Movie: Pride and Prejudice (C, R, H)

It seems impossible to review the newest Pride and Prejudice film without comparing it to the gorgeous 1995 six-hour BBC miniseries. (I'm assuming people have either read the book or seen the miniseries, so SPOILERS lie ahead.)

Obviously, this complex story had to be whittled down to fit into the two-hour version. Sadly, this time savings was found by cutting dialogue that the 1995 version often pulled straight from the book. The most obvious infraction took place during Darcy's first proposal to Lizzie, when he does NOT say, "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Instead, he says, well, I don't remember, because I was completely stupefied that he hadn't proposed properly.

Once you get past this kind of issue, however, the new version holds up fairly well, albeit unevenly.

Elizabeth: I've never been crazy about Jennifer Ehle's Lizzie because she seems just a little too smug. Keira Knightley offers a more playful, more tomboyish, less harsh version of the character. I can't say much else; you really need to see Keira's performance and experience it for yourself.

Mr. Darcy: How can they make P&P without Colin Firth? Miraculously, they did, and Matthew Macfadyen does an outstanding job. This is a difficult character to play because so much of his personality consists of repressed passion and an inability to communicate easily with others. I would say CF edges out MM only slightly, and possibly just because of his better dialogue and gorgeous curly hair. :)

Wickham: Who? Wickham was almost absent from this version of the film. We don't see a real attachment between Lizzie and Wickham, and the actor playing him had a distracting resemblance to Orlando Bloom, but without the charm. Blah!

Jane: In the newer version, Jane's beauty outshines every other woman in the room. In the BBC's, Jane had a quieter, more serene quality. I don't have a preference, but it does affect one's perception of their relationship when Jane is so much prettier and Lizzie is merely the sensible one.

Mr. Bingley: Here, he's a dork. Seriously. Maybe he's so smitten by Jane that he can't help but giggle, but it was hard for me to warm up to him. I definitely prefer the Mr. Bingley from the BBC, who was kind and warm and yet acted as if he had spoken to other people before.

Miss Bingley: Still a witch, but here she has lovely red hair. We don't get as much of her unkindness; she spends a lot of time looking with scorn at other people, but doesn't have much to say. The actress does a solid job with an underwritten part.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet: These actors also do a fine job, but the difficulties in their marriage is really downplayed. They seem fairly happy together, and Mr. B's comments about his wife's nerves are spoken affectionately instead of with exasperation. I think this was a mistake, because so much of Lizzie's desire to find a marriage of equals stems from her parents' incompatibility. During all the balls and other social functions, I kept thinking, under these circumstances, how would you ever get to know anyone well enough to marry them? Mr. and Mrs. B's marriage should prove that you can't, but that doesn't happen here. (In the commentary, the director says things like "Mrs. Bennet really loves her daughters and wants to see them married well" without a hint of irony, if that tells you anything.)

Mr. Collins: Here is a slightly different version from the BBC's. This Mr. Collins has the same annoying dialogue and cloying obsequiousness, but we also get an occasional glimpse of the underlying insecurities that make him so eager to please other people. Still not a likeable character, but he's a bit more sympathetic here. (And this film did a good job of implying that he should have gotten together with Mary, the only Bennet girl who could have pleased him. I've always thought those two would be a perfect match, and this version shows Mary giving Mr. C. several longing looks. The fact that they don't get together even though they're perfect for each other is another of Austen's criticisms of prevailing marriage customs.)

Charlotte Lucas: In this version, Charlotte tells Lizzie why she chooses Mr. Collins. Her explanation is sad and desperate and I hated that she felt she had no other choice. Unfortunately, she loses a little bit of her spark after her marriage; the BBC's Charlotte did a better job of portraying Charlotte's subtle rebellion against her husband's fawning adoration of Lady Catherine.

Lady Catherine: Judi Dench does a splendid job in a part that looked like great fun to play!

Of the two films, I still prefer the BBC's. However, the newer version is well worth watching, and I plan to purchase it and watch it again. BBC P&P: A New P&P: A-