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Last Updated: Sunday, 20 November 2005, 14:34 GMT
Longer Pride to come to UK fans
Pride and Prejudice
Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett embrace at the end of the US film
UK movie fans will be able to see the extended US version of Pride and Prejudice by the end the month, the film's distributors have announced.

The US release is eight minutes longer than the UK version because British test audiences hated the extended romantic ending.

But on 25 November, it will be shown in selected cinemas in the UK and Ireland.

A UK petition was started by fans demanding the longer ending be added to the DVD version before its release.

The film's producer Paul Webster said: "We were absolutely delighted in the continued interest in Pride & Prejudice and are excited about the opportunity to show the US ending to the British public."

Embrace

Matthew MacFayden, who plays Mr Darcy, told USA Today UK audiences disliked the more "sugary" ending so it was cut.

In the US version, the two main characters Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy embrace at the end.

And Donald Sutherland, who plays Mr Bennett said it was decided the US needed a "sweeter film".

In the worldwide release the film ends with the line "if any young men come for Mary or Kitty, send them in, for I am quite at leisure" uttered by Mr Bennett.

Sutherland added that US audiences preferred the version with "Darcy and Lizzy together".

But some members of the Jane Austen Society of North American were less than impressed with the US version.

"It has nothing at all of Jane Austen in it, is inconsistent with the first two-thirds of the film, insults the audience with its banality," said former society president Elsa Solender.


SEE ALSO:
Longer Pride for US Austen fans
14 Nov 05 |  Entertainment
Pride stays top of UK box office
04 Oct 05 |  Entertainment
Ritchie fails to dislodge Austen
27 Sep 05 |  Entertainment
Austen powers to top of UK chart
20 Sep 05 |  Entertainment


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