LuminoMagazine.com - Knightley shines in un-stuffy "Pride"

Knightley shines in un-stuffy "Pride"

Written by NED O'REILLY

Wednesday, 23 November 2005

Imagine my surprise finding that the new version of Jane Austen’s classic novel is as much a comedy as anything. And not the kind of polite laugh behind your hand stuff, either; the audience I was in laughed in delight throughout, except during a melodramatic tilt for about 20 minutes in the latter half of the film.

"Pride and Prejudice"

Entertainment

Art

Directed by Joe Wright
Screenplay by Deborah Moggach; from the Jane Austen novel
Starring Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland
Rated PG for some mild thematic elements.
Released November 23, 2005

This romance reminded me a lot of last year’s ‘Vanity Fair,’ in the way it emphasized the pomposity and ludicrousness in the English class system, particularly by exposing exactly how imperfect the clothing, homes, and especially the looks of the wealthy could be.

But ‘Pride and Prejudice’ succeeds where ‘Vanity Fair’ failed. Director Joe Wright keeps a brisk pace, allows his actors to have fun, and emphasizes romance over melodrama. At the heart of the story is the Bennett family: the worry-wart mother (Brenda Blethyn), the dazed, but charming father (Donald Sutherland), and their five daughters (Rosamund Pike, Keira Knightley, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan, and Tallulah Reilly). Basically, it’s time for the once wealthy family to marry off its daughters and save its reputation, so the appearance of a distinguished bachelor, Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) at a local ball is a big to-do. As expected, he is immediately smitten with the eldest and prettiest Bennet daughter, Jane (Pike), and the story is off and running.

Also appearing at the ball is Bingley’s close friend Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), a stiff, unsmiling sort who refuses to dance with the outspoken tomboyish second daughter Elizabeth (Knightley). Their tug of war becomes the main storyline, but Austen’s means of intertwining the fates of all the characters is what has always made this story so compelling. It is only through breaking from societal norms and politeness that the characters eventually express their true hearts to each other.

Knightley is wonderful as Lizzie, especially if the last thing you saw her in was ‘Domino,’ in which she played over her head in an unpleasant story. Here she acts with her entire form, with her expressiveness, with deep empathy, but mostly with her genuine grasp of class-conscious manners and mannerisms. MacFadyen plays the early, stiff Mr. Darcy perfectly, but will really win your heart when he softens into a stoic romantic halfway through the film. Blethyn is exceedingly entertaining as the bouncing-off-the-walls Mrs. Bennet and Sutherland, always solid in his creepy and authoritative roles, is a revelation as the kind-hearted Mr. Bennet. Judi Dench essentially reprises her Oscar-winning turn from ‘Shakespeare in Love,’ portraying a Queen Bee noblewoman who attempts to foil various romantic attachments.

While the rest of the cast is fine and many who have little else to do still evoke laughter and emotional responses from the audience, Tom Hollander deserves special mention for his performance as the articulate, but socially inept young minister who tries to win the hand of a couple of the Bennet daughters. Since it’s nearing the end of the year, here are my Oscar watch notes: this as a definite Best Picture contender (although it would miss my top 5 list), with nods to Wright for directing, Sutherland for supporting actor, and Knightley for actress.

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