A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
While this movie has seemingly nothing to do with the novel written hundreds of years ago, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a direct retelling of Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen.
This blog will cover…
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- Similarities and differences between the two pieces
- My opinion on and connection to the film
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Bridget Jones’s Diary is the story of Bridget, a 30 year old woman in a publishing firm, who has nearly lost hope in love. She is the protagonist of the story, like Elizabeth Bennet. Though these main characters don’t have much in common, they both share this hopeless romanticism for love, and both characters seek it. The most obvious plot point of this story that link the two stories together is the name of the love interest in both works. While Fitzwilliam Darcy is Elizabeth’s love interest, Bridget’s equivalent is Mark Darcy. They share the same name, same actor, and many personality traits; both men are stubborn, prideful, and they seem to highly dislike the female protagonists throughout the movie until the ultimate declaration of love. The man who plays Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary also plays Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (1995). Just like many of Austen’s works, this movie is surrounded by Bridget’s false understanding of a situation, preventing her from seeing Mark Darcy as he really is.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is a romantic comedy, so it doesn’t take itself as seriously as Austen’s novel does. Elizabeth takes herself very seriously and she is very critical of others; Bridget is often made to be the butt of the joke and she always says or does the wrong thing in every situation, which makes her endearing to the audience.
This movie will always be a classic to me because my mother introduced it to me as one of her favorite films. This movie is so significant because I feel as though is has kept the story of Pride and Prejudice relevant for an entire female generation (Generation X). These women are introducing their children to this movie, thus maintaining a cycle of appreciation for Austen’s work. I feel such a great connection to this movie because my mom bought the CD Soundtrack and we would play it in the car sometimes on the ride to school. We also had the Blu-ray CD of the movie, so every time my mom and I would watch the movie, we would stick around to watch the bonus scenes and interviews. This movie holds a very dear place in my heart because of the fond memories I associate with it and I think that this is true for many young women. The maintained relevance and love of this film can be credited with the continued interest in Jane Austen novels and stories, bringing about a new age of period pieces for younger girls. Though this movie is ridiculous compared to the original novel, it does the novel honor by pulling forth inspiration and deriving a new way to tell the story in a way that Netflix’s Persuasion couldn’t. The movie is just fun and the viewer can’t help but cheer for Bridget on her journey to finding love, making it one of my favorite movies.