As you know, films are just my favourite. Something about them intrigues me a lot more than Tv shows, and even when I do watch Tv shows I tend to go for the longer episodes and series. I love to watch them at home and at the cinema, have movie days and marathons and I even sometimes review them. So, I thought I'd try out my first proper film review on you guys, and for one of my (I could never choose just one) favourite films, Pride and Prejudice.
I'm going to try to leave out spoilers and just give an introduction to the story. If you aren't too interested or want to watch it knowing only a little, scroll down to the bottom for my brief facts and interesting bits and bobs about the film. Here goes... (I get the feeling this is going to be long!)
I know there a many different adaptions of the Novel by Jane Austen, but this film is the one which I love. It stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy. My favourite character is Mr Bingley (Simon Woods), he's very cute and is a bit of an airhead compared to the rest of the characters, which kind of brings the fast and confusing conversation back down to speed.
The story is set in the early 19th century in the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London. One of my favourite things about the film is the beautiful setting and images of the countryside throughout. The film focuses on a family of five Bennet sisters: Lydia, Kitty, Mary, Lizzie and Jane, aged from 15 to 22. They live with their mother and father and have a few household staff too.
In those days the most important thing for young girls was to find a suitable partner and get married. Throughout the film different men are introduced, each from different backgrounds and wealth. We see the girls go through romance, heartbreak, marriage and confusion and begin to feel strongly about which partner is the best for them! Because the Bennets aren't as wealthy as would be 'appropriate' for some of these potential partners, judgement is thrown at them, sometimes subtly, but often spitefully.
Of the sisters, the main focus is on Lizzie, and how she copes with pride and prejudice. She goes through a lot in the story, and has a strong exterior but we sense she is very sensitive towards her family and it's pride. It is a real journey to follow her and see where she ends up when she focuses on what she wants, rather than the lives of her sisters and what peoples judgement of the family is.
Phew that got a bit deep!! At first I was a teeny bit baffled by this film, but as I got older and watched it more and more, it became clear and understandable, which makes it really easy to get in to.
Favourite character- Mr Bingley
Worst character- Catherine de Bourgh
Funniest part- Mr Collins' dining scene and ball scene. He's odd!
Best part of the mise en scene- The setting! The countryside, stately homes, ballrooms and backdrops really make the film special and accurate to the period.
Something to watch out for- Most of the houses in the film are stately homes which are around Britain. Watch out for houses such as Pemberly (Mr Darcy's estate) and Longbourn (the Bennet home). You may recognise them as being an attraction you have visited or is near where you live! You can also find more out about this here and in the films special features.
My star rating- ✫✫✫✫✫
Sorry for the insanely long post! If your interested then I guess this is great, if not then... sorry again! I really do love this film and have watched it around 40 times now. I highly recommend it, it never gets old! I hope to do more of these film reviews in the future, so if there's any films you would like me to review let me know!
Thanks for reading! If you got this far, I love you.
Bye x
