Costumes of Pride and Prejudice: Guest Post by Naomi

   Today it is my very great honor to present my dear friend Naomi, whom I have asked to guest post this week. :-)

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First of all, a big thank you to Miss Emma Jane for hosting this marvellous event.

Since I am a very ardent fan of the 1995 BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice, I have decided to write about all the beautiful costumes, bonnets and so on in that movie.

It was hard to decide- there are so many lovely movies with brilliant, breath-taking costumes. My Fair Lady for example, certainly wins the prize when it comes to the hats.  Downton Abbey has many marvellous costumes- I am green with envy whenever I look at Mary Crawley- her costumes are to die for. The list of “pretty costumes” goes on… and on… and on!

At last I decided- Pride and Prejudice. The costumes there are beautiful. Simple, natural, pretty—Oh! I wish they would all come back into the fashion!

It is a pity some of them (especially Lydia’s) are a bit too low-waisted, but apart from that- I have not a negative comment. Well, almost hardly any.

Elizabeth’s wardrobe is indubitably the best of the lot. I have a book about the making of Pride and Prejudice which tells us that they tried to give Elizabeth all the natural colours since she liked being out and stuff. They thought the curry colour, straw bonnets and crunchy bonnets (you’ll see what I mean) suited her well, and I completely agree!

See what I mean with a crunchy bonnet? Doesn’t she look absolutely scrumptious? Browns, reds- they suit her so well. And she has delicious brown curly hair to make the crunchy, natural effect even more wholesome.

By the way (this is entirely beside the point, I know) but when you look at the two pictures (above) you can notice her bonnet strings are done in a different way. In the movie she hasn’t taken it off during these two takes, so that’s one of the very few practical mistakes they’ve made.

Anyway- Elizabeth doesn’t only wear browns and reds, she has some divinely beautiful light blues and whites. Her pelisses are so beautiful- Oh I’d die for her pelisses!!!

Aren’t they all equally lovely, unique and – Oh, I cannot find the right word- thrilling?

My favourite is probably the second picture- her blue pelisse (Oh- I WANT IT!) What’s your favourite? For more information and detailed study about Elizabeth’s and other P&P ladies’ wardrobe, check out Miss Elizabeth’s wonderful blog, Elegence of Fashion.

Elizabeth never ever wears pink. (Just to say :P)

I have only talked about Elizabeth’s costumes, but all her sisters have fairly similar dresses. Lydia’s are less modest (SOB), Mary’s are more dull and high-coloured and ugly, Jane’s all have light fabrics- pinks, blues and whites, Kitty has nothing in particular (but I love them anyway.)

But what about their “best” dresses? Their prettiest ball gowns, party dresses? Let us barge into the world of Regency finery- lace, frills and jewellery.

I love Lizzy’s ball gown- too pretty for words. I love Kitty’s ball gowns- beeeautiful! (Picture of it coming later:) Lydia’s are nice- but rather not modest (you know) so they aren’t may favourite. Mary’s ball gown is boring. Really. It’s a ball, right?

I am not very fond of Jane’s ball gowns- although I still like them. You know. They aren’t really beautiful, but still tolerable I suppose (but not handsome enough to tempt me).

A gold dress. Mmm- what does one say of that? Not bad actually. How much would anyone give to dance with Mr Bingley (FIVE THOUSAND A YEAR!!!) in a dress? Oh and look at those charming little puffs. They were quite in the fashion then.

(By the way, aren’t you wondering what on earth Maria and Mary are talking about on the background? About piano pieces? Or what?) (Naomi, don’t be so unutterably curious!! They are having a private conversation!)

(Love this picture! Just look at it!!! (Yes, yes, I’m looking!!!))

We also often see necklaces with crosses (very popular during the Regency time) and long white ball gloves (essential!). Ladies wore slippers when they danced (Emma Jane, you know what I mean- you are a dancer:) and men- Oh never mind about the men. Their apparel is handsome, but nothing much to brag and talk about. 

Although the officers- they do look very good in their red coats.

And by the way, I l.o.v.e. Kitty Bennet’s dress in this picture. Isn’t that bead work or something? Exquisite!

(Look at Lydia’s face. Snort.)

Oh yes and Lydia and Kitty also often wear red capes. The main reason is probably so that they match the officers.

Kinda cute.

Sorry for all these pictures. No, I’m not sorry- I like them. (*Lydia giggle*)

Now, I must go on to the elaborate, fancy, over-dressed, snobbish, selfish, stuck-in-the-mud, feathery, exotic-coloured, stunning-in-a-way Bingley sisters.

Oranges, bright pinks, lime greens, deep exotic colours, strikingly eye-catching colours, long feathers in their elaborate hairstyles, turbans, tons of jewellery, sparkling gowns draped with decoration… I dare say the lace on Mrs Hurst’s gown- (No lace Mrs Bennet, no lace!!)

Aren’t they fashion pieces! They can’t overdo it more. Well that’s probably the only way they get attention, no-one likes them.

Don’t they look like peacocks?

Now if you have seen the Kate Beckinsale Emma version, you might have noticed that there are several P&P costumes in that one.

Kitty’s dress is worn by Harriet:

Jane’s gold dress is worn by Emma’s aunt. Forgot her name.

Another Jane Bennet dress worn by the aunt:

Jane Bennet’s dress worn by Jane Fairfax

Maria Lucas’ dress worn by Harriet Smith:

Oh yes, isn’t Maria Luca’s yellow gown preeeeety? Well all the P&P dresses are.

What about the older generation?

Lace caps and frilly chemisettes- well, perhaps not

pretty as the youthful, cheerful dresses, but nonetheless still very attractive!

Mrs Bennet always has chemisettes and never a low collared dress, except during the balls. She has millions of curls (I think you can easily see that Alison Steadman is wearing a wig, but never mind- she’s so hilarious) and lace- she loves lace.

Yes, I created these pictures. ;)

What about the rich, queenly Lady Catherine de Bourgh? Actually her clothes are less fine and fussy than I expect the owner of Rosings Park to wear. Not very designative and a bit too simple for a Lady de Bourgh. She does however wear deep, rich colours- stately and royal. And stiff, starched, shiny silk (hey- four words starting with s! Wow! )

Her walk-with-Lizzy-in-the-garden-costume is more “rich-looking”, as I call it. There is fur, a big bonnet with feathers and little stuffed bird (poor bird) and a huge muff- yes, it suits her well. Can you imagine L.C with light colours like the Bennet sisters wear?

Oh and isn’t her hairstyle disgusting?

Well, this post will now come to an abrupt ending!!

I hope you agree with me and love the Pride and Prejudice costumes- aren’t they just perfect!!! (*gleeful sigh*) Sorry for not saying anything about the men’s clothing- they are just coats and breeches and so on. Ladies certainly have far more interesting clothes- huh! I’m so glad I’m a lady. (But still I cannot deny that I do think that the men look very handsome indeed in their Regency garb. Very lovely. I’m in love.)

Well, thank you Emma for letting me write this and for organising this cool fashion event- it is/was really excessively diverting!

 

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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

                                

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