The basic info. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was first published in 1813 and is one of the most well-loved classics. There have been several films and TV series made based on the book. In this post, I’ll be talking about the only adaptation I’ve seen (so far) and that’s the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.
What’s the story? The description on Goodreads calls this a “comedy of manners” and it really is since it’s a witty and satirical novel about life in a society of different classes back in the day. The story revolves around a young independent woman, Elizabeth, her four sisters Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia, and the men who enter their lives, most notably Mr. Darcy and his best buddy Mr. Bingley.
Which one did I experience first? I saw the movie first on DVD and since then it’s been on my list of go-to movies. During the time when I was just starting out as a freelancer, I would watch this movie over and over. I just liked having it on while I worked on my laptop. It was also around that time when I decided that I should read the book (and I did, of course).
I really love the movie version. I know there were plenty of criticisms about this particular film adaptation, but for me it was just sweet and adorable. I like feel-good movies and this was a feel-good movie in my opinion. I love the musical score. I just have to say, the soundtrack or background music really plays a huge part in my liking a movie and this particular movie had a very striking musical score. I also like the characters and I thought the actors portrayed them well. These were some pretty top notch actors and for me they at least gave the characters justice, however different the characters may be from the book. I’ve heard that the adaptation with Colin Firth is better and I have no doubt that it is, but I haven’t seen it yet so I will have to be content with this version for now.
You know, I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t remember too many specific things about the book. I admit I was rushing to finish the book and didn’t really spend enough time to ‘feel and absorb’ what I was reading, plus the language, although beautiful in a way, was a challenge. I do remember though that the movie didn’t really follow the book to the letter – no surprise there – and there were details about the characters that they changed. I also remember that the conversations were fun and amusing. I thought that the really long conversation between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy towards the end of the novel was pretty amusing. I mean, they were both like, “When did you know you liked me? Blah blah blah..” and stuff like that. Very cute. LOL.
Book vs. Movie. I like them both! Though I have to admit that the movie holds a special place in my heart. I kinda watched it again earlier. Haha. I want to read the book again, properly this time. I think it deserves another read!
You just described how I feel about the movie as well! There was a point in my life (like when you started out as a freelancer) that I was watching the movie every night :)
I never tire of this movie! I just really like it a whole lot. Haha ;)