The Making of Pride and Prejudice - Sue Birtwistle, Susie Conklin

...is going to be in the strictest terms (I'm so much of a die-hard fan of this miniseries that part of the reason I bought the DVD was that I'd virtually played my double video to the point of no return) but I'll do my best.

This book must have been published quite soon after the 1995 miniseries - I date my books and my copy has March 1996 written on the inside - so I'm not sure if it's still in print. It was about £9.99 when new and a ...
...the number of times I've referenced it and read it) had I not backed it in sticky-backed plastic. Unlike some making-of TV tie-in books, this one doesn't feature a script - whether that is due to BBC copywrite issues or simply the fact that the miniseries was five hours long, I don't know - so please don't expect this feature if you're buying the book, it's just not there.

The content is divided into an "in the beginning" type ... more

I don't know how objective this review is going to be in the strictest terms (I'm so much of a die-hard fan of this miniseries that part of the reason I bought the DVD was that I'd virtually played my double video to the point of no return) but I'll do my best.

This book must have been published quite soon after the 1995 miniseries - I date my books and my copy has March 1996 written on the inside - so I'm not sure if it's still in print. It was about £9.99 when new and a paperback, so it would be quite battered by now (given the number of times I've referenced it and read it) had I not backed it in sticky-backed plastic. Unlike some making-of TV tie-in books, this one doesn't feature a script - whether that is due to BBC copywrite issues or simply the fact that the miniseries was five hours long, I don't know - so please don't expect this feature if you're buying the book, it's just not there.

The content is divided into an "in the beginning" type of introduction explaining the genesis of the miniseries and then chapters on location, music and dancing, costume, interior design, casting, the filming experience, post-production and even a fairly lengthy interview with Colin Firth. Although he gets the longest interview, there is also a decent contribution from Jennifer Ehle (Lizzy) and some shorter comments by the other actors. I think this is one small point that could have been improved - perhaps a few more actors could have been allowed to make a bigger contribution.

Well illustrated with photographs (some full-page, some smaller), sketches from the art and costume departments and some period sources (portraits used for hairstyle inspiration, for instance), there are plenty of glimpses behind the scenes - a sample of the filming diary for just one member of the crew (the location manager, I think) reveals a day full of making sure certain people get to costume, make-up and on set at certain times, collections from train stations, hosting competition winners who have been invited to visit the set and the all-important catering. On the costume and wardrobe side, you also learn that the team made a real effort (in spite of the limited variation in dress and hair styles two hundred years ago) to give each main character a distinct look.

The detail the book goes into seems to reflect the care the production team took to make sure the miniseries looked as good as it could - you find out that they not only picked locations for filming carefully, but then graded them and considered which property suited each character, their income and social position.

It might now be considered a bit expensive - £9.99 for a paperback book of 150 pages or so - and it is an item that would be of chief interest to a fan of the miniseries, period design or costume and related areas, but as a companion book it is hard to fault the number of background details and interesting bits it covers. 

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