Okay, back from Target. And the damn exegetical paper still looms, so what can I do instead of it....

My review of Pride and Prejudice:
So, I saw Pride and Prejudice. It is my favorite book, and the A&E 6-hour version is one of my favorite movies. I was honestly expecting to find something awfully wrong with it and a good reason why I should hate it. How could they fit that storyline in two hours? I still don't know how they did it. It is true the movie has a fast pace, but the screenwriter has condensed the plot into the main points. They take some artistic liberties (e.g. the ending two scenes are completely Hollywood and romanticized, they rewrite and shorten the letters, they simplify trips and scenes), but usually it was in good taste. The bust of Darcy is so much more moving than the actual miniature. Lady deBourgh's abrupt arrival in the middle of the night expresses the shock of her visit to modern viewers more realistically than her actual afternoon call. Of course, it must be known that I am a hopeless romantic and idealist. The changes may not please a literary critic, but it is a movie not a book. Some of my favorite lines are missing, and some of the characters lose depth. Allowances must be made.

On the whole I was pleasantly surprised. Keira Knightley is a very good Lizzy, better than Jennifer Ehle actually. I was always quite discontent with Ehle's acting in the scene where she discovers of Lydia's elopement. Knightley does a much better job. I was never too keen on Knightley in previous films though she is gorgeous; she has risen in my eyes. Darcy was good too. His character is much more complex and human than Firth's portrayal. Oh, and the cinematography is good. There are lots of long complex shots that bring the viewer into the daily life of the Bennets. The close-ups were very well done and enhanced the acting. The shots often expressed emotion unable to be expressed in that society and made the chemistry between Darcy and Lizzy tangible. They did have great chemistry. Final thing: I bought the soundtrack as soon as I got home. It is classical and in the style of the time, mostly strings and piano. I have listened to it for almost a week now. Great study music. I will end my novel now. Oh wait, the movie highlighted Lizzy's modern, independent, feminist attitude rebeling against the plight of the restricted female role (represented by Charlotte). Definitely a big theme in the book but others were equally strong. It missed some, not all, of the triviality and humor of tradition and society. And I thought that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and Bingley and Jane were better (perhaps due to more character development) in the A&E version, but Lady deBourgh (Dame Judy Dench) was phenomenal.