My in-depth review of P&P
So last night we saw Pride & Prejudice. I was a little tired because we went to the 10:00 showing and Bearette's bedtime is around 11:30 these days. The running time was 2 hours and 20 minutes so it was after 12:30 by the time we got home (and that was with a cab; usually I'd walk home). I'd love to see it again when I'm fully awake, and I'll probably buy the DVD for that reason (also because it was a good movie).
Anyway, I couldn't help comparing it to the BBC version at the beginning. I'm pretty sure it was Donald Sutherland playing Mr. Bennet (I think Austen spells it with one t) and that was just weird. He seemed like he was stoned or something. I know he's supposed to be dry and indifferent to the household goings-on, but still. Mrs. Bennet was annoying, but not as good as the BBC Mrs. Bennet, who was fabulous. I thought Keira Knightley was a better Elizabeth than Jennifer Ehle from the BBC version. I always pictured Elizabeth as thin and pixie-ish, maybe a little high-strung, and Jennifer Ehle is more Rubinesque and deliberate in her movements.
At first I was really opposed to the guy they had playing Darcy. Colin Firth is just better. However, this guy did a better job of portraying the obnoxiousness of Darcy. In the BBC version, Colin is so nice that you feel like Elizabeth is just being picky when she turns him down the first time. And the Darcy in this version did a good job of growing on you. (In a preview, I learned that Colin Firth is going to be in some dreadful movie called Nanny McPhee, which also includes Emma Thompson (who is usually super cool). It looks TERRIBLE.)
In the BBC version, Jane actually was a little prettier than Elizabeth, and she wasn't really here. So it wasn't credible that Bingley was falling all over himself for Jane and not noticing Elizabeth at all. Bingley was as usual super-amiable and reminded us both of our friend Mike. However, he was a redhead here, which was startling.
Mr. Collins was cast so well. He was a really freakish character (the minister cousin who crashes at the Bennets' house and hits on Jane, then Elizabeth when he finds out Jane is taken) and stole many scenes. He reminded D of Mr. Bean. Mr. Collins in the BBC version was so annoying that you just wanted him to leave. This Mr. Collins was awesome and a real casting coup. Yay!
I'm trying to think of the other characters. The Lydia/Wickham subplot was really trimmed down here and took up maybe 15 minutes of screen time, as opposed to the BBC version, which really played up the horror (in those days) of Lydia running off with Wickham, becoming damaged goods, and engaging in a hasty marriage. This movie took a more modern approach, saying, "Oh, Lydia and Wickham ran off, Darcy paid for the wedding, how sweet."
The cinematography was beautiful. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth the first time, they're actually outside in this groovy gazebo. There's also a scene with someone standing on a cliff (filmed from far away so I'm not sure who it was). Keira also gave Elizabeth a fresh quality, as if she were more modern somehow. And again, Mr. Collins was a true riot. I'd share some of his lines but I don't want to spoil them for you. See it!
As a side note, I think commercials (not previews) before movies should be banished. I saw several good previews, though. There's one with Jennifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo, and one with Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams. I want to see them both. I think they come out around Christmas. D doesn't want to see either of them because he doesn't like Jennifer Aniston or SJP, and he thinks Diane Keaton is the mark of a "bomb."
Anyway, I couldn't help comparing it to the BBC version at the beginning. I'm pretty sure it was Donald Sutherland playing Mr. Bennet (I think Austen spells it with one t) and that was just weird. He seemed like he was stoned or something. I know he's supposed to be dry and indifferent to the household goings-on, but still. Mrs. Bennet was annoying, but not as good as the BBC Mrs. Bennet, who was fabulous. I thought Keira Knightley was a better Elizabeth than Jennifer Ehle from the BBC version. I always pictured Elizabeth as thin and pixie-ish, maybe a little high-strung, and Jennifer Ehle is more Rubinesque and deliberate in her movements.
At first I was really opposed to the guy they had playing Darcy. Colin Firth is just better. However, this guy did a better job of portraying the obnoxiousness of Darcy. In the BBC version, Colin is so nice that you feel like Elizabeth is just being picky when she turns him down the first time. And the Darcy in this version did a good job of growing on you. (In a preview, I learned that Colin Firth is going to be in some dreadful movie called Nanny McPhee, which also includes Emma Thompson (who is usually super cool). It looks TERRIBLE.)
In the BBC version, Jane actually was a little prettier than Elizabeth, and she wasn't really here. So it wasn't credible that Bingley was falling all over himself for Jane and not noticing Elizabeth at all. Bingley was as usual super-amiable and reminded us both of our friend Mike. However, he was a redhead here, which was startling.
Mr. Collins was cast so well. He was a really freakish character (the minister cousin who crashes at the Bennets' house and hits on Jane, then Elizabeth when he finds out Jane is taken) and stole many scenes. He reminded D of Mr. Bean. Mr. Collins in the BBC version was so annoying that you just wanted him to leave. This Mr. Collins was awesome and a real casting coup. Yay!
I'm trying to think of the other characters. The Lydia/Wickham subplot was really trimmed down here and took up maybe 15 minutes of screen time, as opposed to the BBC version, which really played up the horror (in those days) of Lydia running off with Wickham, becoming damaged goods, and engaging in a hasty marriage. This movie took a more modern approach, saying, "Oh, Lydia and Wickham ran off, Darcy paid for the wedding, how sweet."
The cinematography was beautiful. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth the first time, they're actually outside in this groovy gazebo. There's also a scene with someone standing on a cliff (filmed from far away so I'm not sure who it was). Keira also gave Elizabeth a fresh quality, as if she were more modern somehow. And again, Mr. Collins was a true riot. I'd share some of his lines but I don't want to spoil them for you. See it!
As a side note, I think commercials (not previews) before movies should be banished. I saw several good previews, though. There's one with Jennifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo, and one with Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams. I want to see them both. I think they come out around Christmas. D doesn't want to see either of them because he doesn't like Jennifer Aniston or SJP, and he thinks Diane Keaton is the mark of a "bomb."
Comments
Why did they start showing commercials before movies? I agree - it's crappy.
Kit-Kat - It's interesting, I think the film industry was actually in a big slump before. I don't know if it's recovered. Still, no reason to show commercials!
Carolyn - hehe. I bet you're right! He did seem to have to fumble around for his lines. And I forgot to mention, Judi Dench was in it! She played a diva and did it so well.
Lish