Interesting Trivia of P&P 2005 movie

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Trivia for

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

• Emma Thompson' did an uncredited and unpaid re-write of the script. She receives a "Special Thanks" credit at the end of the film.

• The film is set in 1797, the year that Jane Austen wrote the first draft of Pride and Prejudice.

• Joe Wright was not initially keen on Keira Knightley playing Elizabeth, believing her to be too attractive. He changed his mind upon meeting her, deciding her tomboyish attitude would be perfect for the part.

• At the beginning of the movie, Elizabeth is shown reading a novel titled "First Impressions" - this was Jane Austen's original title of her novel before she altered it to "Pride and Prejudice."

• Keira Knightley was preparing for her role in Domino (2005) while she was filming this, and had already cut her hair. She had to wear a wig during the last few weeks of filming and long sleeves to hide her muscles.

• The English Country Dances done in the film are:
  o Young Widow
  o Wakefield Hunt
  o The Bishop
  o Dutch Dollars
  o Tythe Pig
  o Black Bess
  o Duke of Gloucester's March
  o Moniek's Maggot (only tune used)

• The uniforms for the redcoats worn in the parade sequence came from the "Sharpe" TV series. There was no unit in the British Infantry at the time with yellow facings on their collars and turnbacks, however Bernard Cornwell, author of the Sharpe series created a regiment from whole cloth called the "South Essex" which he described as having yellow facings on their collars. The uniforms were created for the Sharpe's TV series, and were pulled from the wardrobe department for this film.

• Penelope Wilton was also working on The Woody Allen film Matchpoint and Doctor Who-Aliens Of London-World War Three at the same Time.

• Joe Wright cast Donald Sutherland after seeing him in "Cold Mountain". Sutherland reminded Wright of his father.

• The scene where Bingley rehearses proposing to Jane was improvised. Initially, it was supposed to be shorter, but Simon Woods was so good that the scene was lengthened.

• The dinner table scene at Lady Catherine's was the first scene shot for the film. Elizabeth's conversation with Mr. Wickham under the tree was the last. Filming at that location, Burghley House in Linconshire, lasted from the 18th to the 22nd of July, 2004, according to the house's website. In the film (and the novel), the house is called Rosings.

• Filmed almost entirely on location. The only set built for the film was the common hall where Darcy and the Bingleys are first introduced, since because common halls of the type no longer survive in England, or are at least very hard to find nowadays. Building the set also allowed the crew to build it to their exact specifications. Filming on a real location that was that narrow would have been incredibly difficult anyway.

• The actresses who make up the Bennett family (Kiera Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone et al) went to the Bennett house location, in Kent, before the crew, and played Sardines (similar to Hide and Seek in America) in order to get better acquainted with the house and each other before filming began.

• Lydia mentions passing Sarah Sims on her way back to Longbourn. Sarah Sims was an actress in Jane Austen's time.

• In the common hall scene, Lizzie and Charlotte are seen peeking at Mr. Bingley from under bleacher-type seating. Joe Wright admits that this was a reference to John Hughes type teen films, particularly Pretty in Pink (1986)

• According to the director's commentary, Carey Mulligan (Kitty) thought of her mother's funeral during her first crying scene (also her first film). On subsequent takes, when she ran dry, Carey thought of what song would be played at her own funeral. It didn't work quite as well.

• According to the director's commentary, Tamzin Merchant (Georgiana Darcy) did her own piano playing in the film.

• Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Darcy) has very poor eyesight. In the misty morning shot, the director (Joe Wright) was behind the camera waving a red flag so Macfadyen knew where to walk.

• Rosamund Pike was Joe Wright's first choice for the role of Jane. She turned down the role of Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) for this film.

• Composer Dario Marianelli wrote most of the dance music prior to filming.

• US version has a different ending: after Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth's conversation, a scene follows where Darcy and "Mrs. Darcy" are at Pemberly talking about their happiness.

• During Mr. Bingley's private ball, when Ms. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are dancing with each other, Ms. Bingley says, "I can't help feeling that someone is going to produce a piglet and make us chase it." The song they were dancing to is called "The Tithe Pig."
  
  
• When Elizabeth is reading the letter from Mr. Darcy and Charlotte comes and asks her if she is alright, you can see clearly the signature on the letter: Fitzwilliam Darcy.
  
  
• The film's U.S. ending was ranked as one Entertainment Weekly's greatest movie endings of all time.
  
  
• Jena Malone (Lydia) plays younger sister to Keira Knightley (Lizzie). Malone is in real-life older than Knightley.
  
  
• Romola Garai auditioned for the role of Elizabeth Bennet.
  
  
• Mr. Darcy reveals to Lizzy that his sister is to have 30,000 pounds. This sum is her dowry, given to her upon her marriage from the family. It would amount to an income of 1,500 pounds a year on a 5 percent interest, making Miss Georgiana Darcy a very eligible young woman. In comparison, Mr. Bennet has agreed to give the married Lydia 100 pounds a year, meaning her dowry, as well as those of her four other sisters, is only 2,000 pounds.
  
  
• The brown velvet gown with white lace tuck Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Bennet) wears at the second visit to Pemberley is the same costume Charity Wakefield (Marianne Dashwood) wears while Marianne and Elinor pack books in Norland's library in "Sense and Sensibility" (2008).
  
  
• The muslin frock with red patterned overdress Brenda Blethyn (Mrs. Bennet) wears in Meryton when the Bennets learn that Mr. Bingley has returned to Netherfield Hall is the same costume Eleanor Methven (Mrs. Lefroy) wears in Becoming Jane (2007).
  
  
• The pink patterned muslin gown Carey Mulligan (Kitty Bennet) wears when the Bennets go to Netherfield Hall to visit Jane, who is ill, is the same costume Anna Maxwell Martin (Cassandra Austen) wears during the engagement party in Becoming Jane (2007).
  
  
• The yellow muslin gown with white ruffle at the neckline that Carey Mulligan (Kitty Bennet) wears at Longbourn when Mr. Gardiner's letter arrives is the same costume Jessica Ashworth (Lucy Lefroy) wears in Becoming Jane (2007).
  
  
• Rosamund Pike worked with Keira Knightley on this film and with Johnny Depp in The Libertine (2004), who subsequently worked with Keira on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films together.

>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<

Trivia items below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you've not already seen this title.

• SPOILER: Emma Thompson re-wrote the scene in the script when Charlotte informs Lizzie that she is engaged to Mr. Collins.

• SPOILER: When Lizzie Bennet is at the lake after rejecting Mr. Collins's proposal, a flock of geese flew off the pond immediately after the director yelled, "Action!" This was unplanned.