Do We Really Need Another Version of Pride & Prejudice?!?! Perhaps...
Written: Oct 04 '05 (Updated Mar 04 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun, great performances, wonderful music and photography
Cons: Not everyone will like the slightly modernised feel, problematic pacing in the first section
The Bottom Line: Purists may find fault with it but this is a very watchable version of Jane Austen's classic book.
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| captaind's Full Review: Pride and Prejudice (2005) |
Pride & Prejudice is an updated film version of the Jane Austen classic - an another film that we Brits appear to have been privileged to see before the rest of the world! :-D For the rest of you though, believe me it will be worth the wait.
I have to admit that I was a little sceptical about this version and probably rather prejudiced myself, as I absolutely adored the BBC version (Mini-Series) from few years ago, starring Jennifer Ehle and of course Colin Firth, whose appearance from the pond has become part of TV folklore. (I haven't got round to reviewing it yet but Metalluk's Review is so near perfect I may not even bother! I loved it so much it's in my Top Ten Movies of All Time list – okay so I cheated a little to include mini-series...) But this version is nothing like the BBC one, and nothing like the old Hollywood attempt with Laurence Olivier in it, either. It lacks the style and grace of the BBC series, and obviously has less time to develop the characters, but it has plenty of energy and humour. It was obviously aimed more at the younger generation, but I felt that it adhered closely enough to the plot and spirit of the book to still be quite watchable for older viewers. (I guess I'm included among those now?!?!? :-O )
Anyway, Pride & Prejudice is about the Bennett family, the parents and 5 young daughters. The father seems to be getting on a bit despite the youthfulness of his progeny, and Mrs Bennett is the over-dramatic type, so thoughts of what will happen when he's gone abound. Due to an ancient law however his estate cannot be inherited by any of his daughters – the archetypal legislation demands that only a male heir can inherit. The only hope is if Miss Bennett (any one of them or even all of them) can get herself a rich husband... but Lizzie, the second oldest daughter, has strange ideas about marrying for love... Among the prosepctive suitors that come along are Mr Bingley, his surly friend Mr Darcy, Mr Collins (a despised cousin, who as the nearest male relative stands to inherit Mr Bennett's estate and wants to... keep it in the family), and charming soldier Mr Wyckham. But all is not simple in love and war, as the Bennett girls find out...
The casting made some (to me) surprising choices but some of them turned out to be quite inspired. Keira Knightley has at last proved that she's got what it takes to be a leading lady, and Matthew MacFayden, who I had previously never heard of, proves to be an effective Mr Darcy. (At first both leads seemed to overplay their roles just slightly but this was probably due to the pacing, which seemed slightly too fast to me.) Other cast member's excellent performances were more predictable – Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn made a good Mr & Mrs Bennett (who betrayed a lot more affection for one another than other versions have portrayed), while Judi Dench was of course superb as Lady Catherine DeBurgh. Rosamund Pike as Jane and Simon Woods as Mr Bingley were superb, and apparently are dating at the moment so it could be a case that they weren't altogether acting! (Or, of course, it could be a publicity stunt – that's my cynical side butting in...) Claudie Blakely as Lizzie's friend Charlotte was extremely good, the way she spoke was extremely common but that I felt was in keeping with her character. In fact she reminded me somewhat of Kathy Bates, which is hgh praise for any actress! I did find it extremely difficult to tell Lydia and Kitty apart in this version, but that's not a major criticism. Mr Wyckham is played by Rupert Friend – never heard of him but he reminded me a lot of Orlando Bloom (in fact I had wondered if it was him), so I'm sure he'll go far. Tom Hollander gives an excellent performance as the creepy Mr Collins.
At slightly over 2 hours it didn't seem long at all and in the UK it was given a "U"rating (Universal – suitable for all), which is an extremely rare thing these days for an adult's film. There is actually a fair amount of nudity, but only statues and a ceiling painting. Otherwise there's no bad language, violence, or sex... I don't think anyone even kissed during the whole thing! (Well, not on-screen, anyway...) The plot hasn't undergone a huge change, it's a little updated but essentially authentic. They've managed to fit the main plot elements into the 127 minutes of the film though there was at least one serious continuity problem. (At one point Lizzie tells Mr Darcy that she has heard "such mixed reports about him", when in fact as far as the film goes, she has only heard bad reports at that stage.) Again, not a major problem but a little sloppy. (My wife also tells me that it's obvious that Knightley is wearing hair extensions at one stage, but that just goes to prove what I've always said – women are weird.)
There's plenty of humour in the film, much of it coming from Simon Woods (Mr Bingley), and quite a bit from Mr & Mrs Bennett. Together with the excellent cast, some wonderful photography of rural England, great costumes and set designs, and a wonderfully evocative music score (led by piano forte, naturally), this all adds up to be a very enjoyable film indeed. I just don't quite feel it's 5-star material though – possibly 4.5, but I feel I should round it down as it doesn't quite achieve excellence. Still, a film well worth watching, enjoyable for the whole family, and a whole lot better than I was expecting. (I had to be cajoled into watching it.)
So there you have it. It's not a classic like the BBC version, but a very nice film and good clean entertainment.
Related Links
Keira Knightley:
Pirates of the Caribbean
Bend It Like Beckham
Judi Dench:
Ladies In Lavender
The Chronicles of Riddick
Donald Sutherland:
Cold Mountain
Tom Hollander:
Gosford Park
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See Also
Top Ten Films of 2005
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Recommended:
Yes
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