Breathtaking

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2006)

When I rented Pride and Prejudice, I was a bit prejudice myself. I was never big on Jane Austen, but a respectable fan of Knightley, and the movie was simply beautiful. It was like diving into a picture book about a straitlaced culture with balls, social rules, pressures and peaks. This movie really highlights the demeaning role women played, burdens until marriage, and how cutthroat the race was to find the perfect man. Keira nails Elizabeth Bennet, the headstrong defiant girl who is not about to take the first man who asks (and there is a cute scene of her turning down a very awkward proposal), and the twist of how she, and not Darcy, is the proud, prejudice one.
I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more soundtrack in it, and at many parts of the movie is was virtually impossible to hear the dialog (scenes on the downtown streets), so I'd recommend subtitles, especially for those of us not well acquainted with the English accents. But, the movie was artistically done, shots of elegant houses and quaint gardens, sittings out in the pretty yards or walks through bustling streets. And I love the dancing scenes--couldn't't stop laughing every time Elizabeth and Darcy attempted to talk to each other while dancing (foxtrotting?) across the room. It's a magnificent movie, and even though the plot is very simple, it is definitely a film to rent and enjoy.