Another Review- With Pictures!

Yesterday, I realized that I have yet to review either Pride and Prejudice movie that I've seen.  (1995 and 2005.)  Therefore, I decided to review them, starting with the 2005 one.  I watched the '05 version first, and since everybody knows I like the '95 version (I am a member of the P&P95Forever Club!), nobody knows my sentiments on the '05 version.
So, here's my review!

The Synopsis

Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?

The Characters

Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley)

Lizzy (the filmmakers spelled it ‘Lizzie,’ the horror!) is played by Keira Knightley.  My Mom doesn’t like KK, but I was no judge when I watched this because the only movie I’d ever seen her in was The Phantom Menace, when she’s Padme’s double.  All throughout this movie I kept thinking, “She looks like Padme.”  Then at the end of the movie, I suddenly remembered- duh, she’s supposed to!  ;)

Anyway…

I thought that KK did a very good job in this movie.  My Mom, who, as I’ve stated, doesn’t like Keira Knightley, liked her in this one.  KK is 20, she’s sparkling and vivacious, and she’s gorgeous.  Now I know that Jane is supposed to be prettier than Lizzy, but really, neither of them would be very pretty by the standards of the Regency era.  So, I’ll just be satisfied with that.

Of course, seeing her as a bookworm and an English gentlewoman was strange, considering that I’ve seen her in a Star Wars movie and Pirates of the Caribbean.  But other than that, I loved her in this role.  She almost ties with Jennifer Ehle in terms of Lizzy.

…Although it is a little weird to be always expecting Elizabeth Bennet to pull out a blaster and start shooting droids.  ;)

Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen)

Darcy, Potions Master at Hogwarts...

Fitzwilliam Darcy, the proud, rich English gentleman who has an awesome mansion and despises the heroine, is played by Matthew Macfadyen.  Which is sort of funny, because MM also plays a poor, humble debtors’ prison inhabitant who admires the heroine.  ;)

Aka Arthur Clennam.

For me, this Darcy just didn’t “click.”  I thought he was sort of creepy-looking and that he looked a lot like Severus Snape.  He seemed more shy than proud and when he proposes for the first time, it seems like Lizzy way overreacted- especially since he apologized several times before starting to insult her.

And the scene…in the pajamas…ugh.  Really, Darcy.  Just…ugh.  And seriously?  “Your hands are cold.” 

The dialogue goes something like this:

Darcy: Will you marry me?

Lizzy: Your hands are cold.

Darcy: Yay!

Whaaat?  Not your usual proposal.

(I’m planning on doing a P&P95 vs. 05 comparison soon…another idea I forgot…but you can guess which Darcy will win.)

Jane Bennet (Rosamund Pike)

The BONNET...so PRETTY..

She’s pretty…and she’s calm and sweet…and to be honest, she might be my favorite Jane.  Rosamund Pike acts her pretty much perfectly and this Jane totally made me sympathize with her.

Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods)

To be honest, I didn’t find him that much of an airhead.  He was sort of…clueless, I guess, and he was a bit too happy-go-lucky, but I didn’t find him that annoying.  He actually struck me as being sweet and caring.  In fact, I think he and Jane were pretty much perfect for each other. 

And.  The proposal scene.

Eeeek!  I loved it.  Jane was laughing and crying, Bingley was grinning like all get out…awwww…

The Other Bennets

Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn)

Mrs. Bennet, played by Brenda Blethyn, was too sympathetic.  I could actually understand her feelings and sometimes I felt sorry for her.  That is not supposed to happen.  

Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland)

I did not like this guy.  Donald Sutherland was just all wrong.  He was too old (maybe that’s accurate, but I would prefer an inaccurate guy who’s truer to ‘my’ Mr. Bennet), too slipshod, and his voice was too scratchy and deep.  He dropped his British accent a couple times, but there were also a few scenes where he really shone.  When he’s comforting Mary and when he gives his consent to Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage…I can almost forgive him for the rest of the movie.  ;)

Mary Bennet (Talulah Riley)

Talulah Riley had the same problem as Mrs. Bennet: she was just too sympathetic.  I thought she was reasonably pretty and it just frustrated me that she wouldn’t wash her hair or trouble about her clothes, because she could have been a lot prettier if she’d just been more careful about her appearance.  She didn’t seem very stuck-up or foolish, and she had a pretty nice voice.  She seemed more like your average teenage girl who isn’t as pretty as others in her family than a boring prig. 

Kitty Bennet (Carey Mulligan)

As a rule, I like Carey Mulligan.  She’s a good actress.  In this one, she performed an Anthony Andrews-esque feat: she managed to make her character be a foolish, silly girl while still making her likable.  I felt sort of sorry for her.  She doesn’t have the wisdom to realize that Lydia is not a very good person and she doesn’t have the strength to resist Lydia’s pull.  When I heard in the book that Kitty managed to grow up respectably, I was very happy, and Carey Mulligan just reinforced this impression in the few minutes of screen time she got.

