Pride & Prejudice - 2005

A great read

What a classy movie! This is the successor to the Merchant Ivory movies... Joe Wright does an impeccable job of getting a dense and wordy novel down to the essentials of the story, and still leave time to savour the beauty of England and the cast. The story involves Lizzy and her 4 sisters, following their path to marriage through the minefield of Georgian conventions of 1797 (when the movie was set)and English social mores. The pride and the prejudices come from every angle in this classic and timeless story. There are several ingredients here that simply make this work to perfection. The cast is for the most part spot on, with Keira Knightley in top form as the headstrong Lizzy, looking, sounding and emoting every inch the part. She is surrounded by Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland as her father and mother, Judi Dench as a Lady Catherine to make you wither in your boots (unless you are Lizzy of course), ravishing Rosamund Pike as her older sister and Tom Hollander as the wimpy cleric, amongst others. The only slight let down, and only because the others are so good, is Matthew MacFadyen, who is perfectly adequately brooding as Darcy, but compared to Colin Firth lacks the charisma to make such a character attractive to Lizzy. Therein lies the problem, if any, with this adaptation - it cannot help but be compared to the impeccable casting and pedigree of the BBC version, which is still the definitive version because of its length, which allows it to stick more rigidly and fully to the book. But this movie must be taken on its own merits, and succeeds where the BBC version could not, in the scale and beauty of the photography - England looks absolutely beautiful here. The mud and dirt are all there - this is no stagey drama - but the beauty of the photography illuminates fantastic interiors of houses rich to poor, and most especially the exteriors of Georgian facades, and natures rich greens and majestic moors. I should also mention the music by Dario Marianelli which is a perfect contributor to the movie, beautifully classic while never dull, somewhat like the ivory tinklings of Michael Nyman (The Piano), but not nearly so minimalist, with lush orchestra where appropriate, and lively jigs for the ball scenes making them seem genuinely like something that would have been fun to attend. Overall, I suggest avoiding comparison with the BBC version, and take this movie as the definitive cinema version, at least. - a p.s. there are plenty of extras on the desk fleshing out history and Jane Austen as well as the usual 'making of' stuff, but most interesting is the alternative ending for the US market - this adds a scene of Lizzy and Darcy together cuddling and expressing their love, which seems much more like a Hollywood add on than the original ending, and adds nothing other than some saccharine for those who cannot find the romance in the story but require it spelt out.

I was a bit sceptical when i first went to see this movie, as i worried it would not live up to my high expectations (after falling in love with the BBC adaption and of course Colin Firth as the gorgeous Mr. Darcy). However i must admit that it was equally engaging, humorous and utterly adorable as the series, even though the direction of the film greatly differed that of the BBC series. Keira Knightley was suprisingly brilliant as the opinionated but admired Elizabeth Bennet, snubbing Mr. Darcy at every turn before of course falling for him! As a viewer you are entised into rooting for her throughout. The biggest shock however, was how much i bought into and loved Matthew MacFayden's proud and aloof Mr. Darcy. Before watching the film i was convinced that his Mr Darcy would be dissapointing when compared to the fantastic portrayal by Colin Firth ten years earlier. Mr Darcy in this version was however, just as rude but charming, proud and utterly gorgeous as in the BBC series. Hats off to Matthew MacFayden - he was fantastic! And by the conclusion of the film every woman watching will have completely fallen in love with him and want to be Mrs Darcy!!!! The supporting cast are also excellent with Brenda Blethyn portraying a slightly mad but extremely entertaining Mrs Bennet. And Rosamund Pike played the emensely beautiful Jane Bennet perfectly. The scenery and music were also brilliant and tied the whole production together smoothly and with a certain grace. As the film version is of course much shorter than the BBc series, some of the scenes from the original novel have been left out, however it has just enabled the film to focus more on the love-hate relationship between Lizzie and Darcy which is of course the essence of the whole novel anyway. All in all, this is a suprisingly fantastic film which is well worth a watch or two or three! Jane Austen fans will not be dissapointed!

I shall say this now that I have never watched the BBC series with Colin Firth so I am therefore unable to compare the two. I have to say I think the movie is great, it is of course not the same as the novel, films that are made now never really stay true to the text or to the history depending on the film so if you are expecting this to do that then be warned this does not as many other reviewers have done. With a novel you are able to draw upon the descriptions of the characters and the places and make your own mind up as to how they should look etc and you therefore create your own world of Pride and Prejudice. With a film you are unable to do that as you have the visuals there and of course the script is always spiced up to make the film appeal to a "modern" audience. I personally think it is brilliant from the script to the music! I am not a big Keira Knightly fan and yes there are some points in this film where you may find her slightly annoying, however, I still think she does a great job in this. My favourite is Brenda Blethyn, I think she is hilarious in this and is one of the reasons why I watch this film but the other actors in this are great too (Mr Collins is also rather funny). In my opinion they do a great job of making you feel exactly as Elizabeth does, you can't stand Mr Darcy at the start but towards the end you melt into a puddle at the sight of Mr Darcy (well, I do anyway!) To end, it is by the producers of Love Actually and Bridget Jones's Diary so if you have watched those films you slightly know what to expect. This is a modern version and I would say it is a film for those of us that like to cosy up with a cup of tea and watch a film that has a good bit of romance and a male character that we can fall in love with. Everbody has their own opinion on this film and with every film, some love it and some hate it. If you are able to get away from the ideas and images of the novel and the BBC series, I think you will enjoy this film.

