Pride and Prejudice (Two Movies, Two Takes)

 This is one of many of the nerdy posts series that come into my head when I should be doing other things, but the British Literature Master's Degree part of me wants to be analyzing and making connections--so here goes...for no reason at all...

I am one of those girls who loves their classic movies. I love my BBC classics--North and South, Wives and Daughters, Little Dorrit, etc.; I love my Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. And of course, I also love my Pride and Prejudice. I grew up watching the BBC five hour Colin Firth version, but when I was a freshmen in college the Keira Knightly two hour version came out in theaters. I was so excited to see one of my favorite stories portrayed in theaters! I left the theater swooning at the romance of the new version, but felt something lacking that I got from my BBC version.

For years, I have watched the short version with roommates and friends, all along silently critiquing the new version, over and over. For the first time since high school, I re-read Pride and Prejudice last week; I re-fell in love with the characters, the humor, the relatability and the overall moral of the story. Anxious to re-watch the Knightly version to re-evaluate my critiquing, I had the guilty pleasure of watching it Wednesday night while Ben was working on something.

It confirmed my thoughts, feelings, and sentiments on the Knightly version that I have had since the moment I first watched it. Here are my thoughts:

New Version Likes

1. I'll be honest, I like Jane much better in the newer version. The newer version portrays Jane as smiley but shy. The book portrays Jane as one who sees the good in everything and everyone; I imagine someone like that smiling lots--The BBC version's Jane was sweet, didn't look the part, and she almost never smiled.The new Jane wins!
2. Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightly) looks much more like the Lizzy described in the book and, in the end, does a better job showing her sorrow and regret of having mis-judged Darcy (similar to the book). The BBC version's Lizzy doesn't convey as much remorse for having mis-judged Darcy--a critical message of the book. However, all in all, I like the BBC's Lizzy better.
3. I love Charlotte in this one. She is so believable, and you can see the desperation of her circumstances (you don't feel that as much in the BBC version). 
4. The cinematography definitely wins on the new one. Hands-down. It's like watching a moving painting.
5. I like the fact that it conveys the main plot points in two hours. The fact that it is short lets audiences who would never watch a five hour Austen movie, enjoy the plot in two hours. 
6. It makes the Austen time period very relatable to the modern audience--it makes a point to explain the customs of the day, when the book and BBC version doesn't explain and just assumes, which would leave a modern, unaccustomed audience confused.
7. Mr. Darcy does a good job...(I love this actor in other British movies) I don't necessarily think he's a perfect Darcy, but I don't think he is bad either.

Okay, so why I really wanted to get on here and blog...here are my grievances against the new version...

New Version Grievances

1) The setting of the movie seems a bit off to me. There are times where it seems like they are portraying the movie in the mid-1700s and times where it seems to be in the mid-1800s (in terms of dress, etc.) Also, they seemed to portray the Bennetts as poorer than they are in the book. In the book, they aren't as well to do as others, but they aren't as near-destitution as the new movie loves to portray.

2) Lydia. Oh my--the Lydia in the new movie seems so non-believable to me, and she  honestly seems more like a twelve year old rather than a fifteen and then sixteen year old. Lydia is supposed to be annoying, but the overt acting of the new Lydia seems strange and forced to me. To me, the Lydia in the BBC version was much more convincing and, while irritating because of her character flaws, she seemed confident and more believable.

3) Mr. Wickham was poorly portrayed (given the book). You are supposed to like Wickham. Really like him, and when you find out that he isn't-oh-so-good, you are supposed to be shocked. In the new version, you never really like Wickham. You almost know he is bad from the beginning. It takes away part of the plot: the whole story (not just the relationship between Darcy and Lizzy) is supposed to depict the power of mis-judgment. In the new movie version, you don't feel the crushing feeling you're supposed to when you realize you mis-judged Wickam.

4) Mr. Bingley appears as a brainless, bumbling man in the new version. Yes, Bingley is supposed to be very agreeable and kind to a fault, but that doesn't mean he isn't smart or sensible. The BBC's version of Bingley is so incredibly likable and good that he is enemy-less. (I know Bingley was supposed to offer comic relief in the new version, but it totally changed his role, in my mind).

5) This contradicts something I said I liked...but this movie goes way too fast due to its two hours. You don't really get to know the characters. You see the build-up of the relationship between Darcy and Lizzy, but the growth and character development is missed in almost every other character.

6)The neglect of social customs from the time is appalling. Never. Ever. Would Darcy just walk into Lizzy's room in the middle of the night and hand her a note. That wouldn't happen. (In fact, the book and movie version, in my opinion, is much more romantic--he waits for her all morning in a lane because he knows she loves to walk and intentionally waits hours until her arrival: much better). Mr. Bingley's sister at one point wears a sleeveless dress. Who made that mistake? That would never happen then. It just looks so weird to see her in what looks like a 90s prom dress in the 1700s or whatever era the new movie is set in.

7) The dialogue from the book is practically omitted in the new movie. I know it sometimes has to be done, but no one else can say it like Ms. Austen. Tampering with the dialogue was an unnecessary change.

8) Reading Pride and Prejudice leaves you laughing because Austen knows how to use her humor by showing the reality of human nature; however, the director put a different spin on the humor in the story, making it modern and, honestly, cheapening the original, light humor found in the story.

9) You miss the moral of the story from just watching the new version. You don't feel the tragedy of Lydia running away with Wickham--the tragedy it brings to her family and to her self. The new version makes it look like Darcy paying for the wedding patches up the whole circumstance; when in the book, you realize it is so much more than that. I love that in the BBC version Lizzy says to Jane, "Until I have your goodness, I can never have your happiness." The BBC version and book show Jane as a foil to Lizzy and that while both have their strengths, Jane's thinking well of everyone isn't as bad as Lizzy originally supposed.

10) Mrs. Bennett, Lizzy's mother, seems too soft-spoken and unsure in the new movie. Mrs. Bennett is supposed to be a strong-willed woman who speaks her mind. Mrs. Bennett in the new movie seems to be clueless on what she is saying while the book and BBC version's Mrs. Bennett loves and knows that she states how she feels, and so she does it in a very intentional way.

All these grievances being stated, I recognize that the newer movie fulfilled its purpose: to appeal to modern audiences, accentuate the romance, and gain familiarity with a newer generation. And I'll admit, the extra romance appeals more to a girls' chick-flick part of her heart rather than the formal marriage talk that occurs in the BBC version. So really both are good and obtain their missions; I just prefer the mission's of the BBC one much more. What do you like more and why?