Pride and Prejudice
I'm a big Jane Austen fan, so of course I had to see the just-released new treatment of her most famous novel. I enjoyed it a lot.
I'd heard some noises of doubt about casting Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett. Apparently she's a fairly hot property; I don't keep track of such things and don't remember if I've seen her in anything else. I thought she made a good Elizabeth, with the proper balance of saucy intelligence and warm affections.
The guy playing Darcy (you can tell I'm not a professional reviewer, can't you? Admit it) was outstanding. In the book, it is clear that Darcy is uncertain and uncomfortable with people he doesn't know, and that this causes him to appear aloof and disdainful to others. This was the first production I've seen that makes that clear. In Meryton society, it's clear that Darcy is ill-at-ease, and you can actually see Eliza misjudging him as proud and standoffish. Very delicately and effectively done.
Donald Sutherland is wonderful as Mr. Bennett. The peripheral characters, Mr. Bingley and his sister Caroline, the other Bennett sisters, Mr. Collins, and Charlotte Lucas, are all immediately recognizable and well-played. Dame Judi Dench is a creditable Lady Catherine; I wish there was room for more of her, but the two-hour movie format necessitates cuts. These were, in my opinion, delicately and unobtrusively made. One does not miss, for example, Bingley's other sister and brother-in-law.
The Bennetts' home, Longbourne, is a little seedier than my mental image, and Pemberley is a bit too sumptuous. The country-dancing is quite authentic, I assure you. The very sprightly tune that you might leave the theater humming is The Young Widow.
One scene during Lizzy's travels with her aunt and uncle in Derbyshire was just breathtaking and made me cry; for some reason scenery can do that to me.
All-in-all, excellent. Darcy is better than Olivier's. The BBC six-hour production from the 80s may still beat this, but not by much.
I'd heard some noises of doubt about casting Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett. Apparently she's a fairly hot property; I don't keep track of such things and don't remember if I've seen her in anything else. I thought she made a good Elizabeth, with the proper balance of saucy intelligence and warm affections.
The guy playing Darcy (you can tell I'm not a professional reviewer, can't you? Admit it) was outstanding. In the book, it is clear that Darcy is uncertain and uncomfortable with people he doesn't know, and that this causes him to appear aloof and disdainful to others. This was the first production I've seen that makes that clear. In Meryton society, it's clear that Darcy is ill-at-ease, and you can actually see Eliza misjudging him as proud and standoffish. Very delicately and effectively done.
Donald Sutherland is wonderful as Mr. Bennett. The peripheral characters, Mr. Bingley and his sister Caroline, the other Bennett sisters, Mr. Collins, and Charlotte Lucas, are all immediately recognizable and well-played. Dame Judi Dench is a creditable Lady Catherine; I wish there was room for more of her, but the two-hour movie format necessitates cuts. These were, in my opinion, delicately and unobtrusively made. One does not miss, for example, Bingley's other sister and brother-in-law.
The Bennetts' home, Longbourne, is a little seedier than my mental image, and Pemberley is a bit too sumptuous. The country-dancing is quite authentic, I assure you. The very sprightly tune that you might leave the theater humming is The Young Widow.
One scene during Lizzy's travels with her aunt and uncle in Derbyshire was just breathtaking and made me cry; for some reason scenery can do that to me.
All-in-all, excellent. Darcy is better than Olivier's. The BBC six-hour production from the 80s may still beat this, but not by much.