Pride and Prejudice

I sat through a ghastly screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It is not that the film is badly done or of a shoddy quality. Nay, for the film is indeed lavishly produced and eloquently presented. My qualms are the film's cultural interpretation and the screenplay adaptation. Frankly, with the amount of talent, resources and original novel quality, it really could have been better.

There are many jarring ill-conceived additions screaming out for justice. Seriously, the Mister, Missus, and Misses Bennetts in Jane Austen’s original tale were country gentility, and definitely no farmers. It was a bit of a shock when a sow suddenly appeared right in the huge screen, making its way comfortably through the kitchen door into the house. The family house itself was a pig sty. Now, the Bennetts were indeed not very well-off, but in no way were they impoverished, as evident from the many servants that they could afford. As articulated by Miss Elizabeth Bennett in the novel, she is a ‘gentleman’s daughter’.

That’s not the sole liberty taken with the novel in this film. Most illogical would be Lady Catherine de Burgh's visit to the Bennetts in the middle of the night to extricate a marriage denial from Elizabeth. We may consider this normal today, but it would have been most imprudent and socially shocking in those days. Certainly, Jane Austen placed it in bright daylight, and rightly so.

The climax, when Ms Elizabeth Bennett expressed her change of heart to Mr Darcy, was in the novel a slow lyrical build up. The BBC mini-series is more successful here, much of it accomplished with unspoken emotions conveyed through the actors' eyes, and aptly accompanied by a classical clarinet concerto. It perfectly complemented that pastoral setting and the light flutter of emotions in both Darcy and Elizabeth. Yet, in this current film, the dialogue was shortened and made urgent, with important portions carelessly curtailed, and accompanied by some romantic styled lush orchestral sweep. Frankly, the BBC adaptation is more appropriate and superior in its subtlety of emotions and stately pacing. Miss Jane Austen certainly expected more subtlety in her characters. One only has to refer to the novel to see that Jane Austen certainly did not have her Mr Darcy and Ms Elizabeth exchange their words in such a hurried manner.

Most awful is the newly included ending. We were subjected to a crass repetition of 'I love you' over and over again by Mr Darcy and Ms Elizabeth Bennett (now Mrs Darcy). We were practically cringing in embarrassment. It is not the declaration that seemed wrong, but the denseness and crudeness of it all. If only the additional scenes were dismissed, and we let the characters and plot stretch and breathe a little more.

Alright, now that I have vented my frustrations about the film, I must be fair. The film has quite a number of redeeming qualities. For the modern uninitiated audience, the film is a most exhilarating tour de force of its plot, characters and settings. The charismatic energy of the film would persuade the viewer to pick up the novel and discover greater joys. Judi Dench as Lady Catherine was a highlight. Knightley as Miss Elizabeth was most charming. The dance scenes in a country boisterous spirit quite accurately presented the ‘four and twenty families’ as written. Certainly, all important scenes were captured in the film. And Rosings and Pemberley were breathtaking locations here.

The director must be congratulated for creating a flowing and appealing visual feast, one that manages to engage the modern young audience. Accolades must be given for the lavish sets and costumes. The central Austen themes of pride and prejudice, and of marriage, were articulated with great clarity. Considering the complexity of characters and themes in the novel, this is indeed a film most courageously done.

So ignoring my preceeding reservations, indeed the film is true to the novel in many aspects. It has good production and narrative qualities, deserving a 4 stars rating. It is not that ghastly, I suppose - it's quite breathtaking and entertaining. It seems that perhaps, I had been prejudiced and filled with a snobbish pride about my knowledge of the original novel after all.