The 15 Best Movie & TV Adaptations, Ranked According To IMDb
Charlotte Adams Jane Austen's iconic novel Pride And Prejudice has been adapted to movies and TV shows many times. These are the best adaptations of the book!
Jane Austen's novels are a staple for anyone who loves 18th and 19th-century romance. Her witty heroines and dashing yet complex romantic interests have been adapted into movies and television shows for decades, delighting audiences and giving Austen all the credit her writing deserves.
No novel is more popular than Pride And Prejudice, which follows the turbulent relationship between the intelligent and stubborn Elizabeth Bennet and the elusive Mr. Darcy. Many times has the book been translated into the screen, and while some adaptations were more popular than others, they still deserve some credit.
Updated on April 14th, 2022 by Amanda Bruce: There will likely never be a shortage of Jane Austen adaptations for audiences to enjoy. The Hallmark Channel and Youtubers have turned the stories of Austen's heroines into modern romantic comedies in the last decade, giving fresh takes on a familiar story centered in offices or during the holiday season instead of on an English estate. Even many classic versions of Pride And Prejudice movies are now available to stream, giving Austen fans their pick of a variety of stories. While there are numerous Pride And Prejudice adaptations that might have higher ratings than those listed below, all of the ones included have thousands of ratings on IMDb instead of a few hundred to make the ratings as accurate as possible.
15 Pride And Prejudice (2003) - 5.0
- Available to stream on Tubi
This particular adaptation was one of the many that attempted to transport Jane Austen's story to modern times. In this case, the action takes place in Utah, with Elizabeth Bennet portrayed as a career-driven woman who dreams of becoming a writer and Mr. Darcy as a successful businessman.
The movie isn't made to be taken seriously and is more a comedy than a faithful retelling of an epic love story. The rating isn't great, but it's still a fun movie to play on a Sunday afternoon.
14 Pride And Prejudice And Zombies (2016) - 5.8
- Available to stream on Amazon Prime
It's interesting to note that Pride And Prejudice And Zombies is an adaptation of an adaptation. The book that inspired this 2016 movie took Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship and turned it upside down by including zombies. Yes, zombies in the 19th century.
Austen purists weren't exactly happy with the book, and the IMDb rating of the adaption isn't brilliant. Still, it makes for an incredibly entertaining watch, and Lily James' take on the famous heroine is commendable. It might not be the best Pride And Prejudice movie, but it definitely makes the romantic comedy more adrenaline-fueled.
13 Unleashing Mr. Darcy (2016) - 6.2
- Available to stream on Hoopla
Hallmark has actually done several adaptations (and sequels) for Jane Austen's works, and this takes Elizabeth and Darcy into the competitive world of dog shows. Elizabeth Scott enters her dog into a show, while Donovan Darcy is one of the judges.
The movie might be vastly different from the source material, but it stays true to the spirit of the original novel with both characters attracted to one another, but stubbornly believing their first impressions of one another, and allowing misunderstandings to cloud their judgment. The audience knows how the story will end, but that doesn't make the adaptation any less fun than other modern romantic comedies.
12 Bride And Prejudice (2004) - 6.2
- Available to stream on Amazon Prime
The Bollywood take on Pride And Prejudice is yet another instance where the beloved characters are transported to the modern-day, including plenty of colorful dance numbers and stunning visuals.
Bride And Prejudice stays as faithful to the novel as an adaptation like this can and includes pretty good performances by the two main actors. Plus, it's wonderful to witness a clash of cultures within the realm of Austen. It really adds another layer to the conflict between the characters.
11 Pride, Prejudice, And Mistletoe (2018) - 6.2
- Available to rent on Vudu
This particular holiday version of Austen's classic is a modern update and features Hallmark mainstay, Lacey Chabert. It's unique in that it's a gender-flipped version of the story. Chabert stars in the Darcy role, but this time, Darcy is a woman who returns home to help her mother with a community fundraiser - where she falls in love with a rival from high school.
It definitely takes a lot of liberties with the source material, but the unique story makes it stand out from other adaptations. Pride, Prejudice, And Mistletoe might not be the most beloved adaptation, but it's nice to see Austen's story still finding new life.
10 Austenland (2013) - 6.3
- Available to stream on Amazon Prime
Technically, Austenland isn't a straight adaptation of Jane Austen's work. Instead, it's based on the novel of the same name by Shannon Hale, which features a character who is obsessed with Austen's Pride And Prejudice and finds her own version of the story playing out when she visits a resort that recreates the Austen era for guests.
It's a clever idea that much of the audience for the movie will appreciate, and it allows for the audience to draw parallels to some of Austen's other works within the story as well. Main character Jane even sees several unexpected twists in her romantic entanglements that Austen herself would approve of.
