The 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries was long but well worth the time it took to watch. Even the pace of the movie fit the atmosphere that the producers tried to create; un-rushed, organic, and as realistic as possible.
In terms of its comparability with the book, I think this version followed the novel more accurately that the 2005 film with Keira Kightly and Matthew Mcfayden that we watched in class. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth portrayed Elizabeth and Darcy as more composed and reserved than the other version, which is more in keeping with the times. The mannerisms, language, costumes, and settings were also very much like what I pictured when reading the book.
The way the series portrayed gender roles -- more specifically, women's roles -- was in keeping with the time period, but it irked me nonetheless. Mrs. Bingley and Lydia are silly and dramatic in every version, but I thought Jane and Elizabeth were particularly demure and even passive in this adaptation. Again, I know that this was what was expected of women during the time, but I admired Keira Knightly's Elizabeth because of her somewhat biting humor and disregard of other's opinions. Those qualities were in Jennifer's portrayal, but she wasn't as relatable; admirable, yes, but I could never see myself so calm and collected as she was throughout the series. Even though it was never said, I got this feeling of women being seen as less than that I didn't have (or at least not as extremely) while watching the other movie or reading the novel. It was something in the way that the male actors delivered their lines, something in the tone of their voices that brought that aspect to the story to the forefront.
Over all, I can say that this series was very British. There was no mushiness, no sappiness, and even very little visible emotion. As someone who is used to gushy American romances, I have mixed feelings about how the series was conducted. However, it's impossible to deny the elegance and authenticity of the series; watching it was like being in the original novel itself. And it even ended with a kiss after all!
I also loved this miniseries! While Keira Knightley's portrayal of Elizabeth is 150x more American in every way, I did not feel that Jennifer Ehle's portrayal of Elizabeth was at all passive or demure.
ReplyDeleteI loved this miniseries and I agree that out of all the adaptations I saw, this was the closest to what I had imagined when reading the book. I agree that Darcy and Lizzy being more composed and reserved in this version was very much in tune with the time period and the clothing,in my opinion, was most accurate as well. Being a miniseries, this version had the best pacing since it had longer on-screen time, and I really feel it captured the essence of the novel best. Definitely the most elegant as well! =D Colin Firth is best Darcy ^^
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ReplyDeleteI have never seen this miniseries, but your description of it makes it seem worth the watch! When I read novels from time periods like this I tend to get frustrated with gender roles as well. It makes it so much less relatable because I would act very different than what was expected of women back then. The miniseries was probably a great choice because of the length. The storyline was able to be dragged out longer than a typical film. Great job!
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