Movie review
Pride and Prejudice
Reviewed by Jamey Bradbury and Diana DeFazio
Hollywood has unearthed and dusted off its “How to Make an English Period Romance” kit to bring us a new version of Pride and Prejudice. The film is rife with misty English moors, swelling music meant to inspire the heart to burst inside the chest, and a whole gaggle of tittering females who listen at keyholes, keep the gossip mill alive, and provide entertainment for the masses in an age before television. So familiar is the backdrop of this film that it feels almost disappointing when, at the film’s conclusion, Mr. Darcy, tousle-haired and nearly bare-chested, comes tromping across the gray moor in the cloudy morning, determined to lay open his soul to Lizzie. The music crescendos for so long--with Darcy doggedly treading toward the camera all the way--that a scene that should have been one of the most moving begins to feel a little like a parody of this kind of film.
After some scene-setting at the Bennett’s home, the film’s action gets going when the characters attend not one but two balls: Hives of social activity where elegant ladies circle their dancing partners, then buzz through the crowd carrying bits of gossip about fellow party-goers. The action at the parties is a little breathless, although a long, single-camera shot that follows a series of characters through the labyrinthine rooms of the house is clever and well-done. It is here that Elizabeth first makes the sour Mr. Darcy’s acquaintance, and where we get a taste of Lizzie’s independent spirit, intelligence, and wit.
Keira Knightley gives us this latest incarnation of Elizabeth Bennett, though the viewer quickly begins to wish that the part had been given to an actress with more range. Knightley seems to rely on the script--well-written, with the best dialogue having been lifted straight from Austen’s pages--and a repertoire of five facial expressions which she tries to pass off for “acting.” Unfortunately, the film is filled with tight shots of Knightley’s face that are, presumably, meant to help us see what Elizabeth is thinking and feeling; the effect is a little claustrophobic.
Matthew MacFadyen, however, in the role of Mr. Darcy, makes good use of these close-ups. The strength of his acting lies not so much in how he delivers his lines, but in the subtle changes in his expression. Even before Darcy is quietly revealed to be a decent, loyal man, MacFadyen brings this side of his character to light using little more than a gesture, or a glance.
There are some fine moments in the film--a conversation between Lizzie and her father (played by Donald Sutherland) about her feelings for Darcy is possibly the best of these--and some excellent acting from Lizzie’s sister, Jane (Rosamund Pike), and Mr. Bingley’s sister, played by Kelly Reilly. For a tale about passion and romance, though, the film falls short of truly moving the viewer. Pride and Prejudice, after all, is about the pride of two individuals--how that pride prevents them from seeing each other for who they truly are, and how that pride is stripped away. Revealing oneself--the core of one’s soul, the truth behind the façade--cannot be a simple thing, and when Darcy and Elizabeth proclaim their feelings for one another, no swelling music should be needed. We should be moved simply by the meaning behind each touch, each sentence that passes between them. Alas, in the case of this year’s Pride and Prejudice, we are not.
In the end, it is a testament to the writing of Jane Austen, and not so much to the abilities of either Knightley or the director, Joe Wright, that the story still appeals to the audience, and that we continue to delight in the romance that grows between the eventual Mr. and Mrs. Darcy.
Entertainment value: 2 1/2 stars
Meaning: 2 1/2 stars
Lack of gratuitous violence or sex: 4 stars
Lack of advertising: 4 stars
Overall quality: 2 stars
Emotional impact: 1 1/2 stars
(out of 4 stars)