So, a certain huge fan of the book and Ms. Austen's literature sat me down to watch Pride and Prejudice, and I was very impressed.
This movie excels in its subtlety. All of the humor comes from subtle visual jokes or subtle insults in polite dialogue. The costumes of the Bennett family look like normal dresses, but as you see the women in different dresses of the same pattern throughout the movie, you better realize their relative poverty.
The casting was impeccable. Seriously, I think Jane Austen might have written Elizabeth Bennett with Keira Knightley in mind. Everything about the movie absolutely beautiful, especially the script, and I would also venture to say that it is one of the best literary adaptations I have seen.
Also, the almost-ending scene where the Elizabeth and Darcy are in a field at sunrise... wow. The light is amazing. To shoot this shot, the director and actors would have to have perfect timing, and shoot it in one or two takes or wait until the next day at sunrise to try again. Put that in with some incredible dialog and the guy and girl finally getting together and you have yourself a scene that's a complete package - which is what this entire movie really is.
2 comments:
I enjoyed this version as well, but when compared with the 1995 mini-series it just seems like it's on fast forward.
I fully agree. I loved seeing (just about) every nuance of the book come to life in the miniseries, and watching it certainly doesn't feel like 5 hours. On the other hand, as much as I enjoyed Jennifer Ehle's performance, Keira Knightley makes a better Elizabeth Bennet. If Colin Firth and Ms. Knightly were cast in the same adaptation, it might have been my favorite movie of all time.
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