Here's Why Pride And Prejudice's 2005 UK Ending Was So Different To The US'
It’s been almost 20 years since the 2005 adaptation Pride And Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden hit our screens.
And while some fans are excited for Dolly Alderton’s upcoming Netflix version, which sees Olivia Colman and Emma Corrin play Mrs and Elizabeth Bennet respectively, others still think the noughties movie is the one to beat.
But it might be worth asking: which version of it?
In a Vanity Fair interview, director Joe Wright spoke about why the movie (controversially) had two different endings according to where it was aired – and what he thinks of the divide.
“We couldn’t really figure out how to end the movie,” he told the publication. “And we wanted to avoid the kind of cliché wedding scene.”
So, the filmmakers shot two different finales. The one originally shown in the States involves Lizzie and Darcy smooching passionately, while the British-aired finale shows Keira’s character telling her father about her engagement to her old nemesis.
A 2005 New York Times article said that Wright chose to cut the final kiss for Brits after domestic viewers complained about its differences from the original novel’s plot.
He didn’t think Americans would be as worried about the movie matching the book, the NYT suggested, while the Vanity Fair article says studio execs insisted on the cross-Atlantic changes.
“I like the British ending, but that’s probably because I’m British,” Wright added in the Vanity Fair interview.
“The American ending is possibly a little sweeter, and Americans like sugar,” the director said, “so that seems about appropriate”.
Back in 2005, the director shared a similar sentiment with the NYT. “I guess, in America, you just like a little more sugar in your champagne,” he said at the time.
The late Donald Sutherland, who played Mr Bennet in the movie, also “loved” the original finale, which focused on his relationship with his on-screen daughter, Wright also revealed.
“He was a very emotional man. I remember him crying and thanking me when he saw it.”