Greer Garson as Lizzy and Lawrence Olivier as Darcy in Pride & Prejudice © MGM
The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
On dark winter nights, we banish news and settle in to watch our favorite programs in front of the electronic hearth, a much-needed respite from the challenges of a working day, and the pulse of aggressive, destructive, inhumane disruptions in our daily lives in the United States. The streaming offers are varied, international, comedic or documentary, spy thrillers and murder mysteries and, of late, we have been dipping into the HBO Max treasure trove of old re-mastered movies. My interest ceases at 1950 when Doris Day held forth, often in song, about ideal American womanhood according to the Hollywood censoring titans. Though the Hays Act was passed in 1930, imaginative screenwriters often defied it. As my husband is a screenwriter, he appreciates their gifts. Not having the movie education he has enjoyed, I often let him guide our choices. And so, this week, we watched a 1940 wartime adaptation of a stage play (adaptation) of Austen's 1813 masterpiece Pride and Prejudice starring Greer Garson as the brave, forceful Elizabeth Bennett, and Olivier as the contained, thoughtful, handsome Darcy. Both actors fulfilled my image of Austen's richly written characters, without disturbing it.
To my surprise, one of the screenwriters was Aldous Huxley whose Brave New World was published in 1932. He lived in Hollywood from 1937 until his death in 1963. I am sure there is a story behind the story of his sojourn in America in a biography I've yet to read. For the moment, I'm grateful he did not bowdlerize Austen's emancipated spirit in this early film version of Pride and Prejudice, and retained Elizabeth Bennett's incisive dialogue, a model for us all as we retreat from outspoken confrontation with those who challenge and demean us with political certitude and rage.
What an engaging woman Lizzy Bennett is, and beautiful, too, in the person of Greer Garson. Whoever choreographed the film is also to be admired as the women in their flouncy dresses glide through the rooms as though they were on wheels. Their energy fills the scenes; the men are secondary characters. And the ending is a happy one as Darcy and Lizzy reconcile, and the world remains in peaceful equilibrium, an outcome we all deserve.