Pride & Prejudice
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Movie Reviews of Pride & Prejudice
Movie Review: Wonderful, gorgeous
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read the novel four times, watched the 1995 A&E production numerous times, even seen the 1980 miniseries. But for me, this big screen adaptation is the best. True, it takes some liberties with the story: No way Elizabeth will go around Meryton without her bonnet, no way will Bingley come to visit Jane in her sick bed, no way Darcy will come into Lizzy's room when she is in her nightgown; Lady Catherine won't come in the middle of the night or Darcy won't propose in an ancient temple but these are not the important points. The important points are the realistic approach to the story, the gorgeous visuals, the great performances (especially by the lead actors) and the liveliness of the production.
The film may seem a bit too hurried to those not familiar with the story. There is a lot going on and scenes go rushing along but the film does a good job of squeezing as many scenes and characters as possible in a 2 hour time frame. Mr Wickham is a bit left out, he just comes and goes but to tell the truth the actor's performance is so bad, it is better not to see more of him.
Having considered Colin Firth as the ultimate Darcy for years, I am totally converted now. Matthew Macfadyen is the ultimate Darcy. His face conveys a whole lot of emotions and although Darcy was not supposed to be so expressive of her admiration of Elizabeth, I think there is no better way to convince the audience that he IS "most ardently" in love with Lizzy in around 2 hours. Keira Knightley is very good too. Although she giggles a little bit too much, her eyes and her voice express her emotions very well.
Tom Hollander interprets Mr Collins differently here. In the 1995 version, Mr Collins was merely servile; here he comes across as quite cunning.
Joe Wright directs the film brilliantly. The Assembly dance is so exhilarating; you can almost smell the sweat. The ball scene is really superb.
If you are a Jane Austen purist and like some Lord Of the Rings fanatics who think Sam's donkey shouldn't be excluded from the story in Lord of the Rings because the relationship between the man and the donkey was very important, you may find a lot of faults with this film. If not, you will certainly love it.
Movie Review: Excellent Movie!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is the best movie I have ever seen. The actors are great, specially for Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfellen. I think that the movie gave a totally new look at the story. Whenever I watch old or set in older times movies I always think, ah! That looks so fake! Oh, its boring! But with this movie, after a while, you get observed in it, and practically believe that it IS the 1800s. Everything has such a great, fresh look to it, unlike the 1995 BBC version, where its all chocolate boxes instead of real life settings. The portrayal of Mr. Darcy is perfect as Matthew Macfellen! He totally shows what my idea of Mr. Darcy was! Colin Firth (no offence), to me, seems more like not gay, but different from what Mr. Darcy really is.I always thought Mr. Darcy as a manly man, like Mcfellen. I LOVE the way he looks at Elizabeth and how he can show everything he is feeling with his eyes. I'm really happy that they decided to keep the characters to their Austen ages because I hate it when I watch movies and they show people like really old or really young. I think that Knightley did an awesome job as elizabeth, just like i imagened her. The 1995 BBC series Elizabeth totally doesn't fit my image of her.
I love how the movie ended because I really liked the book but when I read it, I thought that the only thing it lacked was, exactly, a kiss. At least its better than Colin's 1800s wet t-shirt contest contestant scene!!
Overall I LOVE this movie and this adaptation. Its greatly acted, great scenery, great costumes, and great portrayal of characters. Also it does a great job of adapting the book because the script really sticks to the book. A lot of people don't like the movie because its 2 hours long and they claim that it should be longer and that it cuts a lot off, but I think its great! You can watch it with your family, friends, etc. etc. If you really want to know everything, you should read the book instead of watching a chocolate box, wet t-shirt contest adaptation because you shouldn't be lazy and sit with a bowl of popcorn getting fat for 5 hours because you don't want to read the book! Read it! Also, the 2005 p&p is MUCH better than the sucky 1995.
Go watch and buy the Dvd for pride and prejudice!:)
Movie Review: I keep watching over and over...
