Pride & Prejudice (2005)

I'd been seeing so many commercials for the upcoming Becoming Jane, that I had to watch a movie based on one of her books. Sense & Sensibility wouldn't work in the dvd player for some reason, so Pride & Prejudice it was. This is one of the very rare movies that I actually saw in a theater. I knew I'd want to watch it again & again so I bought it when it came out on dvd. I typically love anything Keira Knightley is in and this was no exception. I read the book between seeing the movie the first time & getting it on dvd. From what I've seen the movie versions pare down the characters, even combining two or more into one person. This is probably a good thing, because as much as I enjoy the books, it can be difficult to keep track of the many characters.

Pride & Prejudice is one of Jane Austen's happy ending romance stories. I really found myself rooting for Lizzie & Jane. Also for Mr. Bingley and even for Mr. Darcy. While I found parts of the story to be timeless, other things couldn't be more different today. Everytime I watch a movie from this period, I wonder what social class my family would've found itself in. In a time when we are raising our daughters to get educated & establish careers so they can be independent & self sufficent, it amazes me that there was a time where who you married might determine the course of your life. And even with all the guidlines as to whom can marry whom, Jane's heroines usually seem to pull off marrying well. Often extremely well!


And with the settings for socializing, the balls, chance meetings in town, and the brief visits, you hardly got to know someone before deciding if you could marry them. It's so easy to get caught up in the ways of the time that you almost hold your breath when Lizzie speaks her mind. How very different the Bennet daughters turned out to be, which I believe is exactly what Jane Austen wanted us to see. That, and also how the behavior of a family member could affect the rest of the family. I'm sure Jane never imagined just how different life would be today.

This movie will make my list of all time favorites.