Joe Wright’s masterful new adaptation of Jane
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice engages the viewer from the very first scene to the very
last in such a way that you will begin missing the characters as the final
credits roll. Such experiences are becoming all too rare at the movies,
given that so many of today’s films are driven by elaborate visual
effects, with real, sympathetic characters and an engaging story considered
expendable in the pursuit of empty visceral thrills. Pride and Prejudice serves as a
reminder of how moving and entertaining a well-told story about people we
recognize and relate to can be and provides a ray of hope that literate,
intelligent films can still be made. One would think that with nine other film and
television adaptations already made of Austen’s tale, another would
be superfluous. However, from the very first shot, Wright shows us that his
take will be a vibrant one as his camera glides around the farm owned by
Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland), showing us what a bustling, lively place it
is. This is a reflection of its occupants, for the five Bennet daughters
would drive a sane man to the edge, what with their differing, mercurial
temperaments and the ability of their mother (Brenda Blethyn) to get them
whipped into a frenzy at the drop of a hat. Mrs. Bennet’s latest
crisis involves her trying to get her oldest daughter, Jane (Rosamund
Pike), introduced to new neighbor Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), an exceedingly
rich bachelor who is saddled with a snobbish sister, Caroline (Kelly
Reilly), and his constantly morose friend, Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen). One of the elements that makes Austen’s novel
timeless is its theme: Pride often gets in the way of our better judgment,
and we make assumptions about people and situations that ultimately prove
false. Austen’s message that love is stronger than conditioned
behavior it offers the strength that makes people throw caution to the wind
and pursue what their hearts know is true. There is not only passion in the performances but
also more than a bit of desperation. Knightley and MacFadyen are witty,
parrying effectively with each other throughout, but they evoke the sense
that they are helpless in the face of the attraction they’ve found in
one another. It is this vulnerability that sets Pride and Prejudice apart from other
modern romance films.
Also in theaters this week. . . Bee Season [PG-13] To
escape his marital woes, Saul buries himself in his 11-year-old
daughter’s world, and her pursuit to become a spelling bee winner. Parkway Pointe Art
The Ice Harvest [R] A
down-and-out lawyer tries to execute a Christmas Eve crime to rip off the
boss of the local mob, but his hopes to leave town may be foiled by local
snoops. ShowPlace West
In the Mix [PG-13] The
daughter of a member of organized crime, unintentionally falls in the arms
of a popular DJ after a brush with death. To repay the music man, her
father appoints him bodyguard. ShowPlace West
Just Friends [PG-13]
High-school-geek-turned-stud reunites with his high school crush when
he’s stranded in his hometown. ShowPlace
West, ShowPlace East
Rent [PG-13] Based on a
rock opera, the story of a group of friends living in the rough East Side
Village of New York, strive to make-do despite pitfalls of urban life
— poverty and illness. ShowPlace West
Yours, Mine & Ours [PG]
Based on the 1968 film, this Brady Bunch-style comedy combines 10 children from the wife and eight
from the husband to create one huge family, and an equally astronomical
disaster. ShowPlace East, Parkway Pointe
This article appears in Nov 17-23, 2005.
