet’s five daughters do not have dowries due to financial mismanagement, and the rural Longbourn is a stark contrast to the more opulent lives led by the Darcy and Bingley families.

Cast Of Pride & Prejudice

Keira Knightley as Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Bennet
Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy
Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet
Donald Sutherland as Mr Bennet
Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet
Jena Malone as Lydia Bennet
Tom Hollander as Mr Collins
Penelope Wilton as Mrs Gardiner
Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Simon Woods as Charles Bingley
Carey Mulligan as Catherine ‘Kitty’ Bennet
Talulah Riley as Mary Bennet
Rupert Friend as George Wickham
Kelly Reilly as Caroline Bingley
Tamzin Merchant as Georgiana Darcy
Claudie Blakley as Charlotte Lucas
Cornelius Booth as Colonel Fitzwilliam
Peter Wight as Mr Gardiner
Roy Holder as Mr Hill
Pip Torrens as Netherfield Hall Butler
Meg Wynn Owen as Mrs Reynolds
Sinead Matthews as Mrs Betsy

Looking back, this cast is incredibly star studded, with director Wright snagging stars before they’d risen to the fame we know today. Knightly had already appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), making her the perfect draw for fans. Meanwhile Macfadyen, though he is now known globally for his leading role in HBO’s Succession, was known only for his role on British TV show, Spooks. The Bennet sisters – played by Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan and Talulah Riley – would all go on to achieve international acclaim following their Pride & Prejudice appearances. Then, of course, there’s also Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Tom Hollander and Judi Dench all drawing international audiences to the flick, which would go on to gross $121,147,947 at the international box office.

When Was Pride & Prejudice Filmed?

Pride & Prejudice was filmed across 11 weeks in the summer of 2004. Shot entirely on location, you might be wondering where exactly the 2005 movie was filmed…

Pride & Prejudice Filming Locations

Where was Pride & Prejudice filmed? Entirely in the UK, making use of the nation’s plethora of beautiful country houses. ‘It is quite unusual for a movie this size to be shot entirely on location,’ producer Paul Webster notes. ‘Part of Joe [Wright]’s idea was to try to create a reality which allows the actors to relax and feel at one with their environment.’ And it worked: instead of retiring to movie trailers between scenes, cast members would head into their own bedrooms at Longbourn.

The key Pride & Prejudice filming locations include:

Groombridge Place, Kent – a moated, 17th century mansion in Kent chosen to portray Longbourn, the Bennet family home.
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, a stunning and huge country house that stands in for Pemberley, Darcy’s family estate; Chtwaorth is thought to be the real property Austen was inspired by.
Basildon Park, Berkshire which stands in for Netherfield, Bingley’s country home.
Burghley House, Cambridgeshire, which stood in for Rosings.
Stamford, Lincolnshire, a picturesque town which played the part of the Bennet’s local, pretty village of Meryton.
Haddon Hall, Derbyshire – a country house very near to Chatsworth, standing in for The Inn at Lambton.

Where To Watch Pride & Prejudice

Pride & Prejudice is available to stream on Netflix across the globe, including in the UK, US and Chile. Indeed, in December 2017, Netflix announced one person from Chile had watched the film a whopping 278 times during the that had just passed. The watcher revealed herself to be a 51-year-old woman totally ‘obsessed’ with the film. No judgement here.

If you’re looking for the 1995 BBC miniseries starring Colin Firth, this can be streamed for free in the UK on BBC iPlayer.