Pride and Prejudice

[proper stranger]

jynni...

Lydia'srunning off was a big deal, because she and Wickham were not immediately married. I believe it's inferred in the miniseries (and possibly the book--haven't read it in awhile) that Wickham likely had no intention of marrying Lydia. In that time and place, Lydia would have been ruined in society for such actions. I don't think Wickham knew that Darcy was in love with Elizabeth--so he wasn't being a scoundrel for the sake of money in the case, just doing it for the sake of being a scoundrel.

I really liked the movie and even teared up a bit in the end. I adore the miniseries, but enjoyed the movie, particularly MM's performance as Darcy. I did think the director/designers took the "gritty realism" thing a bit far. I do wish Keira had some better hairstyles. For the most part, though, I thought the actors did well with their roles. The actor who played Mr. Collins cracked me up.

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Wow I saw it on Friday and I am really not getting why people are raving "Oscar!" for Keira. Maybe because expectations are lower for her, so anything that is decent is a pleasant surprise? I had no opinion of her (except I hate her teeth and the way she talks) and I liked her more after seeing P&P. However, I thought the performance was good. Not terrific, but acceptable. Like someone beforehand said, her constant random giggling was annoying after the 5th time. The teeth still bugged. And she really needed a good push-up bra.

I agree. Keira did a good job, but sbe was not exceptional. I guess she will receive an Oscar nomination.

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I finally went to see it. I liked it very much, more than I thought I would. It was funny, romantic, and even had some bittersweet moments where I teared up a bit.
I thought the Elizabeth/Darcy verbal sparring was done very well--you could almost see those sparks flying. I didn't think Mr. Darcy was good looking in the trailer, so I was pleasantly surprised to see how attractive he was in the movie; the poster who said he became more appealing/handsome as the movie went on was definitely right.
I liked all of the acting, but didn't think Judi Dench brought anything especially extra to the role. (I mean, she played her part well, but not award-worthy like I think I saw suggested somewhere--just a typical autocratic, tyrannical rich older woman.)

Now, I'm no Jane Austen buff, so can't speak for left out parts (it's been years since I read the book) or innacuracies (sp?), but I definitely think it put a fresh spin on a plot that's been done over and over, in so many ways. It does make me want to reread the book.

(By the way, there was a very nice kiss at the end of the version I saw. I didn't think it was cringeworthy--just very sweet, and felt it really humanized Darcy's character.)

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Ok, I finally saw this movie. I heard all these great reviews and how everyone loved it, so I was expecting a lot. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. Some of the directing was a bit confusing, other parts were good. The acting was good in some parts and horrible in others. Some of the actors were monotonic in some scenes. It didn't start to take life until later on in the film. The best of the women was the actress that was playing Jane. She was great in this film. Keira disappointed me. Honestly, any actress could have done it that well. With the glowing reviews of her performance, I expected to be blown away. I wasn't. She has issues with emotional scenes. She can't keep still. Hated Mr. Darcy and I thought they had no chemistry whatsoever. I hated how Ms. Bingly was portrayed and Ms. Bingly wasn't supposed to be outgoing. hated that.

Overall, the BBC version is still superior.

[jynni]

I actually finally watched the BBC version and thought it sucked donkey balls. Big time.

Jennifer Ehle looked like a middle aged woman trying to act young. I know she was only about 25 or so when the BBC version filmed but man - she looked old.

The rest of the cast was pretty bad too. I kept reading how bad Mrs. Bennett was but man, I had no idea! I think she accounted for 50% of the awfulness.

One thing other thing that bugged was that when the Binghley sister was "playing" the piano she was obviously trying to look like she was playing but her movement was completely out of sync with how that song (Mozart's Turkish Rondo) goes. To her defense though, she may have been acting to one song and they edited in another later.

One question - I noticed that the music for some of the dance sequences was the same - or at least very similiar - to what was used in the movie. It's been awhile since I've read the book - did it specify certain dances that used a certain piece of music?

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Jennifer Ehle looked like a middle aged woman trying to act young. I know she was only about 25 or so when the BBC version filmed but man - she looked old.

