According to Ann Rutherford, although the filmmakers were committed to begin shooting on a particular date, they discovered that producer David O. Selznick had used every available reel of Technicolor film in existence to make Gone with the Wind (1939). Therefore, despite the lavish sets and opulent costumes, this movie had to be shot in black-and-white.
This movie sparked considerable interest in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. At least five editions of the novel were printed to coincide with the movie's release. In less than a decade after the movie's release, the novel had grown so popular, that it had gone through twenty-one printings.
Phil Silvers was asked to screen test for a role as a vicar, despite having a strong New York accent. It turned out to be a cruel prank by studio executives who passed the screen test around Hollywood. In his autobiography, Silvers says, "These three minutes were perhaps the funniest I've ever done."
MGM imagined this movie as a romantic comedy, in contrast to Jane Austen's novel, which was a sharp social satire. As a result, dance scenes were added, a pivotal plot point set at Pemberley was removed, and some of Elizabeth's witty and biting dialogue was softened.
Because so many English people worked on the picture, 4:00 p.m. tea breaks were a daily ritual.