Pride and Prejudice (2005): A Review

Mr. Darcy: "Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?"

Elizabeth: "And those are the words of a gentleman. From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry."


Where do I begin? How do I go about this properly without offending all of the loyal admirers of P&P 95? If it is not common knowledge already, yes, I admit that I do prefer this version, but not entirely without reason. If it is any consolation, (and I realize that it is probably none whatsoever,) I do realize that this movie is not accurate the the novel and may even be called a disgrace to Jane Austen- in fact, I'm sure it has been countless times- and I do respect all of you avid Austen fans for being so loyal to her original work. Perhaps if I had read the entire book (yes, I am admitting that I did not finish it- well, Mark Twain couldn't do it either!), I would feel differently about it as a Jane Austen adaptation; but looking at it simply as a period drama.....I can't help but love it!
 Maybe it is because I have so many fond memories attached to it, maybe it's the music, who knows. But really, I do think it is an extraordinary movie.

Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet

First off, Keira Knightley is not my ideal Elizabeth Bennet; nor anyone else's, I daresay. Yes, she is beautiful, she has uncommonly fine eyes, and she does seem the appropriate age; Jennifer Ehle seemed a little too old, but maybe that was just me. But all in all, I think they could have gotten someone better suited to the character. However, unlike some, I really have no problem with her posture or demeanor, nor to I think she looked at all out of place in her regency garb (unlike some actresses, who look like they're simply dressing up when they act in a period film- yes, Reese Witherspoon, I'm looking at you.) Besides, Keira Knightley is generally known as a period drama actress- she just typically stars in those R-rated, Hollywood (as opposed to BBC), scandalous movies that we law-abiding Jane Austen and Charles Dickens admirers generally stay away from. I'm not trying to stereotype anyone, bu that's typically how it goes. Pride and Prejudice is probably one of her mildest movies. But all else aside, she was tolerable as Lizzy, if nothing more. It's certainly one of the best roles I've seen her in.

I love this dress!

This picture isn't in the movie, but I think it's just so cute. Even though Cary Mulligan looks like she has pinkeye.

The Bennets were adorable. Ridiculous, yes, but still delightful. Kitty and Lydia were perfectly ridiculous, and Mary was somber and reserved without being....um, homely, I guess, is the word I'm looking for. Lydia in particular I thought was well-cast. I didn't even know Jena Malone was an American until I watched the special features, her accent was so convincing. Also, she was just the right age- as much as I like Julia Sawalha (yes, you read that right, I do like her,) she was much too old for Lydia. I mean, she was 27 when the movie was made. Lydia is supposed to be 15. REALLY. And Kitty was very fine as well, although she didn't have much actual speaking in the movie, mostly just giggling and snorting and carrying on and such, making herself look like an idiot. But Kitty is supposed to be an idiot, so as far as I'm concerned, Cary Mulligan's performance was fairly accurate.
 Mr. Bennet in particular I found very amusing. In the '95 adaptation, pardon me for saying this, but I thought he was a little too sarcastic and not sincere enough. Donald Sutherland's Mr. Bennet was still sarcastic, of course, but he had a gentleness about him that was very endearing, especially in his sympathy for Lizzy and Jane. I didn't even know Donald Sutherland was American either until I watched the special features and heard his accent, so I'd say that his ability to convincingly "fake" a British accent was a point in his favour as well- unlike some (*ahem*, Anne Hathaway, Sally Field, *ahem*) who just plain-down can't. Also, I loved his hair, but that's completely unrelated to anything, except that I seem to like men with long hair in period dramas; for example, Horatio Hornblower, Thomas Clarkson, Sir Percy. And Jem Hearne's ponytail in Return to Cranford is absolutely too adorable for words.

Is it just me, or is his head really huge in comparison to hers?

Anyway. Moving on.



Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet


Mrs. Bennet was just splendid. (I hardly have anything bad to say about anyone, do I? That will come later.) She was sufficiently ridiculous, of course, but she wasn't constantly squealing and shrieking like in the '95 adaptation. I hate to butcher that version, really I do, but I don't think all that swooning and screaming and whooping could possibly be what Jane Austen had in mind. Really. Also, she was actually sort of charming in a way, and I didn't really dislike her all that much. I've seen much more horrid mothers, and Mrs. Bennet did have her daughter's best wishes at heart, they just didn't understand each other. So in my opinion, this Mrs. Bennet was a success.

