Pride & Prejudice

I love Austen and have read the book and seen the BBC adaptation more than once. Since this movie is so much shorter, I knew there would be compromises, but I had still hoped that the film would bring Austen's loving, amused, witty and razor sharp view of the British society in the late 1700's across. The book is not just about two people who go through personal changes and external adversities to find each other in the end. Their romance is a case in point of the silliness, pretentiousness, the pride and the class-orientation of those times and how its inhabitants struggle with or submit to it.

This film is a rounded romance that the American audience will love, fast-paced, with strong characters and a satisfying plot, dialog and ending - I appreciate it for that. Compared to the BBC version it also brought welcome realism and grit to the imagery with plainer costumes, dustier scenery and sweatier faces. But to be called an Austen adaptation I would have needed the characters to be much truer to Austen's originals:

Lizzy is fun-loving, caring, witty and confident. But society calls for gentle females that know and appreciate their station - which of course is below that of men. Lizzy knows that and keeps her intellect hidden, bowing to society's expectations and revealing her insights only to Jane or her father, not to the public. Knightley's version of Lizzy is still a delightful individual, but too self-assured, candid and rebellious.

Jane, according to Austen is very sweet and good-natured, always trying to believe the best of people. She is also very delicate and coy, keeping her public dialog completely innocuous and her eyes mostly downcast. Rosamund Pike makes Jane by far too confident and strong. Her deep suffering from Bingley's supposed rejection doesn't come across at all.

Mr. Bennet's chief entertainment is his private amusement with his' wife's and his three younger daughter's silly preoccupation with men, fashion and gossip plus his delight in his two older daughter's beauty and sense. He is truly funny, but that is appreciated only by Lizzy and Jane, the rest of the family either doesn't catch his quips or misinterprets them. Donald Sutherland only gets to play a kind but boring head of family, resigned to his life in an all-female household.

The BBC version of Mr. Collins is wonderfully oily. His stilted but eloquent dialog, his complete acceptance of the rules of societal ranks (total submission to Lady de Bourg and belief in superiority over the Bennets) are satisfyingly repulsive. Tom Hollander's version is only that of an ignorant idiot.

I love Judy Dench as an actor, but here she is too regal, too charismatic. Austin gives Lady Catherine de Bourg superiority only through her riches, position and through a strong enough intellect and inbred confidence to manipulate everyone around her. Austin makes her meddling and truly undeserving of the reverence offered her, especially by Collins.

Finally Darcy. According to Austen he is smart, brooding, very proud but caring and generous. He is genuinely struggling with his own affection for Lizzy. His sense of propriety doesn't allow this connection especially in light of the disastrous impressions he gets from the rest of the Bennets. But his emotions are too strong to ignore. Colin Firth brought Darcy's contradicting feelings brilliantly to life in the BBC production, particularly in the key scene where he proposes and Lizzy rejects him. He is uncharacteristically nervous and fidgeting; he is hopeful, and vulnerable but also angry and confused. Matthew Macfadyen doesn't bring more than the anxiety that would be part of any marriage proposal - none of the underlying battle shows. The rest of the film doesn't see many emotions from Darcy beyond superiority and boredom - way too flat for what Austin had in mind.

In summary, if you expect a delightful romance, you'll be satisfied, if you want Jane Austen's vivid and multi-layered characters, social insights and scathing dialogs, you'll be disappointed.

If you love the BBC version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, you'll be disappointed with this one.

Saw this with my girlfriend. She cried at the end. This is a well made film. There is one breathtaking shot of Keira Knightley's character posed on the edge of a cliff, with a magnificent backdrop. I would love to have a poster sized print of it up on the wall. An excellent stay at home date movie. Very humorous too.

I own the mini-series version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth, which is more true to the book, but I think this is the more entertaining film. Other reviewers have discussed the difference in performances by actors who are closer to the actual ages of the characters in the book and the more realistic setting. One difference between book and movie that I appreciated was the director's take on the relationship between the Bennet parents and his expansion of the minor characters. Here, Mr. Bennet is both exasperated by and in love with Mrs. Bennet; Mr. Collins is as annoying as ever, but we also sympathize with his vulnerability and social awkwardness. Elizabeth's sister Mary is still a preachy bluestocking, but the film doesn't just make fun of her; we also her as the awkward teenage girl who sobs in her father's arms after being embarrassed at the ball. The five girls are very convincing as sisers and their embarassing mama loves them dearly. Bingley is as shy as Jane and here we see Darcy helping him rehearse his marriage proposal to her. Darcy and Elizabeth seem a little more raw and REAL here. The director has really gotten at the humanity of all of the characters here in a way that adds a lot to the film. That, and it's not six hours long, which should appeal to anyone who doesn't have the patience to sit through the mini-series.

This is one of my favorite films of all time. It has a lot of charm and brings Jane Austen's wonderful story to life. The acting was great and highly enjoyable. Knightly plays Elizabeth perfectly and Mr. Darcy's character is also done very well. This movie is a classic!