Last night, I began watching the 1980 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. I love Elizabeth Garvie as Elizabeth Bennet but the teleplay - on five episodes as opposed to six in the 1995 BBC production - does some strange things to cover lost plot elements and the romantic quality is far superior in Andrew Davis' 1995 teleplay. This time around I noticed two things:
1. The score is far inferior to Carl Davis' energetic and witty 1995 work.
2. The novel closely adheres to the 1812-1813 calendar, and the novel covers a year, September 1812 to September 1813:
Late summer, September 1812, Bingley rents Netherfield Hall;
Late Nov. 1812, Bingley leave Netherfield;
Just after Christmas, Jane Bennet goes to London for several months to stay with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner;
March 1813, Elizabeth spends two months in Kent with Charlotte and Mr Collins;
Early April 1813, Mr Darcy proposes to Elizabrth and she rejects him;
July 1813, Elizabeth and the Gardiners travel to Derbyshire and Pemberley; Lydia is seduced by Wickham;
August 1813, Darcybuys Wickham to save Lydia's reputation;
September 1813, Bingly returns to Netherfield and proposes to Jane Bennet, Darcy proposes to Elizabeth.
In the 1980 production, the seasons never change; thew entire series of evens takes place in warm weather anmd the events of the novel appear to take place over a couple of spring-summer months!