Jane was just beautiful. Rosamund Pike is one of the loveliest actresses I have ever had the pleasure of watching, and I think her Jane Bennet was well done indeed. Also, her hair had grown back since Wives and Daughters- a relief to us all, I'm sure. She and Dr. Harrison Mr. Bingley made such an adorable couple, (unlike....um, nevermind!) and I loved the proposal scene in the drawing room! "Yes. A thousand times, yes!"  Just too sweet. And moving on to Mr. Bingley, he was adorable as well. (There are a lot of adorable people in this movie, aren't there?) I liked him immensely, much better than you-know-who. And his hair was just so.....well, elevated, I guess. I loved it when they were dancing and his hair kept bouncing up and down. In my mind he perfectly fit Mr. Bingley- not overly good-looking, but pleasant to look at, sweet and naive, well-meaning, amiable.

Let's have a round of applause for Mr. Bingley's hair.

Hey, look, it's Albert!

Wickham was, to be quite frank, a complete and utter flop. Sorry, but I'm pretty sure most everyone agrees with me on this anyway. I did not feel one bit sorry for him by the end, unlike Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility- but then, I've always had a soft spot for poor Willoughby. Wickham, I have no pity whatsoever for. He deserved what he got, and that's the end of it. When I first watched this, I had seen Rupert Friend in The Young Victoria before, and having absolutely loved him as Prince Albert, I was expecting a better performance than what I saw. I think The Young Victoria may be Rupert Friend's only success in the acting world, because neither before nor since has he had such a good role. And probably never shall, I might add, as The Young Victoria is about as good as you can get. Anyway, let's just say that it was easy to tell this was one of his first major roles. Because he totally missed  the mark. Sorry.

As  Mattie Ross would say, "There is trash for you." Sorry, I couldn't help it.



And another round of applause for Judi's hair!

 Judi Dench was.....well, how is Judi Dench usually? ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! This role definitely did not disappoint. Judi Dench is one of the most extraordinary actresses I have ever seen, probably one of the best actresses ever, period, and I have yet to be disappointed with any of her performances. One thing I've noticed about her is that she seems to always play either very sweet and caring characters (like Miss Matty Jenkyns- who is the epitome of sweet- and Mrs. Fairfax) or haughty and nasty aristocrats (such as Lady Bracknell and Lady Catherine.) Needless to say, I liked her Lady Catherine better that Barbara Leigh-Hunt's. (This is turning into a P&P comparison! Which is exactly what I didn't want to happen.......)

Osbourne Hamely Tom Hollander was, in my opinion, excellent as Mr. Collins. True, he wasn't tall, as Miss Austen clearly states in the novel (even I read that bit,) but he suited the part perfectly. He was dour and unutterably dull, but not slimy or garish, and his lack of height made him actually kind of......cute, in a weird sort of way. I'm actually glad he and Charlotte ended up together, because they seemed to suit each other well and live happily together, even if there was no romance involved.

And Charlotte......wow. Charlotte was one of my favourite characters, no doubt about it. Claudie Blakely may very well be on of my favourite actresses, she plays all her characters so well! I've always thought of Charlotte as being sensible and unromantic, which is quite a fair assessment, but she also definitely has some backbone to her, and quite plainly, I think she really knew what she was doing when she accepted Mr. Collin's proposal. I think, in spite of it being not a very romantic choice, it was very prudent on her part because she probably never would have received a better offer. In short, I was very pleased with Charlotte Lucas.

Claudie Blakely as Charlotte Lucas

You're probably wondering, Why hasn't she mentioned Mr. Darcy yet? Well, I'm getting to that. I wanted to save him for last.

Alright. So, on to Mr. Darcy.

I actually don't really like Mr. Darcy all that much, believe it or not. He's just too proud, even though underneath all that I know he is a very honourable character. But I'll admit, he's probably my least favourite of Jane Austen's heroes. (But that, of course, is compared to Edward Ferrars and Mr. Knightley.) Do not misunderstand me- I do not pretend to deny that I think very highly of him, that I greatly esteem him, that I like him. But nothing more than that. (As opposed to Edward Ferrars, whom I simply adore.  :)

Matthew McFadyen, however, made me actually like Mr. Darcy. And I may be murdered for this, but in truth, I thought Colin Firth's portrayal of him was a bit......stiff. Which, as far as I know, (and as far as I've read,) is how Mr. Darcy is in the novel- proud, cold, haughty. Which Colin Firth captured perfectly. So I guess maybe it's my problem after all. But Matthew McFadyen (whom, by the way, I am particularly partial to and thus that may have something to do with how I viewed this performance) made me like the character a deal more than I did in the '95 miniseries, because he seemed less miserable and somber and more believable. I also really enjoyed Darcy and Bingley's friendship in this movie, because you could plainly see how much Mr. Darcy influenced him, and yet they were the best of friends. I especially like the scene when Mr. Bingley is practicing what he's going to say to Jane.






