Pride and Prejudice: chapter 29 in the style of country life in 1939
First scene: Mr Collins runs excitedly from the church across the village square to the cottage. Music accompanies this, echoing the hurry, but with an air of silliness- to show the scene is meant to be taken lightly and with humour.
Second scene: Music still playing but quietly. In the cottage, Elizabeth and Mrs Collins are sitting in the study catching up on each other’s latest news. The front door can be seen from this angle, as it opens.
Mr Collins: (opening the cottage door in a flurry) Mrs Collins, My wife, where are you?
(Elizabeth can be seen repressing her humour at her dear friend being addressed in such a hurried yet correct way)
Mrs Collins: Here Mr Collins, what’s the matter?
(Remaining in her chair as if to suggest that she believed the hurry to be exaggerated)
Mr Collins: I have just received post (coming in and shutting the door to eves droppers, as if to highlight the importance and grandeur of his news) inviting both us and miss Elizabeth to have dinner at Rosings Sunday evening!
(Mrs Collins, now looking pleasantly alarmed, turns to Elizabeth to share in her surprise. Elizabeth is slightly humoured by the flustered Mr Collins, but tries to disguise this as surprise)
Mr Collins: Of course, I knew Lady Catherine would like us to visit her at some point over the next few weeks, but you’ve only just arrived! My my… she doesn’t miss a beat… Oh Charlotte! What an honour! ... Oh but Elizabeth (he turns to Elizabeth) don’t worry- if you’ve not brought something special to wear… just wear whatever is smartest… or else Mrs Collins might lend you something suitable: Ay?, Charlotte my dear.
(Mrs Collins nods fervently, smiling at Elisabeth)
End scene
(Elizabeth and Charlotte are taking a walk later that evening, Mr Collins is elsewhere. The sound of birds can be heard and children far off playing in the fields.)
Mrs Collins: It is nice to get away from time to time, have a breather.
Elizabeth: It is a fine place to live, round here (Looking at the fields and country lanes).
Mrs Collins: Oh yes.
(They walk a little further)
Mrs Collins: I expect you’re nervous about Rosings tomorrow?
Elizabeth: Emm... No: not really. Lady Catherine sounds like a fearsome woman… but it will be interesting to meet the woman behind all Mr Collins’ comments of honour and admiration towards her!
(Elizabeth smiles at Mrs Collins, as if to share a personal joke- and they begin to laugh a little)
Elizabeth: (Resumes to walk alongside Mrs Collins, taking hold and linking her arm) Really though, how have you been? Are you coping alright?
Mrs Collins: Yeh, its ok. I get time to myself… That is blessing enough I think...and Mrs Crotchet and I keep our selves busy with the WI and helping out at the school. So I’m quite settled now.
Elizabeth: Oh good. I did hope you would meet some ladies you could spend time with. I should like to meet Mrs Crotchet at some point.
Mrs Collins: Yeh, that would be good- you could come with me on Tuesday if you’d like… you’ll like her, I’m sure of it.
Elizabeth: Yes- that would be nice…. That is if I survive the dreaded Lady Catherine…
(They both smiled at each other, Mrs Collins rolling her eyes at the thought of her husbands’ remarks… and they continued down the road)
End scene
(Mr Collins, his wife and Elizabeth arrive outside Rosings. Sir William and Maria Lucas arrive at the same time. The sound of the motor car engine can be heard chugging away as Mr Collins fumbles to turn off the ignition. The five of them walk up to the door which is opened by the butler and they are received inside.)
Lady Catherine: Good evening
Mrs Collins: This is my friend, Elizabeth Bennett
(Lady Catherine nods firmly in approval)
Mrs Collins: and this, Elizabeth, is Lady Catherine de Bourgh
(Elizabeth nods gently: receiving this introduction)
Elizabeth: Nice to meet you M’am.
(Scene cuts to the dinner hall. Mrs Collins, Mr Collins, Lady Catherine and her daughter, Miss Jenkins and various others in the party are sat round the table enjoying the dinner. Lady Catherine’s discussing the effect of the war on the quality of food they have to eat due to rations)
Lady Catherine: I mean, of course these rations books are needed but a woman like myself can’t be expected to live off the same amount of food allocated for those families in the village… It’s unthinkable!
Sir William: We all have to do our bit for the war effort m’am, but with any hope it should be over soon
Mr Collins: O yes, indeed: terrible subject, this war, all these men going out to fight.
(Silence resumed as a result of the topic, and Lady Catherine’s comments making guests unsure of how to approach the subject, so they all carried on eating.)
(after a moment or two, Lady Catherine beings the conversation again)
Lady Catherine: Elizabeth, how are you finding the area, is it to your taste?
Elizabeth: O yes, it is beautiful. I certainly makes a change from spending the days at in the shop, mending and adjusting garments all day. Lady Catherine: O, so you work?
Elizabeth: Yes, there are a team of 6 of us at the shop; we soon get the work done.
