Pride & Prejudice

In a completely girly move, three friends and I went to see Pride and Prejudice this afternoon. My good friend Kelly and I have been addicted to the BBC Pride and Prejudice for years (who wouldn’t love the Darcy-rises-from-the-bath scene, I ask you?), so we wondered if the new movie would hold up well against it.

Short version: Yes! And no.

Yes to brilliant casting–all of the Bennets are perfect. Jane is lovely, Brenda Blethyn makes a marvelously flitty Mrs. Bennet, the younger girls are the early Regency version of swoony Tiger Beat addicts (except for Mary, who’s prim), and Donald Sutherland steals scenes as the droll Mr. Bennet, who’s clearly put upon by all the women in his household and yet mad for all of them. Keira Knightley acquits herself beautifully as Elizabeth. She’s brilliant with the starchy kiss-off line, her reaction once she sees Pemberley and realizes all she threw away is a classic. Plus, I love that she is so unashamedly flat-chested!

The men, not so good, but still way better than most big-budget remakes. We all wanted to know what was with Bingley’s over-moussed hair. Mr. Collins is the pill we’re all so happy Elizabeth escapes (the “please don’t leave me alone with him” antics before Mr. Collins’s proposal are priceless). Darcy–well, he’s in a special class. I enjoyed Matthew MacFadyen’s close-to-the-vest portrayal. He has a way with the very tiny gesture (a look, a hand gesture, his adorable nervousness when Elizabeth comes in the room) that made him work for me. Half of our viewing party disagreed. Didn’t like him a bit. Then again, Colin Firth left huge shoes to fill.

The whole thing is busy, bright, and not stiff in the least, which is great. It’s rumored that Emma Thompson did an uncredited rewrite on the screenplay, and that may show in the flashes of humor. The camera work is divine (must save money for tickets to England NOW). All in all, very satisfying.

And if the last scene with Elizabeth and her father doesn’t make you tear up, you need to go to work on your hard heart. This daddy’s girl loved it.