Pride & Prejudice

I watched Pride & Prejudice (2005 movie) yesterday and was completely enamored by it. So much so that when I had several hours to kill today I watched it again.

I’ve loved the book for a long time but hadn’t watched any of the film adaptations, and this exceeded my expectations tremendously!

Everything about the movie is enchanting. The music, the clothing, the scenery, and the cast are absolutely wonderful. I love the use of the piano in the film.

I greatly appreciated their use of dialogue directly out of the book. It was refreshing to hear a familiar phrase spoken by these characters.

I feel as though the cast was nearly exactly as I had imagined them when reading the book. I’d always pictured Mr. Bennet with brown hair, but I think that the white hair helps signify the underlying urgency for the girls to be married off well; their father is aging and his time left is uncertain. Lydia was strikingly similar to how I had envisioned her, and she played her role beautifully. I believe any actor or actress that can make you feel angry or frustrated towards their character is doing a phenomenal job. I had always pictured Lizzie with more of a dirty blonde hair color, but I imagine that’s mainly because I have dirty blonde hair, and I like to put myself in her shoes.

The song which plays frequently throughout seems to capture exactly what Lizzie’s character is to me. It is beautiful and upbeat but also has notes of unique quality that make you step back and see how the uncertainty and difference in tone creates a whole and complex character.

I really love how they used the film’s runtime. They condensed the book into a 2 hour movie that is a near perfect rendition of the story.

The ending of the movie was so satisfying for me. In the book I always felt a bit longing at the end. I wished that there had been some sort of physical intimacy in the pages which were shared with the reader. Of course this is not necessary to tell a provoking and beautiful love story, but for me personally I felt as if there was a scene missing in the book. The movie’s gentle and PG approach to the ending was exactly what the story needed.

I love this movie dearly and it has quickly made its way to the top of my list of favorite movies. I have yet to watch any of the other films adapted from Jane Austen’s novels, but I look forward to seeing them!