Lady Catherine: I see, and how about your brothers or sisters? Are they at school?
Elizabeth: No, we have all been home schooled by our mother, but most of us work now.
Lady Catherine: My my child! How many are there of you?
Elizabeth: 5 in total, all girls.
Lady Catherine: and you all work?
Elizabeth: Yes, indeed. Since the men have been called to the front, they have taken up some of their jobs in the village, keep things ticking over. I quite enjoy it myself.
Lady Catherine: O my! I’ve never heard of such things! The times… the times.
(This was received with by Mr Collins who was quick to agree and laugh off the idea as the others did so out of politeness.)
End scene
Evaluation of Pride and Prejudice screen play
For this screen play exercise, I have chosen to adapt chapter 29 of Pride and Prejudice. However, unlike most adaptations of this novel, I have chosen to set the story in a different time period then it was originally written. The time period I have chosen is of the early years of World War II, set in a little village amongst the English countryside. This location and time takes the novel and applies it to a whole new group of circumstances, yet conserving the idyllic nature placed upon country life all that involves. In doing this, there are several elements that needed to be taken into account. Culture in the late 1930’s was a lot different to that in Jane Austin’s time and so curtain subject matter and language needed to be changed in order to be authentic and faithful to the time it is set. For example: the idea discussed in this chapter of the novel about the behaviour expected of girls had to be redefined. It was no longer plausible to have Lady Catherine complaining that the Bennet sisters were all about town at the same time, however it was more fitting to have her comment on their involvement in the workplace as this was a challenge which faced young girls in the war, in progression of the suffragette movement. Also, the topic of Mrs Collins marrying out of a need connected to money and inheritance and security is also something that would be alien to the 1930’s women, so this isn’t mentioned in the adaptation, instead it is inferred that the couple have recently moved to the area and that Elizabeth is simply asking after the wellbeing of the wife, in a new place: to which she replies that she is getting involved with local community projects and school activities, which would be the norm of a housewife in this time. There are many more references made within the adaptation to transform this 18th Century novel into a 1930’s tale but is shall only highlight on more. That is to notice Mr Collins’ feeble attempt to control and drive the newly invented motorcar, of which he would have been very proud and would have insisted in using it to arrive at Rosings in style.
Moving on to other aspect of this adaptation, we turn our focus towards the music and sound. There is a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds used in this screen play. To begin with, the first scene uses non-diegetic music to highlight the movement and character of Mr Collins as he runs across the village to share the news of their invitation to Rosings. This music directing says it should incorporate an element of silliness, which is designed to direct the audience to take the scene lightly, with humour toward the character. This theory/ use of music in the scene was inspired by Davison’s (2007) observations that music can be used in producing mood, amplify characters emotions and also provide a way of connecting multiple camera shots so the audience seen the scene as one continuous passage and not so fragmented. This works well in this opening scene as there may be need to use multiple shots to capture the whole sequence of Mr Collins running from the Church across the village, to his house.
Secondly, diegetic sounds are used in later scenes such as when Mrs Collins and Elizabeth take a walk and when the party arrive at Rosings. The presence of the bird song, children playing and the motorcar engine is to bring a closer connection between the audience and the characters, as these sounds would be heard if the event was taking place in real life and so applying these sounds to the script brings about a deeper sense of authenticity towards the story.
In reflection I would have like to have used more non-diegetic music when the party arrive at Rosings as the scene build up seems to be rather empty. It would be better to have the music expressing the mood of the visitors as they arrived or even the atmosphere that they may encounter in the house, with all its grandeur and pomp.
One element of the adaptation process which I have realised I haven’t given much thought to is that of costumes. Costumes play a key role in scene setting and a continuation of the authenticity of a drama. On reflection I might have the character in the village dressed simply in the style of the ‘make-do’ country life in World War II. This may take inspiration from the characters in such films as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Adamson, 2005) or Goodnight Mr Tom (Gold, 1998). Whereas the characters residing at Rosings may wear more formal, fancy attire: such as that worn by the family in Downton Abbey (2011). Having these influences from other films amplifies the experience that the audience is sharing in. These cinematic parallels add to the depth of understanding that the audience themselves share in about the era in question and creates, all the more, the feeling of authenticity towards the film.
In conclusion, this exercise has taught me a lot about what intricate details are needed in order to create a authentic adaptation of a book/ novel. I have also found that I am more aware of how such things as costume, setting and music shape the direction the director takes the audience, whereas before this, as an audience member, I was not conscious of it. Finally, I hope you enjoy my adaptation.
References
Davison, Annette. ‘High Fidelity? Music in Screen adaptation’ in Cartmell and Whelehan, 2007. 212-226.
‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ Gold, Jack; Carlton Television; 1998
Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Adamson, Andrew; Walt Disney Pictures, 2005
Downton Abbey , Fellowes, Julian; ITV, Carnival Films, 2011
