%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/filmcritic2003b.gif)
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/ad_sv_rosie_041603.gif)
Pride and Prejudice (1995)A film review by David
Bezanson - Copyright © 2006 filmcritic.com |
|
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/finddvdsanim2.gif)
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/FiveStarsCOV100.jpg)
Most film adaptations of classic books are inferior to the books they are
based on. This is partly because the written word allows more nuance than the
camera, but also because great books don't always have enough plotting or action
to make great movies, and film adaptations often overcompensate by rewriting the
book in a quest to make it more cinematic. The most obvious recent example
(speaking of quests) is The
Lord of the Rings: Peter Jackson omitted key scenes, changed others, and
generally jacked up Tolkien's fanatically-loved bestseller for no good
reason.
So it's an achievement when a famous book makes it to the big
screen, or the small screen, intact -- and kudos must go to the A&E/BBC
miniseries Pride and Prejudice for flawlessly recreating the classic Jane
Austen novel. This production is as faithful to the book as Cliff notes (though
at five hours long, it's not much of a time-saver -- you might as well read the
book). The filmmakers fill in the off-camera scenes of the book so seamlessly
that Austen might have written them herself.
The cast includes some BBC
veterans and they are all excellent in this production, especially David Bamber
as the oily Mr. Collins and Benjamin Whitrow as the ineffectual but loving Mr.
Bennet. Firth is an obvious choice to play the awkward, haughty Darcy -- the
book doesn't give him much to do, except stand in the corner at parties and
brood about sleeping with Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle), but he does that
pretty well. Firth may actually be the best screen Darcy ever (including
Lawrence Olivier, who starred in a 1940 version of
Prejudice).
Ehle does a nice job as Elizabeth, though much
different from the spitfire played by Keira Knightley in the 2005
version. Ehle's Elizabeth is a dignified but forthright individual,
surrounded by leisure pursuits, but unable to ignore the problems faced by women
of her time: how to balance individuality and love with economic
necessity.
All three concerns meet head-on in Pride and Prejudice
when Elizabeth visits Darcy's estate, a trip which shows off Darcy to better
advantage. Austen the artist/woman was too honest not to include some ambiguity
about which aspects of Darcy win Elizabeth over -- is it the shirtless dip in
the pool? Or his generous nature in resolving her family's debts? Or is it his
very suitable estate (here realized by Lyme Park, a Cheshire pile which
routinely stands in for settings in Masterpiece Theatre productions)? Elizabeth
comes clean in a letter to her sister: basically, it's the house. A happy ending
is in sight from then on, though like all romantic novels (most of which were
influenced by Austen), complications ensue. In the end, Elizabeth finds love on
her own terms.
Warning: Pride and Prejudice is not for men
(which is why I got my wife to contribute heavily to this review). There is no
action in it, and the plot centers on marrying off daughters to British dandies.
But guys, your S.O. will love it. Pride and Prejudice is where classic
lit and chick lit meet -- it's probably the only high-school English novel that
teenage girls read for pleasure, and it deserves its popularity for being a
readable classic which sympathetically presents a well-loved character.
Likewise, this production deserves the accolades it received for its faithful
translation of Austen's book to the screen.
The 10th Anniversary Edition
of the film comes in a green fabric slipcase along with a 120 page book about
the making of the film.
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/starfull.gif){kind=small}
Director: Simon Langton
Producer: Michael Wearing, Sue Birtwhistle, Julie Scott
Screenwriter: Jane Austen, Andrew Davies
Stars: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, David Bamber, Crispin Bonham-Carter, Susannah Harker, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Adrian Lukis, Julia Sawalha, Alison Steadman, Benjamin Whitrow
MPAA Rating: NR
Year of Release: 1995
Released on Video: 09/26/2006
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/disk.gif){kind=small}
Buy Pride and Prejudice - 10th Anniversary Special
Edition on DVD from Amazon.com Buy Pride and Prejudice on DVD from
Amazon.com%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/cd.gif){kind=small}
Buy Pride and Prejudice -- the Soundtrack from
Amazon.com%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/book.gif){kind=small}
Buy Pride and Prejudice -- the Book from
Amazon.com
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/netflix.gif){kind=small}
Rent this film on DVD
from Netflix%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/show.gif){kind=small}
Buy this Poster from AllPosters.com
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/tstar.gif){kind=small}
Rating%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/ba_sv_unclesame_041603.gif)
%20%20filmcritic_com%20Movie%20Review_files/noscript.gif){kind=small}