Pride and Prejudice

Genre: comedy/drama
Director: Joe Wright
Release: 2005
Studio: Universal Pictures, Focus Features et al.
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.4/10


"I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine."


Longbourn, in the English countryside, suddenly comes alive when Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) learns that gentleman Charles Bingley (Simon Woods) will be spending some time at Netherfield, an estate nearby. Wouldn’t Bingley make a great catch for one of her daughters? With Donald Sutherland (Mr. Bennet), Keira Knightley (daughter Elizabeth), Talulah Riley (daughter Mary), Carey Mulligan (daughter Kitty), Rosamund Pike (daughter Jane), Jena Malone (daughter Lydia), Claudie Blakley (Charlotte Lucas), Kelly Reilly (Caroline Bingley, Charles’ sister), Tom Hollander (Mr. Collins), Matthew MacFadyen (Darcy), Rupert Friend (Wickham), Judi Dench (Lady Catherine de Bourg) and Cornelius Booth (Colonel Fitzwilliam).

Even if you find this film a bit slow after fifteen minutes, do not give up on it unless you’re intent on missing a remarkable adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel. Of course, those of you who have read the book will notice that some useful details have been omitted here but, between you and me, it would have been very difficult to do otherwise, considering the abundance of material already covered in the movie. In fact, there is so much to like here that I do not know where to begin.

On the technical side, you will certainly appreciate Joe Wright’s lively and exemplary direction that mixes drama, comedy and colourful tidbits. Dialogues are delicious, the costumes will certainly catch your eye and the music score complements the narrative in a very tasteful manner… but it’s the story that will really surprise you. It involves a complex web of characters struggling with feelings of love, pride, jealousy, greed and honour. How can a heart truly thrive if it harbours moral conflict? How can two people come together when rank, money and social conventions prescribe otherwise? Those questions will be dealt with at length, sometimes agonizingly so, but rest assured… Jane Austen has thankfully provided the answers to this test of life and love.

As for the cast, it meets the challenge of recreating great characters with both poise and perfection. What a fantastic bunch of actors! There’s Keira Knightley, so passionate and forceful, who reminded me of Isabelle Adjani’s fire in similar roles. There’s Brenda Blethyn, the calculating Mrs. Bennet, insatiable and always entertaining… wouldn’t you like to have her as a relative? There’s Jena Malone who makes the most of a really nutty role. There’s also Tom Hollander who will delight you as Mr. Collins… what a voice, what comic timing! And, last but not least, Matthew MacFadyen shows a boldness that recalls Alan Rickman’s.

OK, you get the picture. As a film, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is very English, exquisitely romantic and utterly captivating. Do see it.


MBiS

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