Review insideI saw the new version of "Pride and Prejudice" on Friday. Here's the summary of my critique:
The movie is a beautiful package, complete with some wit (most of it Jane Austen's), good humor, and beautiful cinematography. However, it only works if you *don't* think of it as conceived by Jane Austen, and you don't try to compare it to previous versions of this beloved novel. Think "Pride and Prejudice" written by one of the Bronte sisters instead (there's even a Heathcliff moment complete with Darcy walking purposefully across the fields with a haunted look in his eyes).
Why I say it's not Jane Austen: They changed some things around that played with the core nature of Austen's writings. Of course they can't include everything, even the 6-hour version doesn't. I disliked how they portrayed a few of the characters. Mr. Bingley is supposed to be a cordial young man, who every parent with a marriageable daughter has designs on. He is supposed to be amiable and reasonably intelligent; a fitting match for Jane, who equals his temperament. In this version, Bingley comes off as a low-IQ idiot. Sure, Bingley gets a bit tongue tied, but here you'd think he's still in puberty, which I think cheapens their match. Initially, I wasn't crazy about Darcy, but he pulled it off. They played up shyness of all things, but he manages it well, and really, who can resist Darcy when he has that almost pouty look and says he doesn't have the ability to converse with people easily. How take-you-home cute!
They also changed the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and this is a big one. They show them kissing and in bed together, something that is not even hinted at by Austen, and for a good reason. Jane Austen's writings are social commentaries as much as they are romance novels. In Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Austen commented on the state of marriage in her time. The relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet can be argued as being an integral part of the story's value, as it is the reason that Elizabeth and Jane discuss their wants in a husband so adamantly. It is the reason that Elizabeth lets herself fall in love with Whickam, and why the match between Jane and Bingley, and Elizabeth and Darcy, are so wonderfully unexpected and perfect. As Mr. Bennet says to Elizabeth after Darcy has asked for her hand in marriage, "My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life." This basically sums up one of the main messages in the book, which this most recent move basically nullified.
Interestingly, this is one of the few period films I've seen recently where they did not showcase the costumes, which were rather plain compared to other films (no Bingley sisters in sumptuous, rich colored silks). In fact, at the ball as Netherfield, all of the women were wearing white. However, they did still managed to show a distinction between the clothes of different classes. They also had problems blending famous lines with the sсriрt. Austen's lines stood out like sore thumbs, and sometimes it didn't really work (it might be less noticeable to someone who isn't familiar of the book).
The movie was very entertaining overall. I was annoyed throughout by the total lack of respect for propriety and social rules of the time (Bingley visits Jane while she is not dressed in bed, as one example). I think that, knowing that it's there, I will be far less annoyed the next time I see the movie. So I've come to the conclusion that the movie is great, providing you don't compare it to the book. After all, there's something compelling and satisfying to see Elizabeth and Darcy make very flirty, sappy conversation that makes your heart melt.
from here
The movie is a beautiful package, complete with some wit (most of it Jane Austen's), good humor, and beautiful cinematography. However, it only works if you *don't* think of it as conceived by Jane Austen, and you don't try to compare it to previous versions of this beloved novel. Think "Pride and Prejudice" written by one of the Bronte sisters instead (there's even a Heathcliff moment complete with Darcy walking purposefully across the fields with a haunted look in his eyes).
Why I say it's not Jane Austen: They changed some things around that played with the core nature of Austen's writings. Of course they can't include everything, even the 6-hour version doesn't. I disliked how they portrayed a few of the characters. Mr. Bingley is supposed to be a cordial young man, who every parent with a marriageable daughter has designs on. He is supposed to be amiable and reasonably intelligent; a fitting match for Jane, who equals his temperament. In this version, Bingley comes off as a low-IQ idiot. Sure, Bingley gets a bit tongue tied, but here you'd think he's still in puberty, which I think cheapens their match. Initially, I wasn't crazy about Darcy, but he pulled it off. They played up shyness of all things, but he manages it well, and really, who can resist Darcy when he has that almost pouty look and says he doesn't have the ability to converse with people easily. How take-you-home cute!
They also changed the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and this is a big one. They show them kissing and in bed together, something that is not even hinted at by Austen, and for a good reason. Jane Austen's writings are social commentaries as much as they are romance novels. In Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Austen commented on the state of marriage in her time. The relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet can be argued as being an integral part of the story's value, as it is the reason that Elizabeth and Jane discuss their wants in a husband so adamantly. It is the reason that Elizabeth lets herself fall in love with Whickam, and why the match between Jane and Bingley, and Elizabeth and Darcy, are so wonderfully unexpected and perfect. As Mr. Bennet says to Elizabeth after Darcy has asked for her hand in marriage, "My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life." This basically sums up one of the main messages in the book, which this most recent move basically nullified.
Interestingly, this is one of the few period films I've seen recently where they did not showcase the costumes, which were rather plain compared to other films (no Bingley sisters in sumptuous, rich colored silks). In fact, at the ball as Netherfield, all of the women were wearing white. However, they did still managed to show a distinction between the clothes of different classes. They also had problems blending famous lines with the sсriрt. Austen's lines stood out like sore thumbs, and sometimes it didn't really work (it might be less noticeable to someone who isn't familiar of the book).
The movie was very entertaining overall. I was annoyed throughout by the total lack of respect for propriety and social rules of the time (Bingley visits Jane while she is not dressed in bed, as one example). I think that, knowing that it's there, I will be far less annoyed the next time I see the movie. So I've come to the conclusion that the movie is great, providing you don't compare it to the book. After all, there's something compelling and satisfying to see Elizabeth and Darcy make very flirty, sappy conversation that makes your heart melt.
from here