6th
Symbolism for Dummies
I bounced between elation and ridicule during Joel Wright’s 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. I love the story and always have. I enjoy the Colin Firth four-hour movie version, though as a film student, I know at least an hour could have been cut. But this version both excited and disappointed me more.
Keira Knightly is an unfortunate choice for Elizabeth Bennett. Bennett’s subtlety and irony are lost because Knightly has only three emotions, boyishly wide grin, deep, dark melancholy or raging inexplicably loudly for the character. Bennett should win arguments by wit alone, she doesn’t need to yell.
But I loved the mother, Cousin Collins, the father, Jane and Mr. Darcy. So I’m torn; should one bad (albeit main) character ruin the film?
The same holds true for the film itself. I love the adaptation. There’s just enough of the story to love it but not get bored. It moves, and the pacing is phenomenal. I don’t like the cinematography, as it becomes the film’s Symbolism for Dummies. The zooms (yes, ZOOMS!) are awkward and drag the viewer right out of the story. Yes, there is an emotional evolution occurring, but I could have figured that out through good acting. I didn’t need a lengthy slow zoom on the character’s face to tell me their feelings are in turmoil. Even the layman picks up the emotional changes, whether consciously or unconsciously, so zooming in overdoes it.
