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Our Review of Pride and Prejudice
Although I’m the kind of girl who swears she doesn’t like “chick flicks”, I find myself watching a lot of them! Some are trite and silly, while others are complete sob fests. One thing’s for sure: romance, a few laughs and some family drama usually and some ice cream add up to a good movie night. That’s why I liked Pride and Prejudice, and adaptation of Jane Austen’s famous book. The movie stars Keira Knightley, Judi Dench and Donald Sutherland and takes place in Georgian England in the early 1800s. The Bennet family has a number of daughters, none of whom can seem to find a husband. The crux of the plot lies in the complications of English nobility: when the patriarch of the family dies, the Bennets’ estate will pass to a distant relative—so the young Bennet girls must rely on the hope that they can find suitable (and wealthy) husbands to ensure the family's well-being. However, their overbearing mother (Blethyn) and comically detached father (Sutherland) aren’t helping the girls attain good status and suitors in their class-driven community.
Despite their meddlesome mother and rather modest means, one thing leads to another and the eldest Bennet daughter Jane falls in love with a dashing and wealthy young man, Mr. Bingley. What seems like true love turns complicated when Bingley’s cold and intrusive best friend, the rich and proud Mr. Darcy, insists on tearing the two apart and insulting the Bennet family. For her part, the bookish Knightley (as second-eldest Elizabeth) fights to help her family gain dignity, while challenging the
social constructs of the day. She encourages her sister to follow her heart, while she herself finds her heart wandering. Elizabeth catches the eye of several suitors, but she is happy to immerse herself in books and hearty conversation, rather than throw away her future on a man she doesn’t love.
As the story progresses, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are forced more and more to interact. Although they seem to argue and share mutual distaste for one another, the viewer can’t help but feel there is a strong chemistry between the two. After Mr. Bingley leaves abruptly and Elizabeth’s younger sister runs away with a soldier, the Bennets are forced to wonder why their family can’t seem to keep it together. But just at the moment when all seems lost, Mr. Darcy comes back into the scene with a change of heart and a few big surprises.
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To purchase Pride and Prejudice, click here.
I don’t want to give the story away, but it’s fair to say that everything ends up nicely in the end, if not a bit unexpectedly. If you like period pieces with a bit of humor and a lot of dramatics, this one might be your cup of tea. The acting is superb, the characters are engaging and the story is only as Austen could have written.
- Alexis, Entertainment Reviewer for PanicShoppers.com.
Pride and Prejudice
Starring: Keira Knightley, Talulah Riley, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Simon Woods and Matthew Macfadyen
Directed by Joe Wright
Release Date: 23 November 2005
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