MAJESTIC THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 127, 22 February 1941, Page 15

MAJESTIC THEATRE

It has become pretty much the accepted thin- that, when a famous book is tians lated on to the screen, no pains or expense should be spared in the production. But to say that of the screen 'etsion of “Pride and Prejudice now scieenin„ at the Majestic Theatre, is to stop far short of the literal truth. The St’ e ates care has been taken to portray, all the background detail of Jane Austen s MeiJton, and the picture bristles with little touches of local colour so interesting at times as almost to run parallel in interest with the many characters. Laurence Olivier, as Darcy, aud Gieer Garson, as Elizabeth, carry the mam burden of the story with a charm that needs no wordy elaboration, but all or the cast are good, and some of those in the lesser roles can only be described as excellent. Melville Cooper is Mr. Collins come to life. , ~ As the film tells the story, the Bennett family—father, mother and live daughleis ■—lives an uneventful existence at lovely Meryton, with nothing to disturb its calm but for some fear on mother s part that her handsome aud gifted daughters mi-lit not have sufficient opportunities to make suitable matches. This dovecote is put all in a flutter by the arrival of Mr. Bingley ("£5OOO a year, my dear J ) and his friend Darcy at a neighbouring house. Bingley and Jane Bennett are soon very much in love, and despite some setbacks and Mr. Darcy’s rather stiffnecked opinion of himself, he and Elizabeth are soon touched with the same pleasant but worrying complaint. The story then becomes that of tlie unravelling of the two major love-plots, filled out and made human by the amazingly life-like characterizations of the whole cast. Tlig film is chockful of humour, ns might have been expected; and added to that there is many a rapid change of scene to lend pace to the tell“Pride and Prejudice” is a very full and very pleasant evening’s entertainment.