saddened and mystified

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2005)

I was extremely frustrated and saddened by the latest version of Pride and Prejudice. I knew that it would be a challenge to capture the subtlety and humor of the story in two hours, but I was unprepared for the blatant changes in characterizations, the unforgivable paraphrases of perfectly written text, and the unexplainable alterations in scenes.
It was absolutely painful to watch Darcy's first proposal to Lizzie. There was no earthly reason why the scene had to be filmed outside in the rain. I can even understand that their argument would have to be curtailed. But they gutted the scene. They paraphrased (why?) the line that cut Darcy to the core, that was the reason for his awakening, the motive for his tender questions to Lizzie at Pemberly. Lizzie is supposed to say--had you behaved in a more gentlemen-like manner...but instead, she says some inane, modern version that falls far off the mark Jane intended. Furthermore, in the absolutely awful scene at Pemberly, Darcy never asks about her family. This was the one thing that struck Lizzie the most, that he would inquire after relatives he had previously insulted. This was the first hint of his transformation... She was so confused... This careless attention to the heart of the novel continued throughout. There were so many things wrong with this movie: jerky camera action, Lady Catherine visiting in the night, the Bennets living in sloppy conditions, Lizzie and her aunt hardly connected in spirit, the girls wearing corsets, Darcy appearing more confused and shy than arrogant, Bingly as a fool, Mr Bennett having intimate conversation with Mrs. Bennett in their bedroom, the silly final proposal in the morning, Mr. Bennett's relief and pleasure when he hears about DArcy's generosity. The underdevelopment of the characters could be due to the short film, but if you hadn't read the book, you would never know that Darcy was truly arrogant (not misunderstood or lovestruck as the movie suggests). You do not really grasp Lizzie's particular love for Jane, their intimacy, their elevated standing in their father's eyes, their disinterest in the regiment. Would anyone grasp that Miss Bingley is jealous of Lizzie? The thing that upsets me the most is that people will think this is Pride and Prejudice. I even read one reviewer from a prominent paper who considered this movie the definitive P & P.
I thought Keira Knightly was absolutely wonderful, the most perfect Lizzie, the only good part of the movie. When she delivered Jane's lines, she did so with great skill. Why didn't they give her more lines from the novel? Why did they water down Jane?