Pride and Prejudice (2005) - Movie Review
-May contain major spoilers-
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Pride and Prejudice is a romantic period drama film based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen. It was directed by Joe Wright with music by Dario Marianelli and premiered on September 11, 2005, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen and co-stars Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Simon Woods and Rupert Friend.
Summary
In the late 18th century, on Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire, lives the 20-year-old Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet (Keira Knightley), the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet (Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn). She has four sisters, the eldest is Jane (Rosamund Pike) who is very sweet and gentle and is considered the prettiest of the sisters (with Lizzy coming in second), after Elizabeth is Mary (Talulah Riley) she is the most serious of the sisters and prefers to read books or play the piano instead of socializing, the youngest sisters are Kitty and Lydia (Carey Mulligan and Jena Malone). they are both very vain and considered to be silly and wild compared to their older sisters. Kitty's actions are influenced by Lydia (who is younger than her).
Mrs. Bennet, who wants to marry her daughters to suitable (rich) suitors, is happy by the appearance of Charles Bingley (Simon Woods), who is renting the nearby Netherfield estate and is single and wealthy.
At the Meryton assembly ball, they met with Mr. Bingley, who has the personality of a friendly and nice labrador retriever. He is accompanied by his stuck-up sister Caroline Bingley (Kelly Reilly), and his friend the proud and more wealthy (way more) Fitzwilliam Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), who enters the room looking at everyone with his "quizzical brow".
At the ball, sparks fly between Jane and Mr. Bingley and we can't say the same for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, as Mr. Darcy insults Elizabeth by saying that she is "not handsome enough to tempt me".
Jane is invited by Caroline to visit Netherfield, but as soon as she arrives, she falls ill and has to stay with them. Worried, Elizabeth goes to visit Jane at Netherfield and meets again with Mr. Darcy, who seems to be nervous around her.
Mrs. Bennet and the rest of the sisters also arrive to visit and Lydia and Kitty make Mr. Bingley promise to hold a ball at Netherfield.
The awkward Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), who is a cousin of the Bennets' and is set to inherit Longbourn, arrives with intentions of marrying one of the sisters and sets his eyes on Jane. Mrs. Bennet tells him that Jane is practically engaged to Mr. Bingley and encourages him to pursue Elizabeth instead.
When the sisters visit Meryton to buy some things for the upcoming ball, they meet a charming militia officer named George Wickham (Rupert Friend). Lydia seems to be smitten by Mr. Wickham, but he seems more interested in Elizabeth and he wins her over by telling her that Mr. Darcy is an awful person.
At the Netherfield ball, Mr. Wickham is nowhere in sight, Mr. Collins is interested in (awkwardly) wooing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy seems to be very interested in her.
Who will Elizabeth choose?... (What a mystery!!!!)
Thoughts
Joe Wright had a vision when he made this movie and although not all Jane Austen fans agree with his vision, no one can deny that this movie is a visual treat. The movie has some differences from the book, a major one is the time it was set, most adaptations make the setting to be 1813 (when the book was published), but this movie is set in 1797 (when Jane Austen wrote the first draft).
The cinematography of this movie is marvelous and so pleasing. The movie is full of beautiful shots and locations some parts feel almost like a dream. During the Netherfield ball scene there is a long take that is incredibly well done (you can see it here) and talking about scenes that are well done another one is when Mr. Darcy confesses under the rain (watch here), everything is perfectly framed (even the thunder).
Everyone acted fantastic in this movie and no character was dull. I have something to confess before watching Pride and Prejudice I thought that Matthew Macfadyen was not very handsome and I must say... how blind I was! (I think my problem was his hairstyle, but it grew on me). His portrayal is full of little details (like the hand moment) and he's very charming. One of my favorite scenes of him is when SPOILER he sees his sister Georgiana (Tamzin Merchant) the pure happiness he shows; in fact, all the scenes of Elizabeth's visit to Pemberley are fantastic. SPOILER ENDS. Keira Knightley also did a very good job and I like how charming her portrayal of Lizzy is. The chemistry between Matthew and Keira is electrifying especially in the scene in the rain.
I have to defend the costumes in this movie because I think it's more of a storytelling medium (I don't know how to call it, sorry if I'm wrong) than a 100% accurate representation of the period (please read this well-written post I found on the subject.) My only real complaint regarding the costumes is that I've seen the movie so many times that I can tell how awful the quality of the wigs the extras wore in the Netherfield ball scene is.
Dario Marianelli did a fantastic job with the soundtrack, all the songs are beautiful, but these are the ones that stand out for me "Dawn" (I even heard this song used in the background of a TV show [It was in TVE]). "Georgiana" this piano theme is quite fast-paced and sounds almost "childish", I think it goes very well with the character of Mr. Darcy's sister. "A Postcard to Henry Purcell", this song is based on Henry Purcell's "Abdelazer Suite - Rondo" (or Rondeau), but it strips down the instruments, leaving only a violin for most of the song, which makes it sound more intimate. "The Living Sculptures Of Pemberley" I love all the sequences of Elizabeth's visit to Pemberley and I find this song to be quite sentimental, it feels like Lizzy is seeing another side of Mr. Darcy.
I recommend watching this movie if you feel sad and also if you feel happy. In fact, this movie is great for any kind of mood.
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Rating
Acting - 10/10
Plot - 10/10
Romance - 10/10
Soundtrack - 10/10
Cinematography - 10/10
Costumes - 8/10
Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy - 100/10
Overall Rating - 10/10
Expanded Movie Info
Run Time: 127 minutes (2hs 7min).
Release Date: September 11, 2005.
Based on: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Directed by: Joe Wright.
Cinematography by: Roman Osin.
Screenplay by: Deborah Moggach.
Edited by: Paul Tothill.
Music by: Dario Marianelli.
Costumes by: Jacqueline Durran.
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Simon Woods and Rupert Friend.
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