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't quite understand the negative reviews. Its not perfect, but it does really good job with the essence of the story given the time restraint. To do the story in the book requires more time (see BBC 6 episode version...which is also good). Creating a movie from this book requires some interpretation as we don't really get into Darcy's head. Plus the book often has narrative and not dialogue at key points, requiring screen writers to fill in what the characters would have said. Its interesting to see how the different movie versions (there was an old one with Lawrence Oliver, an 80's version, the BBC Colin Firth version and this one) deal with those narrative sections that needed dialogue. I can see the complaint about Keira's portrayal being tomboyish, but I found it refreshing compared to other portrayals. Her Elizabeth did seem more frank and forward with her opinion (character traits of Elizabeth). In other versions the actresses said Elizabeth's words, but they didn't really exuded the essence of Elizabeth. I also thought the Bennett home and attire better showed the class distinction between the Bennetts and Darcy than other movie versions. The class distinction as well as the Bennett family's behavior are why Darcy initially objects to Elizabeth. I do love Colin Firth's Darcy, but I thought Matthew did a great job as well. I love the end when he walks across the field and stutters his feelings (which is different from the book, but I love it anyway). My impression of Darcy from the book was that aside from his station (which would make him proud) he was also shy. There are several passages in the book in which he talks about not feeling socially adept. I thought Matthew showed that part of Darcy well. I do wish it was more like the book (especially at Pemberly) but that would have been a longer film. If you don't know the book, I could see how it would be hard to see how these two could fall in love based on the interaction seen in the movie. More focus to Darcy/Elizabeth scenes from the book would have helped. I did like the last scene (in US version) a great deal and wished Austin had ended with a scene between Darcy and Elizabeth at Pemberly.Movie Review: Fantastic
Summary: 5 Stars
I may be the only person in the world to not like the 1995 BBC version of P&P. I was cringing inside right before I started watching this one terrified they were going to butcher Austen's language like that adaptation. But I was pleasantly surprised to hear the good old words I know and love. The screenplay is wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you! They have chopped out a lot of scenes from the book and shortened a lot of speeches, but what they have retained is mostly verbatim and/or sounds just like Austen and will not offend.
What else is there to say? Everything about it is fantastic. Music, acting, direction. As an art historian, I was especially enraptured with the cinematography, scenery and use of art. It was amazing. I love the genre scenes around her house with the hay bales, man with pipe, pigs.
This is without a doubt the sexiest P&P I've ever seen. Its all about the passions that are exploding beneath the surface. Matthew MacFadyen is especially good at conveying this.
Notice what the director does with the theme of eyes and looking. Jane says, "One of these days someone is going to catch your eye and then you'll have to watch your tongue!" In the very next scene Darcy appears and when he's walking down the room at the first ball he does the smallest of double takes when he sees her. Its all about the glances towards and away from each other. Keira is wonderful with her eyes, especially in the last scene.
Brenda Blethyn = hilarious. The best Mrs. Bennett I've seen. Rosamund Pike = perfect. Keira Knightly = brilliant. I liked Donald Sutherland, but please. That was not the Mr. Bennet. They've sweetened him to a ridiculous degree. Doesn't bother me, but its a flagrant departure from the book. I greatly missed Elizabeth and Darcy sparring at Netherfield. "Your defect is a propensity to hate everybody!" That was the only scene that I really did miss, though, and they cut out a lot. Otherwise I hardly noticed it. Best scene = the "car crash" proposal in the thunderstorm.
This is a gorgeous, romantic film. Absolutely loved it.
Movie Review: I Started Out Prejudiced...
Summary: 5 Stars
I was wary of watching this edition of "Pride and Prejudice" because I was absolutely convinced that it was going to be horrible, either because of the acting, or because it wouldn't stay true to the story as it is presented in the novel. But I definitely ate some humble pie after watching this film because it turned out to be absolutely wonderful, and did Jane Austen's novel adequate justice.
While the movie is not as detailed as the novel - or the original BBC series - due to time constraints, the creators of the movie did a good job of choosing the important points of the story to focus on. While you don't want the movie to end when it does, you can at least feel like you've been given a complete and well rounded story before placing the DVD back in its case.
The actors selected to portray such timeless literary characters were also well chosen; while I doubted Keira Knightley's ability to pull off the role of Elizabeth, I came away with a new respect for her acting ability after watching this film. The choice of Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy was also a good one; he played the brooding, but genuinely kind-hearted Mr. Darcy very convincingly. The online chemistry between Knightley and MacFadyen was also evident, enhancing the believability of Elizabeth and Darcy's romance when it was portrayed onscreen.
While the cinematography in this movie varied greatly from the original BBC series, it was for the better. Some of the most crucial moments in the book - when Darcy professes his feelings for Elizabeth, and the ending where they meet in the early morning - were beautifully filmed. For those who are not interested in romantic movies, but appreciate good cinematography, watch this movie for that reason alone; you will not be disappointed.
Though this film was wonderful, if you are comparing it to the book, or are a diehard fan of the original BBC series, you might come away disappointed. But for those who have never read the book, or ever seen the original BBC series, this is definitely a film that you need to add to your must-watch list.