Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice is among her most iconic, which means it’s a favorite for movie adaptations. Released in 1813, the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy is the grandmother of the enemies-to-lovers trope, which means countless movies have been born thanks to the ideas behind Pride and Prejudice. Then, there are those based directly on the novel, featuring, at the very least, two prideful and prejudiced characters who fall in love and live happily ever after.

Of course, there have been a variety of Pride and Prejudice TV adaptations as well, the most notable being the 1995 BBC series. This six-episode miniseries is often considered the best of the best, and this leaves little room for other projects to have their time to shine. However, various Pride and Prejudice movies, the oldest of which goes all the way back to 1940, deserve a look under the microscope as well. Each brings something new to the table, whether that be a Hallmark-style Christmas theme or some zombie antagonists.

12

Pride And Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy

Released in 2003

This modern take on Pride and Prejudice is, as the тιтle suggests, all about the comedy, which makes it a good deal of fun to watch. Since Elizabeth is a college student with a bubbly group of roommates (instead of sisters), it could be a more relatable version of the tale than traditional period adaptations, but it also loses something as a result. The type of comedy in Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy is pretty outrageous, which means the subtle wit of Jane Austen’s novel is nowhere to be seen.

The movie might have worked better as a looser adaptation as there are many aspects of the original story that are included in a haphazard way, making for a rushed and messy execution all together.

Austen fans will likely have a lot of fun seeing the different ways the story is adapted for a modern setting, with some of them being quite clever reimaginings. However, the movie might have worked better as a looser adaptation as there are many aspects of the original story that are included in a haphazard way, making for a rushed and messy execution all together.

11

Christmas At Pemberley Manor

Released in 2018

Hallmark’s Christmas At Pemberley Manor follows event planner Elizabeth Bennet as she tries to convince a snobby Christmas-hater, William Darcy, to let her use his mᴀssive home to host a holiday party. Not surprisingly, the magic of the season helps these seeming enemies melt for each other and form a connection. The undertones of Austen’s story are there, but Christmas at Pemberley Manor is more Hallmark in its plot than anything else.

The familiar names and inside jokes incorporated from Pride and Prejudice serve to make this film stand out as a fun nod to Austen, but it can’t hold up to more genuine adaptations. Hallmark Christmas movie fans often know what they are getting and this one delivers those festive rom-com feels without breaking any new ground. Likewise, for those that aren’t fans of these movies, the same flaws are still there.

10

Unleashing Mr. Darcy

Released in 2016

Another Hallmark movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Unleashing Mr. Darcy makes the тιтular character the modern judge of a dog show rather than a pompous lord. The movie follows Elizabeth Scott (Cindy Busby) as she seeks out a new purpose in life and jumps at the chance to enter her beloved dog in a professional show while also pursuing some romantic opportunities of her own.

Ultimately, it was cute and entertaining for a Hallmark movie but less so as a Pride and Prejudice adaptation.

It’s certainly a unique premise that gets the more traditional story rolling, but it’s not enough to earn this film many points. Unleashing Mr. Darcy‘s Elizabeth was almost too mean in this adaptation, and the characters had little chemistry until nearly the very end. The premise also makes it hard to get too invested in the romance, as the whole movie feels like it should be taking itself less seriously. Ultimately, it was cute and entertaining for a Hallmark movie but less so as a Pride and Prejudice adaptation.

9

Pride, Prejudice & Mistletoe

Released in 2018

Pride, Prejudice & Mistletoe earns Hallmark a few points by being its most unique (and least ridiculous) adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The twist in this version is that Darcy is a successful businesswoman, while “Luke” Bennet is the boy she miraculously falls in love with.

Aside from the parallels between these gender-bent characters and those from Pride and Prejudice, however, there aren’t many other similarities within the plot. It is an ideal Hallmark Christmas movie for fans of the genre as it hits on a lot of the tropes that have proven so successful, including the work-obsessed woman finding happiness in a small town. However, as a Pride and Prejudice adaptation, it leaves a lot to be desired.

8

Austenland

Released In 2013

Austenland is one of several loose adaptations of Pride and Prejudice that capture a lot of the elements of the original novel. Fans of Austen’s book should especially have fun with this rom-com as it deals directly with the fandom. Keri Russell stars in Austenland as Jane, a modern woman who is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, which leads her to sign up for a unique getaway to a role-playing retreat that immerses her in the world of Jane Austen’s story.

Russell is very charming and fun in the lead role, a young woman who, like Elizabeth Bennet, does not have luck in the romantic field. Of course, she finds herself in a love triangle while at the retreat, but in a fun twist, she is torn between the role-playing Mr. Darcy character and a more realistic love interest who could help to pull her out of the fantasy world. The movie is elevated by a strong supporting cast, including Flight of the Conchords‘ Bret McKenzie and Jennifer Coolidge.

7

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

Released in 2016

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is clearly a rather unique take on the classic story. The movie is actually based on the Seth Grahame-Smith parody novel of the same name. It imagines a zombie outbreak in the 19th century with the Bennet sisters trained as warriors to battle the growing evil. Lily James stars as Elizabeth, who finds herself torn between her duties as a warrior and her potential romance with the heroic Mr. Darcy.

