P&P

Hi.

When I happened upon the movie on HBO today, I realized I've never spent the time gushing over it. I've relayed my affections for the chronicles of Sherlock Holmes and the several movies/serializations of the character and his stories.

But of course, I have not gushed about one of my other favorites, a classic Jane Austen that most all know of: Pride & Prejudice.

Now I'm not here to bore you with why I love the book - many people already have their own opinions of the novel, with its so called cliches and the like - and I call them haters and don't believe that they've read the book. I personally love the way Austen writes; there is a touch of cynicism and she is never afraid to flaw her characters (leading to the resulting pitfalls). And P&P is at the top of the list very much for the ever present comedy (and that I draw similarities to certain characters ^_^).

So back to my actual point: the production of P&P.

Let me be clear, I am not referring to the adaptations or their movie counterparts (of which there are many and not just of P&P; including Sense & Sensibility, Emma and a few others). I purely am talking about the BBC and the main stream one that came out in 2005, both of which hold dear places in my heart. And to talk about all of them... well I've written some long posts, but that would be just too long.
[A shout out to the Tamil adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, one of my favorite Tamil movies of all time]

So back to the point: the 2 movie adaptations of the book.

First things first, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to movies that are made from books I've read - especially so with books I love. It's exactly the reason I despised the Harry Potter movies (I watched only for the sake of loyalty, or that I watched so many that it did not make sense to stop until the end).

So how am I a snob? Well, I do not exactly forgive when details are omitted. Of course, There are certain events that can be omitted as they are not vital to the plot. A book long movie would be way too long I'd say. But when details themselves are portrayed incorrectly... Let's just say there's a reason I hesitate going to see the next Hobbit movie (despite the fact that I will... loyalty and all that).

That is where I really do like the original BBC version of the movie. Because they were so  meticulous in that way, watching that movie was almost like reading the book in action. I'd say the only mishap is that rather than relaying the scene where Darcy discovers Lydia and Wickham through the protagonist's accidental unveiling of the situation, they depict it. They in a sense, show many scenes through POVs that are not included in the book.

Part of me loves that Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy in the movie (and funnily he is also Darcy in Bridget Jones' Diary ^_^), considering he is one of the first actors I liked - probably because of this movie. Additionally, the people cast are "real" people - in the way that they are not the typical stick figures so popular in current media.

The only other point of contention with the movie is that it is a bit dry. In fact, because it is so long (for the above mentioned side effect of relaying the entire book) and considering the production was only a BBC feature, the silences - though charged with the emotions described - are very silent.

It might be one of the things that I love about the newer movie. Of course it is not because the silences are filled music. There are no dry/empty silences because there is always the sound of life - whether it be the nature outside, the clacking of utensils at the table, the whinny of horses, the crackling of fire.

Which leads into the very next thing I love about the movie: it is so very real. From the characters to the settings this movie is very very real. It almost feels like you are literally watching the everyday goings of an early 19th century country family.

The characters are fully rounded characters, not just 2D caricatures of people. You see the interactions between sisters so close especially because they share rooms and dress each other for balls and share their lives (in fact my mother - who grew up with 2 sisters found the movie to show the sisters closeness mirroring very much her youth). From the tense moments to the awkward ones, their reactions and the delivery of the lines are so natural and include a context that you don't get just from reading the book.

I mean sure, they did not actually follow everything word for word from the book. But I do not feel the burden of it because the emotion and sentiment is there. Sure it is a pet peeve that the confrontation between Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth doesn't actually occur in the garden and I'm extremely disappointed with the final proposal (not to mention the whole "American ending"). But despite that, they show the small actions and looks that convey almost more than just a dialogue would have revealed.

In fact, I do believe that because of this, the humor and comedy was fully in evidence. Much of they humor in this story is dry and sarcastic. And they really milked it with the acting and directing.

I also love that they created tableaux for all the scenes - it was not only picturesque, the scenes could have been paintings themselves. And they definitely took different routes to show some scenes (my favorites are among those). Since I don't know the lingo and I'm in no way a director, I'm at a loss to describe it. Essentially, it was like a cherry on top of the delicious story.

As you can see, I am very enamored with the 2005 production ^_^.

There are many reasons why I love the book, and these movies definitely expand that love. These movies, even if different, in a way gave me a better understanding of the book than I had before. And if you're one of those haters, I would definitely recommend giving it another chance.


And to end, I have one of my favorite pieces from the movie - during the scene where Elizabeth and Darcy dance at the Netherfield ball. Though they argue and clash, the scene shows how they are just so aware of one another - by literally making everyone else disappear and reappear once drawn from the dance by the ending applause. My words do it little justice - so if you have not already, you should definitely watch it! ^_^
The first song is the original composition, and the second is the actual song from the movie - which was adapted from the original for the movie.
Interesting point is that the Benjamin Britten version was used in the movie Moonlight Kingdom - clearly it is a popular song ^_^