A Cinematic Take on Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Once upon a time, marriage was a family affair, with little resemblance to a love affair in progression, and more in common with a business transaction of the utmost importance to one's entire family. With so much changed since Jane Austen wrote of marriage, it is a wonder that her "Pride and Prejudice" is still popular enough to be made once again into a film version. But if you've read it, that wonder fades and the timelessness of its essential conflicts are apparent.

For those whose recollections of the classics have been dimmed over time, here is a brief summary of the plot. The heroine of the story, which was written and takes place at the turn of the 19th century, is Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightley), the second eldest of the five Bennett daughters. Mother (Brenda Blethyn) is intensely focused upon marrying off each of her daughters to the wealthiest, most impressive men in their area of rural England.

One such prospect is the very wealthy and attractive Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), who takes a liking to the eldest Bennett daughter, Jane (Rosamund Pike). Meanwhile, his brooding, snobbish friend Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) is charmed by our heroine Elizabeth, in spite of himself. The story follows Elizabeth as she narrowly escapes various suitors and herself falls in love with Mr. Darcy, despite his being a "proud, unpleasant sort of fellow," as her father (Donald Sutherland) puts it.

The film integrates Austen's social critique nicely into its visual scheme, while focusing primarily on the building relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy, as they are alternately repulsed and attracted to one another, as if in a dance. The dance metaphor is used a lot, actually, with the camera circling and dancing around its subjects, and a particularly notable scene in which Darcy and Elizabeth converse through the steps of an 18th century line dance. These and other instances show how little courtship has changed, with its numerous fumbles and embarrassments, hidden emotions, unspoken desires, and cringeworthy parents.

This last characteristic is brilliantly demonstrated by Blethyn's portrayal of Mrs. Bennett, a woman so consumed with her daughters' marital prospects, that she literally thinks and speaks of nothing else. She is a woman on a mission and the ridiculousness of her behavior not only provides comedy, but also serves to easily show the absurdity of the marriage as business transaction philosophy of the time.

Knightley is striking, not only in appearance, but in her identification with her character. Likewise, Macfadyen embodies Mr. Darcy's self-conscious bitterness and awkward social persona very well. The scenes between these two are wonderfully composed and acted. The intensity of their relationship is captured mercilessly in a scene that takes place during a rainstorm, wherein the depths of resentment and of love are communicated cinematically to great effect.

There are a lot of ways to experience "Pride and Prejudice." In the past 5 years, there have been 4 different film versions. The Internet offers the complete text of the book, with hypertext links, for free. And of course, the book itself is widely available. Nonetheless, I would encourage you to have a look at this version, directed by Joe Wright with great skill, style, and restraint. While you may prejudge any costume drama as stuffy and melodramatic, the effect here is different. There are truly some magic moments in this movie.