 |
| (Amazon UK link) |
When we first saw it, just over ten years ago, it had been awhile since we had seen the BBC version and we thought the film well done, on the whole. This time it was impossible not to make comparisons. The story, set around the end of the 18th century, is well-known: Mr and Mrs Bennet have five daughters, and Mrs Bennet is keen to marry them off. She hopes that at least one of them will marry a wealthy man, because their family home is entailed; so when Mr Bennet dies, it will be inherited by his cousin Mr Collins.
Into the neighbourhood come the very rich Mr Bingley and his friend Mr Darcy. Mrs Bennet is delighted when Mr Bingley shows an immediate attraction to her eldest daughter Jane. However Mr Darcy is rather cold and proud, and comes into conflict with Elizabeth, the second daughter and most intelligent of the five. Elizabeth is her father’s obvious favourite; he considers his three younger daughters remarkably silly, even though Mary (the middle one) is ‘bookish’ and uninclined to the frivolities of her younger sisters Kitty and Lydia.
The budget for this film was clearly much higher than that of the BBC adaptation. The balls were lavish, the costumes gorgeous, the stately homes superb. The setting for the Bennets’ house seemed more realistic, too; it came across as rather smaller, not in a top neighbourhood. On the negative side, fitting into just over two hours rather than five and a half, a great deal had to be cut. If we hadn’t read the book or seen the other version, it would have been quite hard to follow the story at times.
We thought that Keira Knightley was well cast as Lizzie Bennet, as was Rosamunde Pike as Jane. The younger sisters had far less of a role in this adaptation than the BBC one, but they were also nicely done. Simon Woods as Mr Bingley was remarkably similar to the character in the BBC version, although he seemed younger and a bit over-enthusiastic at times. Matthew MacFadyen makes a good Mr Darcy, too, although we all agreed that he could not compare to Colin Firth’s portrayal.
We thought Mrs Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) was better acted and more realistic than her equivalent in the BBC version, although without the high drama and screeching she was less amusing. Unfortunately Mr Bennet (Donald Sutherland) was not at all well cast, in our opinions. He came across as very elderly, almost doddering, and there was very little humour in his ironical exchanges with Lizzie and others. He was probably the most disappointing character.
Mr Collins (Tom Hollander) is less horribly smarmy than his BBC equivalent; we thought him more realistic, perhaps, but less amusing. However we were very pleasantly surprised - I had totally forgotten - when Lady Catherine de Burgh appeared, brilliantly portrayed by Judi Dench. She seemed more realistically haughty and cold than the somewhat exaggerated BBC version - though, again, less amusing on the whole.
So it was an interesting experience; perhaps it’s unfair to make so many deliberate comparisons, as the film was an entirely different project, and had to catch the essence of the story while missing out some scenes (and characters) entirely.
However the one part we all agreed was clichéd and disappointing was the ending. Without giving spoilers, it includes soft sunlight, people going to meet each other outside in a scene which didn’t happen that way at all in the book, and a very awkward kissed hand, leading into the credits. No real ending, no weddings, and a sense that it had finished too abruptly.
Thus, despite some clear advantages in a couple of characters and the more lavish settings, we all agreed that the BBC version was far truer to the book, and more enjoyable to watch overall.
Other recommended adaptations of Jane Austen books include:
- Sense and Sensibility
- Persuasion (1995 BBC version)
- Pride and Prejudice (BBC series)
- Emma (ITV version)
Review copyright 2019 Sue's DVD Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment