The Dairy Game 25/08/2021 - Movie Against the Book. Pride and Prejudice.

In this world of clothing and architecture whose elegance she was famous all over Europe, Jane Austen knew how to discern some real dramas and the inner springs that had triggered them.

The quote above is a disclamer for everything I am about to say. For all those who do not agree, I emphasize the fact that I have read a lot of literary comments, I have debated at length the subject, I know what it is about and what are the substrates of this story. But I choose to express the ideas that were born during the reading, without being influenced by anything I learned.

I took Pride and Prejudice in my hand for the third time. Every time I see it differently. The first time was just a love novel. Then, in college, when I was in love with nineteenth-century English literature, I saw in this novel all the greatness of the English era and writing set in motion to describe the mentality and lives of the people of that time. Now, when I opened it for the third time, I didn't feel the same thrill of pleasure reading it.

The sheer superficiality of most of the characters featured would have taken me by surprise if I hadn't been fully aware of the subtle irony with which Jane Austen tells the story. And in this light, everything seemed ridiculously funny. That is, until the threads begin to tangle, the plot begins to form, and the action unfolds in an increasingly serious way.

Elizabeth Bennet is the second daughter of the five and her father's favorite for the intelligence and spiritual lines she has prepared at all times. The eldest daughter is also the most beautiful and with the best common sense, probably given by the incomparable goodness of her heart. The rest of the women in the family are scurrilous and crazy geese, led by their mother. Mary, the youngest, tries to make a discordant note by reading and avoiding society, but even in these conditions her depth is completely lacking. At some point you start to wonder if these girls are like that or were they formed influenced by one or another of the family members.

Mary could gain depth if her older father or sister were able to talk to her, helping her get to the heart of things. And the other squabbles could be kept under control if one of the parents showed a shred of authority. The father, as if non-existent, prefers to stand aside and have fun on their own, and Lizzy is probably too preoccupied with observing society and disregarding her younger sisters to try to do something for them.

She probably doesn't consider it her duty to intervene in their education. Which puts her in a completely different light than the one she appears in when she walks three miles to be with her sister, Jane, who is ill in Mr. Bingly's house. Lizzy and even Jane suffer a lot from their family, even if in the end it is their own behaviors and characters that will give them salvation.

Another thing I couldn't help but notice was that despite the author's attempts to introduce us to the characters and depth of mind of Lizzy and Mr. Darcy, Austen eventually fails to do so. Because, although Mr. Darcy once said that what makes a woman truly perfect is the intelligence cultivated by ample reading, he does not fall in love with Elizabeth because of her intelligence.

The reason is that they spend too little time together for Mr. Darcy to find out. A few well-placed remarks, seasoned with a little defiance towards a man who does not know defiance, are not enough to demonstrate a special depth or intelligence. Mr. Darcy is enchanted by her beautiful eyes. And she, quite curious, realizes that she begins to have very strong feelings for him only after she sees the Pemberly domain and really realizes the extent of his fortune.

Although the whole novel is built to prove the opposite, these two things struck me the most. There is much more to say because, despite appearances, Pride and Prejudice is a complex novel. But I stretched too much.

The 2005 version of the screenplay of the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, starring Elizabeth Bennet as Keira Knightly, Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet and Mr. Darcy as directed by Matthew Macfadyen, is, in my opinion, not exactly the most successful option. Although these great actors play their roles perfectly, I could not agree with the director's vision in many aspects.

The book is always far too complex to be exposed to the same depth through a few well-chosen images and lines. The fidelity between what is written and what appears on the screen is very difficult to achieve. Something is always lost, just like in any translation. Because, after all, we are talking here about a "translation" from one media to another.

I think I would have liked the film quite a bit if I had never read the book, thus having it as a term of comparison. Because then I wouldn't have noticed that the first ball that the newcomers attend looks more like a country party held in a hall, that Mr. Darcy doesn't look proud and arrogant at all, but depressed and tormented.

Elizabeth's behavior is rather provocative and naughty, on the edge of common sense, than subtly ironic and playful without giving up even for a moment the rules of etiquette and common sense, as presented by the author. In the novel, she does not take Mrs. De Bourgh out of the house, just as this noble lady does not appear at the door of the Bennet family at midnight. Etiquette would not allow her to do so, even if Lady de Bourgh could afford more than was due even to her rank.

Mr. Bingly is portrayed as a crazy teenager, while his sister is almost unimportant in the film, given that her role in the book is major because she is actively involved in destroying Jane's happiness and is an absolute example of snobbery, envy, falsehood and even malice. The only characters that are presented according to the novel are Jane and Lydia.

The atmosphere is much too light, you don't see anywhere the need to be protocol and restrained that the customs of the time imposed, why something is ridiculous, and certain behaviors are unacceptable. Under these circumstances, how could you understand Darcy's objections to Jane's family so that she would urge her friend not to marry her? I don't know if I would have understood the movie the same way if I hadn't read the book before.

Because I feel guilty for not having a word of praise for the film, I have to add that despite all these differences, I liked the film quite a bit and even managed to get me deeply moved at the end, which gives it a big plus.

Image Sources:

Cover Book

YouTube

Movie Trailer 2005