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A Modern Pride & Prejudice (2011 film)

A Modern Pride & Prejudice is an upcoming American independent film directed by Bonnie Mae and produced by her company, Papercut Productions, LLC. It is a film adaptation based on the 1813 novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’, by Jane Austen.

Plot

According to the IMDB page,

“Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth (Maia Petee) and her oldest sister Jane Bennet (Christina LaFon) through the trial and error of first impressions, timeless proposals, mistaken opinions and true love. When Jane meets the new eligible bachelor Mr. Bingley (Mark Mook), she falls head over heels until he suddenly leaves town unexpectedly with his friend Mr. Darcy (Caleb Grusing). While Elizabeth consults with her sister, she finds herself intertwined in the reasons behind Mr. Bingley's departure, a new-found friend, Mr. Wickham (James Hawthorn), prejudices, and the possibility of finding love herself”.

Cast

The cast features actors exclusively from Colorado.

Caleb Grusing ...Mr. Darcy Maia Petee ...Elizabeth Bennet Christina Lafon ...Jane Bennet Mark Mook ...Mr. Bingley Eve Cohen ...Mrs. Bennet Jon Diack ...Mr. Bennet Shannon Coca Urban ...Lydia Bennet Christina Rizzo ...Kitty Bennet Ashley Drake ...Mary Bennet Jenna Hawkins ...Miss. Bingley James Hawthorn ...Mr. Wickham Tiffany Heinsohn ...Charlotte Lucas A.C. Earing ...Mr. Collins Mark Mitten ...Mr. Fitzwilliam Cynthia Sharp ...Mrs. De Bourgh

Adaptation of the Novel

The script for the film closely follows the novel, with the exception of various modernizations. For example, script references to horses or carriages are replaced with references to cars or bicycles.

Other changes to the film include the treatment of the two ball scenes: the Netherfield Ball and the ball hosted by the Lucases. Both balls take place in the book, however the film sets the Netherfield ball as a local dance, with live rock music, and the Bingley’s ball is a costume ball.

Mae has stated, “I think fans will be interested because it's different. It (has) mansions, castles and the book’s dialogue, but it also (relates) to younger audiences because it is set in modern day with modern dialogue as well as cars and cliques". In a blurb for Amazon Studios, Mae wrote, "The film still has (the) manners of a period film but with a modern twist".

Casting

Mae discussed casting for her film at an interview with a Pride and Prejudice 2005 fan blog. "Maia (Petee) came on the second set of auditions... When she left the room, I looked at the producer and without saying anything we knew that she would be a top pick... She reminds me of a modern-day Elizabeth".

Filming

The film was shot entirely in Colorado, with locations in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Woodland Park. Notable locations include the Governor's Mansion in Denver, which serves as the set for Lady Catherine Du Bourgh's home in the film. Other notable locations which were used in filming include Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

The first scene filmed was the confrontation scene between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy regarding his “mistreatment” of Mr. Wickham. The last scene filmed was a scene between Elizabeth and Jane that took place at the set for the Bingley estate.

Editing

The script originally contained over 115 scenes, but many of these were revised or cut during production. After shooting was completed, there were 85 scenes in the original cut, but Mae has stated that there “might be less if we end up cutting any scenes...You have to remember we filmed the entire book, nothing was cut out so there is a ton of footage to edit.” She has stated that the original cut was over six hours long, but has since been reduced to a two-hour version for release.

Release

Mae had originally stated that she was “hoping for a TV release and then DVD. I’m hoping for PBS to pick up the full 4 hr version for masterpiece theater mini-series. The DVD will be sold on Amazon to anyone around the world”. Original release date was set for December 1, 2010, but the film was not yet complete and it was pushed back to February 14, planned to coincide with Valentines’ Day. However, it was again postponed and a new clip released on March 26, 2012 slates the film for a summer release on August 4, 2012.

The trailer was released in June of 2011 on youtube by the channel Papercutproductions7. As of April 2012, it has over 20,000 views, although comments are disabled. The trailer has since been posted on Mae’s official Facebook page, as well as the film’s Facebook page, which operates under the user name PrideandPrejudice JaneAusten.

In addition to the trailer, several clips have also been released on Youtube and Facebook. One clip is from the first proposal scene between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy and the second is a scene featuring Elizabeth and her sister Jane walking away from the Bingley house. Mae has stated that the scene from the Bingley house is uncut and will not be used in that direct form in the film.

Two photo montages from the film featuring on-set and behind-the-scenes photos have been posted on the Youtube account. Character video-clip montage for Mrs. Bennet (Eve Cohen)has been posted on Youtube. An additional character video-clip montage for Mr. Darcy (Caleb Grusing) has been posted on Facebook. Behind the scenes clips also regularly appear on the film’s facebook page. These include actors joking between takes, bloopers, and crew members slating.