This is the
second Jane Austin book-turned-movie that I have watched during my Golden
Oldies sojourn, and probably the last.
(Are there more?). The first was Sense and Sensibility, which I liked a whole
lot. This one; maybe not so much.
You know the
story, so I won’t go there. It is set in
rural 19th century England, which for me is a big plus. It turns out well, thus leaving the viewer
with a warm glow in the belly. It is the
acting I wish to consider.
There is no
disputing that Keira Knightley is a dish.
She is the star of the show and manages to hold her own against several
celebrated actpersons, whom I shall discuss later. Her romantic partner is Matthew Macfyden, who unfortunately exhibits all the emotional breadth of a wooden cigar store Indian. I realize he is supposed to be stoic, but
jeez! The mob of Bennet girls is
diverting, and the guy who plays Darcy’s hopelessly inept sidekick does a good job.
The three accomplished actors I want to discuss are Judi Dench, Brenda Blethyn, and Donald Sutherland. Of Dench, what can one say? She is always wonderful, even in small roles like this one. Sutherland, to my mind, is perfect as the male head of household consisting of five excitable females. He loves them all, but would really like to get back to his pipe and newspaper.
For me, the “find”
in this movie is Brenda Blethyn. She
plays the distraught housewife/mother, with four excitable, at times rattle-brained unmarried daughters to nurture,
and plays it to perfection. I didn’t realize until today, but she also is the mother in A River Runs Through It, and the star of Saving Grace, which I will feature one of these days. I’ll bet she has had a distinguished movie
career, which I will research one of these days.
So, anyway, Pride and Prejudice is not one of
Hollywood’s proudest creations, but it is pretty good regardless. It is worth a couple of hours of your
time. B
No comments:
Post a Comment