I like this film

Ce film est pour moi une excellente ADAPTATION et non une RETRANSCRIPTION du superbe roman de Jane Austen. Il faut le préciser car, les "puristes" de Jane Austen préféreront certainement la version de la BBC de 1995, probablement plus respectueuse des aspects historiques et qui, surtout, rend hommage au livre quasiment à la virgule près. En ce qui me concerne, le roman fait partie de mes lectures favorites, et cela ne m'a pas empêché d'aimer ce film. En fait, je trouve même que c'est un véritable petit bijou. Le réalisateur a certes pris de nombreuses libertés par rapport à l'histoire originale, mais je les trouve finalement plutôt heureuses. Elles nous montrent justement à quel point cette histoire d'amour, par son intemporalité, est capable de supporter des changements... Et, en fin de compte, l'esprit de Jane Austen reste respecté à mes yeux. Au-delà de cela, je trouve dommage de vouloir comparer absolument la version de la BBC et celle-ci. En effet, la première comporte 6 épisodes de près d'une heure, ce qui laisse l'amplitude suffisante pour respecter l'oeuvre. Le film de 2005, lui, dispose de 2 petites heures pour raconter cette histoire : les raccourcis étaient donc inévitables. De plus, il faut rappeler la différence entre les modes de diffusion : le premier était destiné à la TV, le second au cinéma ! Cela implique naturellement des choix artistiques incomparables. Dans tous les cas, cela ne m'empêche pas d'aimer ces deux adaptations de Pride & Prejudice, de les trouver toutes deux très justes, mais dans des registres différents. Pour revenir au film et ce que j'ai aimé... Tout d'abord, je trouve que le casting est particulièrement réussi : Keira Knightley endosse très bien la personnalité d'Elizabeth, son intelligence, son ironie, sa vivacité d'esprit... elle transperce l'écran par son charisme. J'ai eu plus de mal avec Matthew Macfadyen, car Colin Firth est tellement inoubliable dans ce rôle... mais sa prestation m'a finalement convaincue : il nous interprète un Darcy plus sombre, plus timide, et finalement aussi beau, notamment au moment de sa superbe déclaration dans le Kent. D'ailleurs, je vous conseille chaleureusement de regarder la version originale, car il a une magnifique voix grave. J'ai particulièrement craqué pour le couple Jane / Charles Bingley, qui est vraiment touchant. Je trouve que l'actrice incarnant Jane simplement extraordinaire, tant par sa grande beauté que par son jeu tout en sensibilité et en douceur. Elle est pour moi LA véritable Jane du roman. Que dire de Donald Sutherland, en parfait M. Bennet, qui est non seulement drôle mais terriblement émouvant. Il a réussi à me faire fondre en larmes à la fin. Le ridicule M. Collins n'est pas en reste : il est particulièrement réussi, obséquieux à souhait, mal dans sa peau, maladroit... un délice ! Et nous avons, enfin, une Mrs Bennet plus complexe, toujours aussi grotesque mais également aimante, drôle et émouvante... A vrai dire, je la trouve nettement moins lassante et simpliste que celle de la version BBC. Je retiens également de ce film sa superbe photographie : les images, les lumières sont toutes plus belles les unes que les autres. De nombreux moments sont d'un charme inégalable, très en phase avec le ressenti des personnages, et la campagne anglaise est magnifiée. Quant à la musique... Je l'ai achetée tant elle me touche. Sa présence apporte toute sa profondeur au film, et accompagne merveilleusement les sentiments éprouvés. Enfin, je ne peux m'empêcher de vous faire partager les moments que je chéris particulièrement : ceux des bals. La mise en scène y est particulièrement réussie. A l'assemblée de Meryton, on sent que tous le monde se prend véritablement à la danse, on s'y amuse vraiment (l'envie de danser me saisit à chaque fois !). Au bal de Netherfield, la caméra circule au milieu des personnages comme dans une ronde incessante... elle saisit des discussions au passage, des expressions... c'est magnifique... Un très beau moment de cinéma. Bref, vous constatez donc que je n'ai que des louanges pour ce film ! Si vous êtes romantiques, vous l'aimerez forcément, comme moi. Merci de m'avoir lue.

Un classico intramontabile!

A struggle of Pride and Prejudice, perception and reality, forgiveness and love. It's a beautiful story, it's definitely one of the most best movies I've seen to date. It's from Jane Austen's most favourite novel. A window into 18th century life amongst the English gentry. Stunning Stately Homes & beautiful English countryside.

„Stolz & Vorurteil“ ist ruhig erzählt, aber visuell und atmosphärisch stark. Die Schauspieler passen hervorragend in ihre Rollen, und die Mischung aus Romantik, Gesellschaftskritik und Humor funktioniert auch heute noch. Die Blu-ray hat ein klares Bild, schöne Farbtöne und sauberen Ton. Ideal, wenn man historische Filme mit viel Stimmung und gutem Schauspiel mag. Kein Film, den man wegen der Handlung schaut, sondern wegen der Art, wie sie erzählt wird.

Un clásico para tener. Buen estado