Sandra’s Miscellany

Some writing buddies and I went to the Angelika Film Center yesterday to see the Pride and Prejudice matinee. It seemed like a great idea — go to the fancy-schmancy theater, avoid the crowds (who bothers to go to the movies downtown?), and enjoy the film. But I was disappointed to see that the Angelika is suffering already — broken seat arms and stained fabric. We were the only people in the theater, which was great, but from the periodic rythmic thudding up and to our right, the construction team installing a new store just outside felt it necessary to fire up the old jackhammer to complete their task.

As for the film itself, it was a lovely, sensitive, beautifully shot movie that was almost — almost — satisfying.

The main problem was that a vital subplot was hugely reduced to make room for Lizzie and Darcy’s story. That would have been successful had not so much of Lizzie’s change of heart not depended on the betrayal of Wickham. When Wickham ran off with Lydia, he didn’t just betray the Bennets; he betrayed Lizzie because he had flirted with her so heavily. It was clear both in the book and in the definitive BBC version that Wickham had come very close to courting Lizzie, that the only thing holding him back from offering for her was his financial position, and that Lizzie was entirely sold on his charm and openness and apparent integrity. This latest version of the story gives us a glimpse of the flirtation, but not of Lizzie’s growing devotion to Wickham. Of course Lizzie would never actually marry Wickham — in the final analysis, even were he a “good guy,” he wouldn’t be enough for her — but it’s imperative that we believe his abduction of Lydia is a blow to Lizzie on a personal as well as familial level.

One of the reasons Darcy looks so honorable in the end is because Wickham looks so bad. When Wickham’s ill deeds all occur off-stage, and when we don’t have a real sense of Lizzie’s affection for him, then Lizzie’s remorse over having misjudged Darcy falls short emotionally. She needs that very personal shock to make her aware that Darcy would never do what Wickham has done, and to elevate Darcy in her esteem.

Overall, I loved the movie, though. It doesn’t bother me one whit that Keira is her generation’s Audrey Hepburn (and therefore much more beautiful than Elizabeth Bennet) when she can bring such liveliness and spark to the character. I loved the dirtiness and grime, the crush of the balls, the hair falling from pins, the sweat, the fact the actors looked like they’d been taught to dance by relatives rather than choreographers. I loved that Matthew MacFadyen played Darcy as socially awkward rather than haughty, and let his arrogance arise from his discomfort rather than disdain for those “lesser” than he. (This was one problem I had with Colin Firth’s performance — Darcy’s arrogance was aggressively projected out toward others rather than used as a defense mechanism.)

Loved it and want to see it again.