Buy the CD... unfortunate deconstruction of the marvelous book

Rating: 4/10 (20 February 2008)

There are real problems with this adaptation of P&P, and they have to do mainly with the Director's dislike of "bonnet films" and the choice of leading lady. The Director says he set out to make a film that did not have women in bonnets. The problem with this is that this IS what women wore, this even a recurring theme in the language and dialogue of the book, so essentially he set out to make a film that was NOT the book... so it is especially wrong to call this "Jane Austen's" P&P.
This is a deconstructionist retelling of the story, and, as such it has it's own modern charm. The mumbling leading model/actress and everyone with greasy hair and rumpled clothing undeniably appeals to a "WB" teen show generation, just... not true to the book. (Rosamund Pike... such a marvelous choice of Jane... talented, beautiful... lost in this production as second fiddle to such a poor leading lady.) One lovely by product of NOT following the book is a completely different interpretation of Lizzie's parents as loving and fond - a simply marvelous and fun relationship created by Sutherland and Blethen here.
The cinematography is excellent and reminiscent of French paintings of country life like "The Reapers." (If it needs to be mentioned, this art direction choice is EXACTLY what is wrong about the whole Directoral choice.... Brits in Austen's age would have cringed to be portrayed similar to the French peasants.)
By far and away what lifts this whole film up far and above is the magnificent romantic, lilting, emotional piano score by Dario Marinelli. (The piano sheet music has been selling like hotcakes.) The film will become a dated oddity. Buy the CD of the score.