The Making of Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
by Sue Birtwistle, Susie Conklin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sue Birtwistle, Susie ConklinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-08-26
ISBN: 014025157X
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The Making of Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
Book Review: Eye Candy AND a Useful Handbook for Historical Filmmakers
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a must-have for all fans of this series. It's full of useful information, fun facts and great photographs -- eye candy you can't get elsewhere, including loads of color photos of the gorgeous costuming and sets. It packs a lot of goodies into 113 pages. My only criticism is that, for cost reasons, a lot of the photos are quite small. Wish they'd been able to do an upmarket coffee table book version of this book as well, with larger versions of the photos enabling closer study.
But it's more than just a "fanzine" for devotees of the series. It should be required reading for all current and aspiring Producers, Directors, Production Designers, Costume Designers and other crew members for ANY historical production of any era, whether drama or documentary.
In a clearly written and visually compelling way, it takes the reader through the process of creating a top quality historical film from initial concept / treatment through post-production. Particular attention is paid to the research and documentation that went into the series and their strategies for keeping it true to the novel while adapting the story to a different medium and making it come alive for modern viewers without resorting to anachronistic dialogue. There's quite a bit of detail on casting, location scouting, interior design/construction/set dressing /props, costume design and construction, including textile procurement and development of the shooting schedule. Each department head and other key crew member is given a chance to explain their role, including even the production secretary -- which says a lot about Birtwhistle's management style and teamwork that went into this. It's clear this would have been a fun show to work on.
Writing a "making of" book for a film that's actually USEFUL to the production community involves striking a tough balance -- for commercial reasons the book needs to be primarily geared to to the general reader / fans of the series. However, Birtwhistle and Conklin manage to do this in a way that doesn't talk down to the reader or shy away from using technical film terms, making it a useful reference for film professionals as well as the general reader. Although going through the steps in the production process will be old hat to those actually in the business, this particular production's approach to those steps, the thinking and methodology behind the judgement calls that one has to make on various issues, is what makes this book useful as a useful little production handbook / to-do list as well.
In my opinion, this series was quite possibly the best bit of historical film making EVER and the standards set by Producer Sue Birtwhistle, writer Andrew Davies and their team should be both inspirational and aspirational for others in this field.
Although the BBC / A&E Pride and Prejudice series had a much larger budget and much more prep time than is possible for most historical TV productions (particularly the cable documentaries which are the bread and butter of what I work on), a lot of the methodology described is still applicable to productions with small budgets and much less prep time.
So many production companies cut corners with authenticity, assuming the general audience won't know the difference or won't care. Sadly, the big-budget Hollywood productions who DO have the time and money to get it right and therefore no excuse, are often the worst offenders.
Just as Birtwhistle doesn't talk down to non-industry readers in this book, she and her production team do not talk down to the viewer in the production itself. Giving the average viewer credit for having a brain cell or two is a smart way to go and the results speak for themselves.
The huge commercial success of this production and the near-cult status it has achieved with its dedicated following, proves that getting it right, authenticity-wise is not only the right way to go artistically, it makes very good business sense.
Ten years later, this series is still going strong on DVD and winning new viewers / devotees each year. While a new Hollywood film version is now going into production with Keira Knightly as Lizzie, the BBC / A&E series is going to be a VERY hard act to follow.
As the majority of the public now get their history from film and television, rather than from books and the educational system, there is a strong argument that historical filmmakers have an obligation to educate as well as entertain. Getting this balance right isn't always easy, as there can be a tendency to perceive anything "educational" as inherently boring.
The Pride and Prejudice series did an admirable job of getting this balance right. One way they did this was by showing rather than by just telling. The other key component was their presenting the clothing and material culture of the era in a way that was not only highly accurate but visually very rich and compelling. The pure beauty of the thing draws viewers into the era and makes them WANT to know about it.
While a drama does not, as a work of fiction, have to present actual facts, it nonetheless needs to be true to the period depicted. This gives the non-factual elements of the drama its credibility and context and helps to bring it to life.
This series has inspired a lot of people not only to read Austen's works but also to read more about the Regency era as a whole, to get into living history, to do reproduction costuming, to visit historic properties.
Hats off not only to this series but to this extremely useful and very readable companion book!
As a professional involved in managing a company that provides history-related services to film and TV, I'm tempted to buy a case of these books and give one to each new client upon contract signature as a condition of our working for them. Oh well, it's a thought.... :-)
If you're remotely "into" historical film, historical costuming or any related area, either as a professional or amateur, you'll love this book.
Kathryn Coombs
Historical Entertainment LLC /
Historical Wardrobe Ltd
Summary of The Making of Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
The Making of Pride and Prejudice reveals in compelling detail how Jane Austen's classic novel was transformed into the stunning television drama starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It vividly brings to life every stage of production of this sumptuous series.
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