Release Date: November 23, 2005
Director: Joe WrightAdapted from the novel "Pride & Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Synopsis: The classic story revolves around the Bennett family- Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia in 1797 England. The family’s world is turned upside down when a wealthy man, Mr. Bingley, and his equally wealthy friend Mr. Darcy arrive. Jane is courted by Mr. Bingley, while Darcy and Lizzie go back and forth with feeling both disgust, and eventually love for each other.
Review: This film is one of my favorites of all time by far. It’s the perfect movie to watch when the weather is a little cooler and you just want to snuggle and be warm. The colors and cinematography is like none I’ve ever seen; every piece of the set and every costume are so vibrant. The scenery is poetic, as is the language. And the music is hauntingly beautiful. It fits the time period perfectly, and it really enhances the film without overpowering it. Pride & Prejudice is the kind of story that reminds you that things are not always what they seem, and that (as cheesy as it sounds) you have to follow your heart and live for yourself.
Keira Knightly truly shines in this performance (hence the well-deserved Oscar nomination). She shows both strength and vulnerability as Lizzie, something that is essential to this classic character. She doesn’t care too much about when she will get married, but she knows that it must be with a man that she loves (her dowry isn’t all that much anyway).
Matthew Macfadyen’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy is inspired. He wouldn’t be what I would have thought to cast just based on looks alone, but his hard exterior is perfect for this role. There is something about the way his eyes show whatever emotion he’s feeling. When he’s serious, his eyes are straight ahead. When he’s longing for Lizzie, you can see it in his eyes. I think that’s a difficult thing to accomplish, but somehow he pulls it off.
The rest of the cast fits perfectly: The crazy Mrs. Bennett just dying to marry off as many of her five daughters as she possibly can, Jena Malone as the naïve Lydia (who I love), Carey Mulligan was Kitty (so cute), and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennett. At the end when he and Lizzie are speaking about Mr. Darcy, I feel as though I’m watching myself tell my dad about the man I want to marry and he’s sitting their crying with joy. It gets me every time!
My favorite part from this film is at the very end, when Mr. Darcy and Lizzie meet in the field in the wee hours of the morning. The lighting is spectacular; it’s still kind of dark out but it’s at that moment when the sun is beginning to rise and pours light all over the ground. They meet in the middle, both saying how they couldn’t sleep. Lizzie informs Mr. Darcy that his aunt had come by to see her earlier that night to chastise her for supposedly being in love with her nephew. Then Mr. Darcy says,
“You must know... surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.”
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