Every body hoped that he would never come there again: P&P #27

Pride and Prejudice 2005.

I finally figured out my main problem with this movie: it's too sombre, too dramatic... too Brontë. It doesn't really have that bright and sparkling tone that characterizes P&P. The director decided to make this a story of two people who were attracted to each other from the beginning and it's so intense. From the very beginning, the music sets the tone of the movie. Aside from all the dialogue they leave out, they've changed most of the comic characters into... not comic characters. Brenda Blethyn's Mrs. Bennet is kind of a sympathetic person (in fact, she and Mr. Bennet seem to be kind of in love, which, just, NO), Judy Dench's Lady Catherine is kind of imposing. Mary isn't pompous at all; in fact, she's rather sweet. and Kitty seems pretty normal. I dare say this makes all the characters more like real people than caricatures, but for heaven's sake! This is P&P!

I will say that they got the ages right this time, except for Wickham, who I think they cast because he looks like Orlando Bloom, but he's too young to have been Matthew McFayden's childhood friend, and he's not nearly charming enough. They also cut most of the character's scenes, which means I'm not really invested in his part of the story. I don't believe him as a seducer. And then we come to Georgiana. All I can say is well, she bounced back quickly! How on earth did that Wickham convince this gregarious, confident young woman to run away with him?

Mr. Bingley is a huge doofus in this movie. At the beginning, it's kind of cute and he seems to be flustered by Jane, but then at Netherfield he does nothing but guffaw stupidly. The writers even gave one of his great lines, the one about how talking instead would be much more rational, but not near so much like a ball, the one that shows that he can more than handle his sisters, they gave that line to Caroline as a put-down to Mary to showcase her meanness. Grrr.

The DC enjoyed it, but that's probably due to the fact that the costumes and the dances were historically accurate. All the accuracy must have gone into the clothing, then, because everything else is wrong wrong wrong.

I think the movie really suffers from having to be compressed into only a few hours. Like I said, most of the best dialogue is cut; the bits at Netherfield, which I think are hugely important to establishing Lizzy and Darcy's relationship, have been compressed into five minutes, and I don't really see why Darcy would fall for Elizabeth at all; she doesn't say anything particularly witty. And there's the other problems...

The Bennets have been made much poorer than they should be. Why is there a pig in the house? Why is Elizabeth wandering around like a farmer's daughter with her hair all down (she, who is supposed to be so quick to point out Lydia and Kitty's improprieties?) and in her nightgown? What is Bingley doing in Jane's bedroom? What on earth is Lady Catherine doing there in the middle of the night? For pete's sake. I could go on.


OH, THE INTENSITY!

I mean, read the book. It very clearly says that Elizabeth tries to keep the conversation light.

Having said that, there's something compelling about this movie. I have to confess, the Brontë lover in me kind of loved that proposal in the rain, even while the Austen lover in me was cringing at how wrong it was. Keira Knightly occasionally has moments of Elizabeth-ness, at the beginning dance in particular, but then she becomes too serious and rather cranky. There is very little of the Elizabeth archness in her manner, which is was is supposed to be attracting Darcy. I guess it suits the rest of the tone of the movie, her lack of playfulness. Mathew MacFayden is lovely, although a little too Heathcliff.

The whole thing feels like an ill-fitting shirt. I am disappointed. And yet, I keep watching it.