SYNOPSIS
The glorious world of Jane Austen is at last brought back to the big screen in all its romance, wit and emotional force in "Pride & Prejudice". Faithful to the setting and period of the beloved novel and filmed entirely on location in the U.K., this is the first movie version of the story in 65 years.
The classic tale of love and misunderstanding unfolds in class-conscious England near the close of the 18th century. The five Bennet sisters – Elizabeth, or Lizzie (Keira Knightley), Jane (Rosamund Pike), Lydia (Jena Malone), Mary (Talulah Riley) and Kitty (Carey Mulligan) – have been raised well aware of their mother's (two-time Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn) fixation on finding them husbands and securing set futures. The spirited and intelligent Elizabeth, however, strives to live her life with a broader perspective, as encouraged by her doting father (two-time Golden Globe Award winner Donald Sutherland).
When wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the Bennets are abuzz. Amongst the man's sophisticated circle of London friends and the influx of young militia officers, surely there will be no shortage of suitors for the Bennet sisters. Eldest daughter Jane, serene and beautiful, seems poised to win Mr. Bingley's heart. For her part, Lizzie meet with the handsome and – it would seem – snobbish Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), and the battle of the sexes is joined.
Their encounters are frequent and spirited yet far from encouraging. Lizzie finds herself even less inclined to accept a marriage proposal from a distant cousin, Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), and – supported by her father – stuns her mother and Mr. Collins by declining. When the heretofore good-natured Mr. Bingley abruptly departs for London, devastating Jane, Lizzie holds Mr. Darcy culpable for contributing to the heartbreak. But a crisis involving youngest sister Lydia soon opens Lizzie's eyes to the true nature of her relationship with Mr. Darcy.
The ensuing rush of feelings leaves no one unchanged, and inspires the Bennets and everyone around them to reaffirm what is most important in life.
Review by
TOM PRICE
First impressions are often wrong. True character is measured by our ability to swallow our pride and own up to our initial prejudices.
That challenge is at the heart of Pride and Prejudice, a new film version of Jane Austen’s classic novel set in 17th-century England. This film by director Joe Wright marks this year’s second outstanding adaptation of Austen’s most popular novel. (I also would recommend Bride and Prejudice, a contemporary Indian Bollywood musical adaptation of the same text).
The story centers on the five daughters of the middle-class Bennet family, a family whose livelihood is threatened because their home would be inherited by a distant cousin if Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland) were to die. Perhaps this is what has caused Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) to become ruthless in her efforts to marry off her daughters quickly and well. “The business of her life was to get her daughters married,” Austen wrote. The problem, of course, is that Mrs. Bennet obnoxiously blunders about her matchmaking attempts in a manner that shames her family and nearly alienates her two oldest daughters.
We see this world through the eyes of the film’s protagonist, 20-year-old Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley). The second-oldest Bennet daughter is intelligent and quick- witted. When she spurns the loveless marriage proposal of a pompous rector, Mrs. Bennet vows never to speak to her daughter again. Yet Elizabeth’s father, respecting his daughter’s wisdom, tells her, “From this day onward, you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins. And I will never see you again if you do.”
When Elizabeth first meets the vain and aristocratic Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), she forms quick prejudices, as does Mr. Darcy. He describes her looks as “tolerable, but not handsome enough” for him. “I could more easily forgive his vanity had he not wounded mine,” Elizabeth tells her oldest sister, the beautiful Jane (Rosamund Pike). Later, she tells Darcy “from the first moment I met you, your arrogance made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever marry.”
Yet this love story ultimately raises the question of whether its characters will love their view of the world more than they love the truth. By the midpoint, Mr. Darcy has completely rejected his first assessment of Elizabeth. He proposes to her, although in a manner so awkward that it does his cause more harm than good. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, who “swore to loathe him for all eternity” based on what she has heard about Darcy from others, has a revelation that calls into question the truth of her perceptions about him.
At its core, Pride and Prejudice portrays what is meant by repentance. Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy need to overcome their pride and their initial prejudices in their respective journeys over the course of the film. The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, literally means to turn about face, to change one’s mind or to undergo a radical conversion. The principal characters need to see their world with new eyes.
Darcy proves his love for Elizabeth – not only with words but with actions. His deeds demonstrate that he is a completely different person than the one Elizabeth thought he was. Darcy actually needs to undo some of the events his previous actions have brought about. The tasks illustrate the cost required for repentance, particularly as he must humble himself beyond what might be possible for contemporary Darcys. Elizabeth, who had pride in her ability to perceive others, has to acknowledge that she has been completely blind. “He’s been a fool, and so have I,” she says.
Elizabeth’s confession calls to mind the words of Jesus: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” When the truth is revealed to Elizabeth, she quickly casts aside the false view of the world she had constructed. She is able to see Darcy in a new light, as though scales have fallen from her eyes. For it is not Pride and Prejudice, but humility and charity which give birth to love.
From intimate conversations to beautiful landscapes, this Pride and Prejudice captures the wonderful spirit of Jane Austen’s novel in a manner that’s authentic to its source and well-suited to the medium of film.
