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taloolah
Reviews
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Tolerable, I suppose,...
but not good enough to tempt me out of my admiration for the miniseries.
Quite frankly, this is probably a nice primer if you want an overview over the novel without too many details. Knowing book and miniseries almost by heart, you cannot imagine my sufferings when Austen quotations were torn and stretched out of context... The good thing was that some people laughed at actual Austen quotes, even if they were in the wrong place...In some scenes, the rewriting hasn't been done very elegantly - compare the conversation about "accomplished women and their figures" in the book and the movie. And why was the dialog changed so that things Lizzie was to say were said by Darcy?
However, there is one thing I really hated: the portrayal of Georgiana. From the novel, we know that she is exceedingly shy, and even gives Wickham ground for his claims of her arrogance. The way she greeted Elizabeth upon first meeting her was, in my humble opinion, plainly wrong and contradictory to the primary source.
I also resent that almost all of my favourite lines were omitted: Lady Catherine's " I must have my share..", Darcy's "I am in no humour to give consequence to young ladies slighted by other men", Lizzie's " My feelings... my feelings are quite changed..." etc, pp.
I also thought that Elizabeth was, despite being a lively character, sometimes well out of decorum when talking to Darcy, effectively proving his accusations about her family's lack of Decorum right. She was a bit too frank to still be considered charming and accomplished.
Two minor things: Why did it have to rain, when the first proposal took place - why did it have to be delivered on the grounds anyway? The Collinses parlour was quite charming...and a lot warmer! And why is there such a total lack of hairpins? Even though being set in the regency era, people were able to have hairstyles...
An Austen primer, even if with a bit of a Bronte touch, but no serious adaption of the novel.
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
All- time favourite
this will be very biased - I love this series and practically know it by heart. When my video tape was wrecked from rewinding, I finally got myself the DVD... and still love to watch it.
This is the most complete adaption of the novel, and there are so many lovable details in it that just make it a very unique movie experience. There are however minor changes, due to the fact that each episode of the series had to be leaving the audience wanting more... but nothing that really differs from the original.
The actors are awesome - Colin Firth is and will be the one and only Darcy, and Jennifer Ehle was a wonderful Elizabeth - spirited, lively, yet still always within decorum ( only that her skirts were " 6 inches deep in mud, I assure you"). Jane is, although maybe not for our standards pretty, a very classic beauty, and very much in character.The Bingley sisters are wonderfully arrogant, and Bingley is such a nice guy - not the insipid undecided, but rather too much trusting those he holds dear. Mrs Bennet, though annoying, is wonderful, and Mr. Bennet, witty and sarcastic, a perfect choice....in short, the complete cast has so decidedly imprinted upon my image of the characters that I find it hard to imagine anyone else playing that particular role.
The movie works very efficiently and elegantly with flashbacks to tell the various sub-plots, yet remains focused on the main actions. The scenery is well made, and the costumes are beautiful. I liked the fact that each actor had a wardrobe just as they would have had had they lived in the time, and not a new dress for each new scene.
For us, it may be hard to acquaint oneself with the language of Jane Austen, the rules of decorum of her time, and the social standards and sets of rules. In watching the movie, a lot of these things come clear - visualization as a means of understanding the regency period.
On a last note - the music is awesome. I have the opening melody as my cellphone ring ever since my Cellphone was able too...;)
There are so many little details, over which discussions can be lead for hours and hours, or pages and pages, and this s one of the best parts about the movie - although it gives an interpretation, it is not finite. A perfect movie to visualize the novel,and a must-see.
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
Fairly good adaption
As said before, this is a strictly feel-good movie - and so I did not expect that Jane Austen's novel would be so well integrated. Of course, it was changed, adapted, and played with, but try any modern adaption - it always has to be. However, I think that the writing crew did manage to transform the story a lot better than in most other productions - there are a lot of very funny austenesque moments, and the Bollywood dance scenes are a fair replacement for the ballroom scenes of the original. For a strict adaption, go see the A&E/ BBC 1995 miniseries, to see the story work in a modern context, see this.
So far for the Austen authenticity - I can only emphasize what has been said before with regards to Bollywood. This is finally a movie with a bit of background, a bit of a plot and even some criticism. And even though they break into random dances, it always fits the story.
In total, 9 of 10 possible votes - very recommendable for an evening of fun and a bit of an introduction to Bollywood and Austen!