When I realized this year was Joe Wright’s 20th anniversary in 2005 Pride and prejudice I thought the adaptation starring Keira Knightley was probably the perfect time to air a highly controversial hot take. Keira Knightley version does everytime Beating the 1995 BBC counterpart. Before you drop a hate email in my inbox, try listing your credentials. Host a Classic Book Club. I’ve read all Jane Austen books (except Mansfield Park– But that’s a different story). I read Pride and prejudice 20 (!!!) time. I’ve calmed down a bit, so I’ll explain it.
This fellow favorite movie has a 97% rotten tomato score, but I think it’s trash
Keira Knightley was a better Elizabeth Bennett
Do I love the loyal book to screen adaptation? absolutely. I think there should be a guardrail. “Artistic license” is not free. However, if the choices are made correctly, but are useful in the story, you can get behind a movie or TV show that deviates from the source material. In this sense, the adaptation was a little bit in 1995. Too much Be faithful to the text. It felt suffocating, and Jennifer Yale, who played Elizabeth, was too appropriate and prim to capture the youthful spirit of this beloved heroine.
Meanwhile, Knightley had the essence of a young woman who knew life was literally on the line (marriage and poverty were real), but chose her own path anyway. When everyone, including your best friend, has it to live for survival, when you ask to marry for love, that’s it, that’s its revolution.
Matthew McFadien was Mr. Darcy
McFadien rose to true prominence in his stint like Tom Wambusgan. Inheritancebut Pride and prejudice I catapulted him onto the international stage. In my opinion, he looks better for Mr. Darcy, but here we will provide the BBC version of credit. I played it Characters are better. One interesting comparison I often come across is nasty teenager Darcy (2005) vs. hard and reserved adults (1995). In my perfect world, it would have been a Colin Firth/Keira Knightly pairing. For these purposes, Macfadyen is very easy to use in the eyes.
Comedy hits if necessary
“Follies and nonsense, whims and contradictions deflect me, I own them and laugh at them as much as I can,” Elizabeth says. I also enjoy a lot of laughs, and the Wright film is even more loved by me. The film has a deliberate, authentic comedy moment. The best of them revolve around the Bennett family’s private life. One scene in particular is so familiar. At the end of the film, Lizzie, her mother and her sisters, two of them relax around their living room, absolutely confused. Mrs. Bennett stuffs chocolate in her mouth on the sofa.
Then…Mr. Darcy and Mr Bingley arrive! As everyone rushes to clean, the gusts of wind continue, so above the gentleman’s entrance the room is slippery and effortlessly made like a portrait.
The filming is by Oater.
Director Joe Wright has the visual style that promotes him to Ooter position in the same vein of Wes Anderson, Buzz Ruhrman and Damian Chazelle. His signature includes long pursuit shots and heavy art history influences. Ask me to rattle my favourite shots from the 2005 adaptation and I can read them like Rittany. In the meantime, can you remember anything from 1995? …I’ll be back to you about it.
And the score is hopelessly romantic
Perhaps it was the way Italian composer Dario Marianelli wrote the score that the cinematic romantic quality really lended out the shots of Wright. The classic melody sets the tone of spats for this drawn-in lover, telling you the magic and equal measures that will make you realize you are in love with great longing, entertainment, tragedy, regret, disaster, the frivolity of the youth and ultimately you are in love. Sorry, the BBC adaptation didn’t move me that way.
I’ll eat the suggestion
This is a big departure from the text…but personally, I couldn’t say no if someone asked me to marry Darcy as asking Elizabeth.
Yes, yes, I want to fascinate someone, their body and soul. 10/10, no notes, my man.
Eventually, Light packs a romantic fantasy dreaming of meeting my rebuttal lover in the overgrown fields of dawn, in our nightly fields, and being able to agree to marry each other as the sun rises. The BBC version invited me into the world of Elizabeth Bennett. The light allows you to imagine that it might be mine. And that’s all I’ll quote Jane Bennett: “Yes, yes.”
This sleeping Hulu series has an amazingly good Rotten Tomatoes score
