'Pride and Prejudice' will undoubtedly squelch childhood fantasies of living in early 19th century England that many girls have had.
Set in 1797 England, director Joe Wright's 'Pride and Prejudice' is loyally based on Jane Austen's classic novel of the same name, and is also a remake of the 1995 film adaptation.
Benevolent, couldn't-harm-a-fly Jane (Rosamund Pike), and quick-tongued, before-her-time feminist Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley), are the two oldest of the five daughters of Mr. (Donald Sutherland) and Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn). They face debacles in love when rich bachelor Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) moves to town and falls for Jane. Social pressures dealing with wealth, expectations and perceived social obligations attempt to separate the two vulnerable and unassuming lovers.
At the heart of this societal chaos stands Bingley's stern-faced and seemingly bitter companion Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen). Darcy and Elizabeth participate in a ceaseless battle of wits as their relationship develops from pure hatred to the sort of deep and flawless love that is only possible in cinema and literature. It is the development of the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth that is central to Austen's timeless classic and has kept readers, and now audiences, captivated through the ages.
It is admirable that Wright does not get so wrapped up in the love stories that he forgets to emphasize Austen's social commentary. Austen exposes the restrictiveness and superficiality of 19th century English upper class through literary techniques that are difficult to translate onto the screen. To accomplish this difficult task, Wright uses the character of Mary Bennet (Talulah Riley), one of the younger three sisters, to channel this motif.
In several scenes in which the four other cheerful sisters are prancing in the foreground, solemn and dreary Mary, obviously contemplating her society's artificiality, can be seen grimacing in the background. In another particularly sinister scene, the audience finds itself transported from an extravagant ballroom scene to a sobbing Mary leaping into her father's arms exclaiming 'I hate balls!' Further lending to the mood is the ominous soundtrack that accompanies the scene.
By no means does the subtle social commentary interfere with the intensity of the love stories. The exceptional performances of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth allow the natural chemistry and sexual tension between them to flourish throughout the film. There is something refreshingly pure and unaffected about the union of the two fiercely independent and headstrong characters. Wright does an exceptional job combining lighting and scenery in conjunction with Knightley's inarguably charming performance to enchant the audience and make them feel as though they are directly involved in the progress of Darcy and Elizabeth.
Despite the immensely engaging romance between Darcy and Elizabeth, it is unfortunately difficult to develop any sentiment for the poorly played Jane and the dopey Bingley.
Although the love-conquers-all romance is indisputably overdone in Hollywood, Wright's artistic eye veers 'Pride and Prejudice' away from any danger of becoming trite. It is not to be missed if one is willing to relinquish modernistic values and become a hopeless romantic for two hours of a great movie.
