Added to the many charms of
Pride & Prejudice, the movie version of the Jane Austen classic, was the long drawn, charming and extremely romantic ending created specially for the North American version. Though some purists in America surely grumbled a bit, calling it too sugary, director Joe Wright defended it stoutly, asserting it was "a very natural and spontaneous way to end the film." Now, the ending has become so popular that it is being slapped on the British version too, even though the film, which has grossed nearly $30 million, is coming to the end of its first run there.
The film has just begun its international run, and it is quite likely that audiences worldwide will now watch the American ending in which Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen affirm their love for each other, clearly indicating that they are going to be happily married for a long, long time.
"Frankly, I made the ending specially for the American audiences," Joe Wright chuckled, as he told Rediff.com he was afraid Americans (and by extension Canadians) had a great appetite for romantic and happy endings. "They tell me in France that they add extra sugar to the champagne they import to America," he added.
He also said that during the first few days of the film showing in England, he had sneaked into several cinemas in London and other cities and had found audiences of all ages reacting positively to the film. He had no apologies for making a sugary ending for the American version, he said, but was very happy the way the British version ended.
The film, set in England in the late 18th century, studies the declining fortunes of a family whose daughters have to be married
off respectably before it is too late. One of the daughters, a rebellious one, is both attracted and repulsed by the aristocratic and mysterious Darcy.