I am enjoying a delicious, rare day off where i have nothing planned and nothing to do. So to indulge myself I have made a plunger coffee and am sitting down to watch some Regency finery in Pride & Prejudice.
NOT the classic 90s BBC Mini-Series with the delectable Colin Firth, but the atrocious 2004 version starring my nemesis Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen.
I have many problems with this movie. The first being Keira Knightley is a wooden actress and a terrible choice to play one of the greatest heroine in literary history. It always looks as if she is trying to hard and can’t breathe.
My second issue is that Mr Darcy is all wrong. Usually I enjoy MacFadyen as an actor, especially in Spooks, but he could officially be the worst Mr Darcy in history. Hot, yes. Haughty? No. Disdainful? No. He’s all over the place.
Mr Bingley is portrayed as an idiot and they only give him one sister (Did Mrs Hurst die in some strange accident that the movie goer is unaware of?). Mrs Bennet is not nearly annoying enough.
Also the movie goes against societal mores of the time. When Jane Bennett is sick in Netherfield, Mr Bingley would NEVER have presumed to go into her room. To do so would be practically to confirm and engagement.
So I am baffled as to why I put this movie on this morning on my day off. Especially because I am perfectly aware that Knightley makes me want to staple my ears and eyes shut so I don’t have to look or hear her.
Next time I’ll stick to Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.
did i ever tell you jennifer ehle poured me a glass of champagne once about 13 years ago?
ReplyDeleteagree that knightley and macfayden do not work at all!
Exactly! I adore Macfadyen but his Darcy was so worng. And Elizabeth and Jane were as silly and giggly as their sisters. Binbgley is supposed to be good and kind not stupid. And where was the whole Wickham subplot that really is the whole catalyst for the ending?? I was so disappointed in this version. Long live Firth and Ehle. - Kathy
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