Pride & Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright 2005
Where to start. A list of impressions, I think: surprising, visually stunning, just the right combination of sweet and cynical, impossibly romantic, wonderfully cast, and the big one: Deborah Moggach, who wrote this screenplay pulled off what I thought to be impossible. She managed to get the essence of this much loved novel into two hours. And she did it with flair.
Things missing? Of course. Tons of them when you have to conflate a story into two hours, but the only thing I personally really missed was this: Miss Bingley's final discussion with Darcy, when she knows herself bested. That scene I want back. I'm wondering if they filmed it, and, if I'm very good, if they might include it in the DVD version.
Please, please do.
The Austen purists won't like this, because they can't. Okay, fine. But I loved it for the period detail and beautiful photography and for the performances. I was really surprised and pleased by Keira Knightly, who up until this point hasn't exactly wowed me. And I confess that I was very doubtful about Matthew MacFadyen as Darcy, but you know what? He's really good. There's a complexity to the way he plays Darcy that really struck a chord. Better than you-know-who? Maybe. I'm going to have to see this again and think about that, but my first impression: possibly better. Believe it or not.
The most important thing is, in the end, the chemistry between Elizabeth and Darcy, and it's here. The romance is carefully constructed and completely effective. I found myself holding my breath now and then, which means I've been taken in by the story and the characters.
I love the six hour version of P&P;, don't get me wrong, but this shorter take has a lot going for it. Dame Judy Dench brings a subtlety to Lady Catherine that up until now has been missing. Every actress who has played her has gone to an extreme, but here she's got an icy edge that elevates the whole performance. Also, in the BBC version, Mrs Bennett is played to such an extreme that it borders on caricature, but in this version again the performances are finer tuned, more subtle, and more believable.
Also, I was struck by the period detail. Of course the BBC version was accurate, but it was also somewhat sterile. This version has a much more gritty feel to it. Country balls are crowded and noisy and actually look like fun; you can see why a fifteen year old would be wild about going. The Bennetts, who are not rich, live in a house that could use paint, and they live close together. The farm is right there, a part of their daily existance. An Austen scholar complained about a short scene where Mr. Bennett is walking along behind a boar. Boars have testicals, yes. But this was not some kind of reference to Darcy, it was more a reminder that the facts of life, while not openly discussed, were more visible to young women like the Bennetts than we'd like to think. They were physical beings.
From the negative remarks I've heard from purists, I had the idea that this version of P&P; was going to go where nobody else has ever gone in terms of sex, but, not true. There is some very charged, very lovely touching of faces, but we do not see one kiss until the principals are married. And even then, it's more about love than it is about sex, and it's perfectly done.
There were a few scenes that felt too clipped or rushed, sure. But overall? A wonderful film, a great adaptation. My highest recommendation.