Pride and Prejudice (Movie)

Released: November 11, 2005
Quote of choice: "Indeed, most invigorating."

I was afraid that my expectations for Pride and Prejudice would be too high. I don't think I'm one of those Jane Austen purists. Yes, I was upset when they used Howie Day's song, "Collide," in the commercials, but then again, I haven't read Pride and Prejudice since my sophomore year of high school (and it was for an assignment), and I can say that Sense and Sensibility is my favorite movie, but far from my favorite book.

It was hard to keep myself from comparing the movie to the six hour A&E version, but I couldn't help it. I have to say that Rosamund Pike made a better Jane for the movie because the Jane in the miniseries was not good looking at all, making Lizzie so much prettier in comparison (Jane is supposed to be the beauty of the family). Keira Knightly definitely holds her own as Lizzie.

I liked the Bennett family much more in the movie than the miniseries. Yes, Mrs. Bennett is supposed to be annoying, but in the miniseries, she was so grating on my nerves and to deal with six hours of her was too much. The movie's Mrs. Bennett was toned down, but still conveyed that whole "I have 5 daughters to marry off and it consumes my every moment" thing. The younger Bennett sisters are also much less annoying in the movie.

Oh my, what a moment: Mr. Darcy helps Lizzie into the carriage and you see the way it affects both of them since it's the first time they've touched. Excellent movie-making.

Now the most important comparison: Matthew MacFadyen v. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. I actually can't tell which one is better. They delivered Mr. Darcy's lines differently. It seemed as though Colin Firth spoke a bit more forcefully, while MacFadyen delivered his lines with a more quiet strength (not that he was shy or wussy about it). We all know about the famous fountain scene in the A&E version, where Colin Firth/Mr. Darcy dives into the lake at Pemberley. Sadly, there was no diving in the movie. Don't worry, MacFadyen gets his steaming-sexy moment, when he strides out of the mist at dawn to Lizzie. Colin Firth gets his wet shirt, and MacFadyen gets his open shirt.

The score is lush and sweeping, matching the scenery so well. I know what I'll be listening to on my iPod ad nauseum for the next week. This was a great movie for me to drift away for two hours while in a Dayquil-induced haze. My glowing reception of the movie is also because of the last two books I've read. As I said to Annette, I've spent too much time reading about times when men wore cravats.