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Pride and Prejudice (TV 1995) Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth The 3 P’s—Perfect Pride and Prejudice! Why would anyone ever think of making another version? Let's start with Colin Firth. Finally, we have a Darcy worthy of Elizabeth: a guy with sex appeal, who rises above the book's wooden portrayal of his character. The film inserts several new scenes. The bath scene at Netherfield captures the essence of Darcy's yearning as he watches Elizabeth from the window, his "naked" feelings leaving him vulnerable to her charm. A second, Darcy's lake dive at Pemberley, cleanses his soul of pride, enabling us to understand his transformation before Elizabeth does. (That dive, by the way, is the subject of the side-splitting Colin Firth interview in the Bridget Jones 2 book) Jennifer Ehle is a perfect Elizabeth: intelligent, ironic, sly, and self-possessed. Other characters are also wonderfully cast, especially Julia Sawalha as Lydia. I do, though, prefer a number of the characters from BBC's 1980 version, especially Mr. Collins and Charlotte. Finally, this is a downright funny version. The film's five-hours allow time for Austen's wit to unfold. While still faithful to the text, the 18th-century long-windedness is trimmed, and the dialogue hits its mark with ease. So what about the 2006 Keira Knightly version? Dark and depressing: I think the producers confused Jane Austen with Emily Bronte. All that running around on the heath-good heavens! What were they thinking? See LitPicks Aug '07 for the book recommendation. |
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