Pride & Prejudice

I had a contrary reaction to this, compared to Walk the Line. Here I was the true fan, stringently judging how well the movie came up to the source material. And here I was ready for the film to end well before it finally did. Keira Knightley was certainly an appealing heroine, though hardly Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett, the whatshisname Darcy was okay, as were some of the other players, but the best thing by far about this film were the realistic production values and the Constable-like views of the English countryside. But pictorial authenticity did not extend to a true sense of historical period and social mindset. Austen’s subtle nuance and insidious humor are Brontefied and Hollywoodized. Everything is overt and heightened, instead of gently unmasked. I was much more tolerant of the appropriations of Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice. (2005, Images, n.) *7-* (MC-83, RT-86.)