9 Christmas At Pemberley Manor (2018) - 6.3
- Not currently available to stream
In 2018, multiple holiday movies hit networks like Hallmark, which isn't unusual, but there were a few inspired by Pride And Prejudice. Christmas at Pemberley Manor took the idea of Elizabeth and Darcy and transplanted them into adversaries during the holiday season.
In this case, Elizabeth is an event planner who ends up planning the holiday celebration in a small town. She wants to use Pemberley Manor as the venue, but the wealthy Darcy wants to sell the property, putting them at odds. It's pretty standard holiday fare for Hallmark, but the Austen link keeps the audience looking for nods to the source material.
8 Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) - 6.8
- Available to stream on HBO Max
It's funny how many people missed that Bridget Jones' Diary is meant to be a very loose adaptation of Jane Austen's original work. The best part is that the team behind the movie actually got the ultimate Mr. Darcy, Colin Firth, to play...Darcy!
Mark and Bridget make for the most amusing retelling of Darcy and Lizzy, and even though it's clearly not meant to be a straight-up adaptation, the movie has managed to become a classic of sorts. And it's absolutely hilarious!
7 Death Comes To Pemberley (2013) - 7.1
- Available to stream with PBS Masterpiece on Amazon
The saddest thing about Jane Austen's novels is that they never got sequels. But the good news is, the world of television doesn't quite care. And the product of that sentiment is the mini-series Death Comes To Pemberley.
Even though it's not an adaptation per se, it still features the characters fans know and love, this time married for six years already, as they are wrapped up in a murder mystery. A bit darker of a take than most adaptations, it's for those Austen fans who love a good sleuth. Yet another incredible series brought to the audience by BBC.
6 Pride And Prejudice (1980) - 7.4
- Available to stream on BritBox
Jane Austen meets the '80s in this very interesting mini-series. When it comes to faithfulness, no one can clock this adaptation, since it's probably the one that remains closer to home.
The two leads have incredible chemistry, and it makes for a very different watching experience with the outfits and the hair trying to stay true to the 19th century, but still giving away the '80s. A must-watch for any Austen aficionado!
5 Pride And Prejudice (1940) - 7.4
- Available to stream on Amazon Prime
Most fans already knew Jane Austen adaptations had been around for a while, but few would guess eight decades! And yet, Pride And Prejudice saw its first movie incarnation all the way back in 1940. There have been so many Pride And Prejudice films since, but this was the first time it appeared for mainstream movie audiences.
Far from being accurate where history is concerned, this movie is a fun and light-hearted adaptation of the beloved novel that paved the way for all the others that followed. If this movie hadn't been made, the beloved adaptations of 1995 and 2005 likely wouldn't exist.
4 Lost In Austen (2008) - 7.4
- Available to stream on Amazon Prime
Much like Death Comes To Pemberley, Lost In Austen isn't a faithful adaptation amongst the Pride And Prejudice films, but it's still one of the most interesting takes on Austen's story, and a very amusing one at that.
The heroine of this story trades places with Elizabeth Bennet, and she gets to be the one falling in love with Mr. Darcy. After so many re-tellings of the story, this version is a very welcomed breath of fresh air.
3 Pride And Prejudice (2005) - 7.8
- Available to stream on Amazon Prime
Oh, the Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden adaptation! For many younger generations, this was the Pride And Prejudice movie that got them into Austen. And for good reason - the cinematography and soundtrack of the movie are stunning.
And even though the movie takes quite a few liberties with story and dialogue, it's still a beautiful piece of art, portraying the tension and chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth in a unique and captivating way. It's one of the most quotable versions of Pride And Prejudice to date.
2 The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012–13) - 8.8
- Available to stream on YouTube
Though there are plenty of Austen fans who love the movies that get as close to the book as possible, there's no denying that the more unique and modern adaptation can introduce new audiences to Pride and Prejudice, opening the door to the classics. That's just what this web series did for fans in 2012.
Presented on Youtube, the vlog format of the series sees communications student Lizzie Bennet talking to the audience about her day in segments that only last minutes. The audience gets to see her slowly fall for Darcy as she recounts (and sometimes reenacts) the events of her day. Other characters also vlog their experiences to give multiple perspectives on events, allowing the audience to get a more complete picture of the characters than even Austen's novel initially allowed for.
1 Pride And Prejudice (1995) - 8.9
- Available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max
BBC's Pride And Prejudice does in a miniseries what the 2005 version couldn't do in a movie - it remains completely faithful to the source material. This was the project in which Colin Firth cemented himself as the ultimate Mr. Darcy.
Plus, Jennifer Ehle's performance as Lizzie was no less iconic than Firth's, and the two share wonderful chemistry together. It's perfect for purists and casual fans alike, and to this day the Pride And Prejudice 1995 adaptation remains the best Pride And Prejudice movie.
NEXT: 10 Differences Between BBC's Pride & Prejudice And The Jane Austen Book
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