Movie night

We've embarked on a babysitting scheme with another couple, opening up the possibility of going to the movies on alternate Friday nights. Our first foray was to see Pride and Prejudice.
 
It wasn't our top choice, but it turned out to be well worth the trip and ticket price. One thing I especially appreciated was the effort made to suggest the somewhat different living standards of two centuries ago. The Bennets' home was not in pristine shape. It looked potentially cold and drafty. Livestock were close by. When it rained, people got muddy and wet. The Meryton village public ball had the excitement of staying up late in a world without electric power.

Literary adaptations often present dolls in a well-appointed dollhouse; that wasn't the case here. The Bennet sisters behaved less like prep school girls at Cotillion Club and more like regular hormone-driven, semi-crazed teens. The risk that the family could fall from their gentrified status was felt throughout. Therefore, the choices the  characters made (especially Elizabeth, who rejects two proposals in the course of the story) carried real weight.

As for how it compares to the legendary 1995 BBC production, I can't say – haven't seen it. Two people I know are acquainted with both. One has cherished "the Colin Firth one" for years, treating herself to a repeat viewing every few months. As expected, she was disappointed, even offended by the new take. My wife, on the other hand, decided to watch the BBC version a few days after seeing the movie. Naturally, she found it redundant.

How about you, compadres? What did you think?

9:13:54 PM   |