"So I'm going to walk in, and she's going to say "sit down"....."


Even though, yes, I know the above scene is completely unrealistic and I'm sure is not in the novel (I can say that because I've seen the '95 version, and as my sister would say, they stuck to the book like glue,) I, um, liked it. Heehee. Well, I can hardly help it! It's raining, he looks so pitiful and earnest, and then she turns him down in spite of his desperate pleas.....sigh. It's romantic, that's what it is. Even though Keira Knightley's eye makeup is nearly streaming down her face making her look like a Bertha Mason-type character, but maybe I'm the only one who noticed that. But really, if I remenber correctly, and I am inclined to think that I do, in the '95 version, the first proposal was in someone's house (unfortunately I don't remeber who's, due to the fact that I have only seen it once and that was more than a year ago- to which you might reply, WATCH IT AGAIN!!!!) , the sun was shining, and the mood just wasn't right. But again, that was most likely exactly like in the book, and for that I give Andrew Davies a hearty round of applause, because there is honour in sticking to the original work. Indeed there is, and maybe if I had read the book, watched the '95 miniseries, and then watched this movie I would be absolutely horrified, but as it happens, that is not the order in which things came about, and so I have little choice but to love this movie as much as I do. It's not as though I can jolly well help it.
 (To which I must add a resounding, "at least it's not Mirimax!" They do the most unsanctioned things to their movies, let me tell you. Y'all read Ella Enchanted? That's all very fine, but have y'all seen Ella Enchanted? That's a completely different story. Literally. It's just not right, I tell you.)

I really cannot even begin to describe the music on this movie, but all the same, I shall try. I might even go as far as to say it could be the best soundtrack ever, but I don't think I could ever pick a favourite soundtrack! This one is way up there, however. Dario Marianelli is one of the most brilliant composers I have ever encountered. His music is so complicated, yet so simple; at times it doesn't even make sense, and yet it sounds so gorgeous. Definitely one of my utmost favourite composers, and this is perhaps his best soundtrack to date.

As to the costumes, I really am no expert whatsoever on the accuracy of period costumes, so I really have nothing to say about these except that I like them. (That sounds so pathetic!) I think I liked Jane's dresses the most, especially the gown she wears to the Netherfield ball. Her blue coat was very classy as well- unlike Lizzy's, which looks like it came straight out of the rag bag. Her wardrobe, although generally pleasing, usually appears a little.....shabby. I know the Bennet's aren't very well-to-do, but Lizzy could at least try to look a bit more well-groomed- wear her hair up in town, for instance. Jane managed, after all. Lydia and Kitty's dresses reflected their youth and frivolity by being very colourful and frilly, and Mary's were very subdued and almost gothic, but overall, I didn't find anything horrifyingly inaccurate or unpleasing about the costumes.
 As for the gentleman's fashions...I know less about them than I do the ladies', so, yeah. They seemed fine to me, and I loved Mr. Bennet's tricorn hat and cloak. They went very handsomely with his revolutionary pigtail. I also liked how Mr. Bingley's clothes were brighter and more cheerful than Mr. Darcy's, emphasizing how he was younger and more carefree, while Mr. Darcy is miserable and somber. Well, he is. But at least Matthew McFadyen isn't made of wood like Colin Firth.

Ouch. Sorry!

I love this picture! Because, you know, this is one of the only times we get to see him smile....

I can't say how this adaptation follows the novel, seeing as how I've never read it (I know, shame on me,) but for a two-hour movie, I think I'd say that the story was well-trimmed. I enjoyed it very much, even though I know few people do, and despite the many objections many people raise against it, I would recommend it. The movie is also very respectable and has no objectionable content, except for one single nasty word (said by Mr. Bingley, of all people!) and that was it. A very delightful film that I have watched again and again, Pride and Prejudice is one of my top favourites!

Do you like this adaptation?
Do you think it was well-cast?

Very Truly Yours,

      Emma Jane