Review
Pride & Prejudice
- Director
- Joe Wright
- Year
- 2005
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Wednesday, February 22, 2006
The story concerns the family Bennet, comprised of five daughters and their parents. On the brink of the 19th century, when all that mattered to several families was to settle fine marriages for daughters, it’s the task of Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) to do exactly that with each one of hers. Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland), a much more practical and straightforward man, isn’t all for arranged marriages or anything that makes his daughters less than happy, which causes a day-to-day struggle that’s comical instead of conflicting. The daughters range from pretty Jane (Rosamund Pike) to eager Lydia (Jena Malone), but it’s the second daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who’s the most no-nonsense of all, and won’t fall easy prey to just any man who becomes interested.
A remarkable series of events ensues when a desirable bachelor moves near the Bennets: Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) who arrives along with his friend Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) and shakes the lives of the Bennets. During a ball, Jane catches Bingley’s attention, he turning out sort of bumbling but likable, as opposed to his friend Darcy who’s more of a dismal figure, somewhat desirable but whose attitude repels. Elizabeth, obviously having an unconventional taste, can’t help but be attracted to this gentleman, but isn’t about to throw herself at him; in fact, she assures her sisters that she loathes him. But Darcy pursues her, one way or another; she follows suit, and as in one of those group dances, they find themselves close one moment and apart the next. But there are two factors keeping them apart... You guessed it, pride and prejudice.
I saw a ravishing spectacle disclose in front of my eyes when the masquerade stopped having effect both for the characters and the audience. Human nature has its way, people are people, society is only one external factor; never should it rule us, but it does, and in what relentless way. When the comedy of manners that is Pride & Prejudice manages to strip its characters, so to speak, as to reveal their core and make their feelings emerge—all the more astounding them being British and in such a society—, the power of the story is unspeakable. That Jane Austen could see through the sugarcoating of fine families and into people’s feelings so clearly, speaks wonders of her. Deborah Moggach’s screenplay is also testimony to that honesty and unending self-knowledge.
Cinema can be so powerful it can potentially shatter. First time feature director Wright knows this and uses sumptuous vistas and stabbing weather to emphasize feelings. His team-up with cinematographer Roman Oshin is perfection, and the music score by Dario Marianelli ballets around the artistry of the visuals so as to step aside when it should and take the front seat when it must. Every other artistic merit that helps recreate time and place is remarkable.
Keira Knightley has shined through a couple of good movies but has never been as right as she’s in this role—such a surprise, given the tomboyish nature of Elizabeth Bennet. Macfadyen is an excellent match, and supporting roles are correctly filled by every player, with Sutherland and Blethyn a standout (providing the so-needed light comedy) and Judi Dench pleasant in a very small but crucial role.
Keep an eye on the brilliant ball scenes, during which a couple of uncut sequences echo Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game (1939) but with a resonance of their own.
Much more than a costume drama; simply a must-see.
“Oh, my goodness! Everybody behave naturally!”
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Other reviews of Pride & Prejudice (2005): Morris
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Review
Pride & Prejudice
- Director
- Joe Wright
- Year
- 2005
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, March 02, 2006
Mr. & Mrs. Bennet (Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn) have five daughters: Jane (Rosamund Pike), Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), Mary (Talulah Riley), Kitty (Carey Mulligan) and Lydia (Jena Malone). When a rich, and single, acquaintance comes to town in the form of Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) all girls are excited to meet him, but it is Jane who seems to have caught his attention. The opposite kind of attraction forms between Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley’s friend, Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), who dislike each other at first but keep continually meeting as time goes by.
Jane Austen’s most famous novel was adapted for this foray by Deborah Moggach, who got some help by an uncredited Emma Thompson, no stranger to the genre. They were able to summarize the extensive novel into a two-hour movie, no easy task but one they admirably managed. I’ve read that a lot of subplots had to be trimmed, but the spirit remained intact. I found the movie to be extremely well-written.
In a way, I was reminded of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” in how the members of a big family comprised mostly of women manage to support each other in a restricting society and desperately seek to find the love of their lives. The heroine here is the more strong-willed of all, Lizzie, a learned and intelligent girl who doesn’t fall prey of every good-looking guy that comes in her way, but that is expecting a bit more in her life. Her relationship with Mr. Darcy starts out as antagonistic, but later evolves as vulnerability and love take over. The struggle inside both Lizzie and Darcy is heartbreaking to watch. Both are good people, both are not what their surroundings demand of them, and both are meant to be together, but they cannot always accept that, and we are all desperately waiting for the breaking point to come.
The scene in which both finally dance is unforgettable. It is without a doubt my favorite scene.
The movie could not be more charming and heartwarming if it tried to. In the 1700’s all that mattered was to get a good marriage, and so Mrs. Bennet knows. But Austen treats her characters differently, as women who want to love and feel loved, even if they must be looking for money and connections as everyone else does. This clash is intriguing and a cause of much mayhem, filled with colorful characters and delightful situations.
Technical aspects are impeccable, with the photography, costume design, art direction and music all delivering and then some. I especially loved a pair of long unedited sequences which are very well choreographed and performed. English vistas look absolutely beautiful, and even more so when it’s raining. I was also enthralled by the way the second-to-last scene in the movie was shot in the fields. Keira Knightley never looked more ravishing.
And never had she delivered such a compelling, full-bodied, charismatic and complicated performance. If the movie works so well it’s in part because of her. MacFadyen is also a great Mr. Darcy. And I got a kick out of Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench’s small appearances. The whole cast is uniformly good.
First-time director Joe Wright handles his movie with class and elegance, an impressive achievement all around.
“He’s been most inconvenient since I swore to loathe him for eternity.”
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Other reviews of Pride & Prejudice (2005): Groucho
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