Two years after the BBC had broadcast their first small-screen version of Jane Austen's novel, MGM released theirs to the movie theaters. There are some problems with the production, centering around Greer Garson as Elizabeth and Laurence Olivier as Darcy; both seem uncomfortable with the formality and distaste of their scenes together. No such cavils apply to the secondary characters, particularly Edmund Gwenn as Mr. Bennett, Mary Boland as the hilariously predatory Mrs. Bennett, and the inimitable Edna May Oliver as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. All of the characters seem sharply drawn and the lines are witty, except, of course, for those uttered by Melville Cooper.
The story has been softened a touch from Austen's satire, to appeal to contemporary audiences, but the MGM gloss is apparent in every shot. It seems bizarre to realize that Karl Freund was the cinematographer; one thinks of him in charge of the camera in 1920s German films, and 1930s ur-noir. That's the thing about great, and even good cameramen; Freund would wind up in charge of the camerawork for I Love Lucy. With Robert Leonard's steady hand, the result is an eminently watchable movie, distinguished more for individual scenes than overall impact.
The story has been softened a touch from Austen's satire, to appeal to contemporary audiences, but the MGM gloss is apparent in every shot. It seems bizarre to realize that Karl Freund was the cinematographer; one thinks of him in charge of the camera in 1920s German films, and 1930s ur-noir. That's the thing about great, and even good cameramen; Freund would wind up in charge of the camerawork for I Love Lucy. With Robert Leonard's steady hand, the result is an eminently watchable movie, distinguished more for individual scenes than overall impact.