…Plus, I love the bonnet and gown in the picture…

Lydia Bennet (Jena Malone)

I do NOT like the character of Lydia.  At ALL.  But Jena Malone did a great job portraying her as a wild, silly girl.  She was portrayed as a pretty shallow person and they weren’t too sympathetic with her.  Her boy-crazy ways received no softening.  I liked this Lydia portrayal okay.

Charlotte Lucas/Collins (Claudie Blakley)

Due to the length of the film (only 2 hours), I didn’t get to see much of Charlotte.  But what I did see was reasonably good.  I thought that Charlotte’s flying-off-the-handle bit when she tells Lizzy that she’s marrying Mr. Collins was very natural and well done.  She was patient and kind and, like most of the characters, I liked this character okay.

Lady Catherine De Bourgh (Judi Dench)

Yikes.  This Lady Catherine was SCARY.  I liked Judi Dench’s portrayal all right.  She was very impressive, but like Mr. Bennet, I felt that she was too old.  Also, she seems to be wearing her hair down in this photo…not sure what’s up with that.  She seemed a bit unnatural, and I felt sort of apathetic about her, but overall Dench did a good job.

Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander)

I think that the real problem with this movie was that they made everyone too sympathetic.  Mrs. Bennet, Mary Bennet…and Mr. Collins.  He was sort of short and dry and he seemed to go well with Charlotte.  I could understand when Charlotte married him.  Which was all right, I guess…and I definitely liked his portrayal in general…but he just wasn’t Mr. Collins, somehow.

George Wickham (Rupert Friend)

He needs pointy ears...at first I thought he WAS Orlando Bloom.

At first, I didn’t like this Wickham.  He was too handsome, too charming…and I wasn’t sure about the ponytail.  Then I remembered that Wickham isn’t supposed to act or look like a creep…he’s supposed to be very handsome and charming.  The scene at the ribbon shop really showed that.  I’m still not sure about the ponytail, but Friend definitely got Wickham down pat in the few minutes of screen time he got.

Georgiana Darcy (Tamzin Merchant)

Um.  She did a good job, but she appeared in, what?  Two scenes?  Tamzin Merchant played her well, but we didn’t see much of her, so…I’m not sure.

The First Proposal

No, this isn’t from the 2005 one.  This one is from 1940.  But Lizzy’s expression was so funny…:D

Anyway…

I didn’t really like that scene.  Darcy doesn’t look angry at all, just heartbroken, and it seemed to me like Lizzy just flew off the handle.  He apologized before insulting her, for heavens’ sakes!

…However, I think I’m subconsciously comparing this movie to the 1995 one.  As no other P&P movie can ever measure up to that one…

I’ll stop.

ANYWAY. 

It was a reasonably good scene.

The Second Proposal Scene

I think my sentiments have already been made clear on this one.  Darcy goes wandering around in his pajamas and meets Lizzy in her pajamas.  That would NEVER happen.  And the DIALOGUE!

…Enough ranting.  It was a pretty good scene, I guess, and when the rising sun bursts between them…well, that was enough to make up for the inaccuracy.  J

By the way, have you noticed that in both the ’95 version and the ’05 version, Darcy has two experiences: he wanders around in his pajamas imagining about Lizzy, and he gets soaking wet and meets Lizzy.  

Nitpicks

·         The ENDING!  That extra scene they added…ugh.  All that kissing. 

·         There’s no wedding!  I waited for two hours for Lizzy and Darcy to get together.  I want to see them get married! 

·         I know the Bennets lived on a working farm and there probably would be dirt everywhere, but I don’t think they’d have pigs in the house and no lawn to speak of.

·         Elizabeth lost her temper too easily.  In those days, politeness was all-important, and she would not have run away from her parents, shouting, “For once in your life leave me ALONE!”  Nobody would do that.

Things I Liked

 ·         The Bennets interacted like a real family.  You could tell that they really cared about each other.

·         Most of the actors and actresses were the right age.

·         The scenery and sets were gorgeous.

·         The scene where Darcy and Bingley are practicing Bingley’s proposal…that really showed their friendship.  ;)

·         Bingley’s proposal.  Awww…it made up for all of Simon Woods’ mistakes.

Overall

Overall, it was a great movie.  I would definitely watch it again.  It’s not as good as The Other Version, but if you can’t spare five hours this is the one to watch!  The actors and actresses were all at least reasonably good, the dialogue was good most of the time, and there were some really good scenes in it.  It’s a good movie to introduce someone to the world of Jane Austen as it’s a well-made movie and of a reasonable length.

…Of course, I’d prefer the unreasonable length.  ;)

Well, that's my review!  Please tell me what you think of this movie in the comments.  :)
-Miss Jane Bennet