Strange and over-the-top, the 2016 movie gets away with it by not pretending to be anything else.

Ultimately, it’s the juxtaposition between the two genres—both familiar yet entirely contradictory—that allowed this zombie-flick-meets-Jane-Austen to entertain well enough on its own. However, the book had more fun leaning into the tone of Austen’s novel to add to the absurdity of the entire thing. The film adaptation plays it more like a straight-forward zombie action movie, which is somewhat of a missed opportunity.

6

Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta

Released in 2019

Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta is another modernization of Austen’s novel, and this time, the story itself is pretty spot-on to the original. The film’s greatest ᴀsset is its authentic characters, brought to life by the all-black cast and the true-to-life dialogue. It deals with the family dynamic in a stronger way while also examining how such a romance story might play out differently in the modern world.

Watching Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta feels like sitting in on a real family, and that is certainly beyond many modern movie adaptations. Unfortunately, there’s something missing in the chemistry between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Regardless of such shortcomings, it serves as a great reminder of the universality of Austen’s original story and how it can be adapted with different cultures and experiences being reflected in the story.

5

Bride And Prejudice

Released in 2004

This modernized Pride and Prejudice movie adaptation is unique in that it successfully justifies its own existence. Set predominantly in India, Bride and Prejudice is full of the colorful charm of Bollywood movies. However, rather than simply using this as a gimmicky backdrop for the same old Pride and Prejudice story, the plot uses Austen’s tale to explore concepts unique to this culture. Since Darcy is a wealthy American who comes to India, he is at first ignorant of these cultural nuances. However, as he falls in love with Lalita, he falls in love with her home as well.

Once again, it is a thrill to see this story playing out in the context of another culture while still maintaining certain elements that fans of the original story will be drawn to. It is also a terrific movie to help introduce audiences to Bollywood movies as it feels like a blending of the Hollywood and Bollywood aesthetics.

4

Fire Island

Released In 2022

Fire Island is not only a hilarious LGBTQ+ comedy but another clever retelling of Pride & Prejudice that shows the reliability of the story. The movie follows a group of gay best friends who head out on their annual beach trip together. However, things take a different turn when romance starts to seep into the group of single men and the aimless Noah (Joel Kim Booster) begins to rethink his outlook on relationships and his future.

Noah’s romance with the seemingly stuck-up Will (Conrad Ricamora) is a terrific reimagining of the Elizabeth and Darcy dynamic.

The film clearly has its own story and messages to tell, focusing on friendship in a bigger way than any of the other adaptations. However, Noah’s romance with the seemingly stuck-up Will (Conrad Ricamora) is a terrific reimagining of the Elizabeth and Darcy dynamic. Saturday Night Live breakout star Bowen Yang also has a great supporting role, filling the Jane Bennet part of the original story.

3

Pride And Prejudice

Released in 1940

The 1940 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is technically the second of its kind, with another having released just for TV in 1938. However, as the oldest that is still available to watch, this excellent movie gets a couple of extra points. It obviously lacks the advanced filming of the better-known 1995 miniseries and 2005 movie, but Pride and Prejudice (1940) still managed to capture all the charm of Austen’s novel.

The BBC’s 1938 TV movie Pride and Prejudice is considered a lost film and was, therefore, excluded from this ranking.

Purists of Jane Austen’s novel should be warned that this version of the story does take some liberties with the text. However, some of the new additions are actually interesting and help the movie stand out as a unique adaptation. Both for nostalgia’s sake and the unique and charming scenes added to this film, it has an impressive 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

2

Bridget Jones’s Diary

Released In 2001

Despite the popularity of the movie, there are many people who don’t realize that Bridget Jones’s Diary is actually a loose adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Renée Zellweger earned an Oscar nomination for her winning performance in the lead role as Bridget Jones, a woman who keeps a diary of her attempts to change her life for the better. As she sets out on this journey, she finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with two men, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).

The fact that Firth is playing another Darcy role following his iconic turn in the BBC miniseries from the 1990s will thrill many fans. While the rom-com is not a beat-for-beat retelling of the story the way some adaptations have been, it instead captures the spirit of Austen’s story while succeeding as its own thing. The movie went on to spawn three Bridget Jones sequels, including the most recent Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

1

Pride & Prejudice

Released in 2005

Though the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries often takes the cake overall, the 2005 Pride & Prejudice is easily the best movie adaptation. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen have the best chemistry as Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy of any other Pride and Prejudice movie. Additionally, Pride & Prejudice (2005) is exquisitely filmed.

The frequent use of “golden hour” lighting, the artistic close-ups, Mr. Darcy’s tell-tale flex of the hand—this movie has it all. Of course, there are a few changes from Jane Austen’s book, but the wit and romance were perfectly accounted for. It was also a smash with critics and during awards season. It ended up being nominated for four Oscars, including one for Knightley for Best Actress, making her the only actor to date to receive an Oscar nomination for playing Elizabeth Bennet.