Heh. I love Jennifer Ehle but she is one of those people who has looked about 35 for the past ten years.

I saw the movie again the other day (I still think it is a damn fine movie) and was struck by how stupid the whole marble head of Mr. Darcy is. I mean, a friggin' marble head?!? It has been a while since I have read the book but I always assumed that they were looking at portraits or (thanks to the BBC version) portrait miniatures. I never thought it would be a marble version of his head. I think Matthew MacFadyen is all kinds of sexy but he does not have the right features for marble.

[chameleon]

Oh, that was awful. I admit I'm a big fan of the BBC 1995 version but this was just terrible!

First, I can't believe the same Emma Thompson that won an Oscar for the sublime Sense and Sensibility is responsible for this (albeit uncredited), so I'm going to blame the director.

KK was so, so bad. The teeth, people! I could barely see anything else when she was on screen other than 1) the trademark pout or 2) the moon face with chipmunk teeth. When she smiles I just want to jump back from the screen! And she had such strange quirks to her acting - inappropriate laughter, vacant staring instead of portraying sadness or being upset, talking quickly instead of portraying anger, etc.

Matthew McFayden simply isn't pretty enough to hold my interest as a romantic lead, but in the second half of the movie after he proclaimed his love for Elizabeth he became tolerable, if in a hangdog sort of way. In no respect did he convey anything but Generic English Lordling in Love. There's so much more to Darcy as a character, and this was quite disappointing.

In addition to the two leads being bollocks, I agree there was WAY too much giggling. It seemed very stagey, like the director stood around yelling "MORE! GIVE ME MORE! BE GIRLY!" And for me this MORE MORE MORE! was symptomatic of the entire movie. In every situation where they could have been subtle, they went for the scenery chewing or a surface skim: I adore Dame Judi but she was entirely one-note as Lady Catherine. Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn were toned down versions of the same characters as the BBC version - nothing new in either portrayal. Wickham's subplot barely registered; did he have more than 5 lines? As a result his role in the Elizabeth-Darcy romance barely registered. And on and on...

I did love the cinematography and the score - what goregous piano music that was. And I'm fine with the "more realistic/gritty/dirty" stage design. Other than that...bleah.

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Personally, I thought there was some good chemistry going on between the leads, especially during the dancing sequence (my favorite scene). I totally bought it.
Elizabeth is supposed to be pretty, but not beautiful, so I had no problem with Keira's looks. If anything, I thought they were downplayed (and that's probably why she was shown in such drab clothing and to be so flat-chested).

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First, I can't believe the same Emma Thompson that won an Oscar for the sublime Sense and Sensibility is responsible for this (albeit uncredited), so I'm going to blame the director.

I hear you on this. I didn't think the screenplay was awful, just not great considering that they are working with one of the greatest novels ever written. I pretty much pretend that I never found out Emma Thompson did any script doctoring, because I like to think she is better than this screenplay.

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We finally saw it today -- it just made it here. I thought the screenplay we pretty equivalent to the BBC version and that they generally did a good job of cutting it down to two hours with the exception of the Wickham storyline.

I could not get into Keira Knightley as Lizzie. There were times that I thought she was literally channeling Jennifer Ehle. I can't believe she got an Oscar nod. She wasn't awful or anything, just not particularly great.

I thought McFadyen did a good job as Darcy, equal to or better than Colin Firth in parts. He was a little too nasty in the beginning, but I liked him more and more as the film progressed. I still love Colin Firth's performance; there were things about McFadyen's I loved too. I actually prefer his profession of love at the end to Firth's--it seemed very natural. And him walking across the field rivals Firth's swimming scene as far as I'm concerned.

I don't object to the grungy Bennett house solely on the grounds that it's grungy, but I really thought it was a bit over the top. The Bennetts weren't poverty-stricken, they were just of modest means. I don't believe they would have lived that way.

I liked how the Charlotte Lucas engagement was handled even if it was not historically accurate.

I loved seeing Penelope Wilton as Mrs. Gardiner. I've always liked her.

All in all I liked it. I would have lliked to have seen someone other than Keira Knightley as Lizzie.