cinemabon
03-03-2006, 01:41 PM
Art and Artistry: Pride and Prejudice
Directed by Joe Wright (first feature)
A film of this excellent quality can only be achieved when there is sufficient money to fund such a superior product, the difference between a few hundred thousand for a television project versus the multimillion dollar budget for a major motion picture. The evidence is clear from the very beginning; long sweeping movements of the camera lingering on perfectly lit subjects with incredible detail in every aspect of the background. The authenticity of the period is expressed in every turn. Such detail is missing from every other endeavor except this attempt to tell the age old Jane Austen story of love and aspirations.
Of all the persons associated with this version, DP Roman Osin and Production Designer Sarah Greenwood should be given first kudos for their invaluable contribution is setting the mood and direction of this film. There are hardly a few romantic films I can recall that have been photographed with such care and attention to artistic beauty as this film. The images float across the screen like a fluid painting, owing much of their continuity to the editing of Paul Tothill. Director Joe Wright has evoked the right amount of emotional emphasis from his actors to carry over this unfortunately truncated version of a rather lengthy and cumbersome novel. While the performances are delightful, I believe the technical aspects of this film far outweigh the performances. So many actors have played those parts so often that most of the words are as familiar as a Shakespeare play. Even the great Dame Judi Dench seems lost in the two-dimensional and overly dramatic Austen dialogue of the moment, trapped to sound just as peevish as the last person to play the part. Then every fourteen year old girl in the audience sighs as Mr. Darcy proposes to Lizzy, and dreams of living in a big beautiful castle by the sea, ad nauseam.
What makes this particular production so distinct from the others is its technical mastery. When Wright moves the camera through the house, we see one vignette after another being played out until at last, languishing on a cool blue wall, Elizabeth ends the long dollied scene with her icy take on Mr. Collins. I haven’t seen a long shot like that since the Italians stole it from Orson Welles. Extremely complex, with expert timing required by the cast not to look caught off guard, the shot and the scene flow like the brush strokes of DaVinci, lovingly lingering on the beautiful Miss Bennett. One wonders what took Darcy so long to be so bold? The answer lies in the lengthy feminine hand of Miss Austen, hoping to draw her reader’s anticipation to the very end of her novel about the various strata of social graces.
The DVD is a typical minimal effort by the home division of Universal Studios with few extras. However, the film is so beautiful and such a joy to watch, I highly recommend adding it to your collection. I would still insist that a more lengthy version would be preferable, if you enjoy the story details more, such as the BBC production. However, for authenticity of the period and pure artistry, this will have to do.
Directed by Joe Wright (first feature)
A film of this excellent quality can only be achieved when there is sufficient money to fund such a superior product, the difference between a few hundred thousand for a television project versus the multimillion dollar budget for a major motion picture. The evidence is clear from the very beginning; long sweeping movements of the camera lingering on perfectly lit subjects with incredible detail in every aspect of the background. The authenticity of the period is expressed in every turn. Such detail is missing from every other endeavor except this attempt to tell the age old Jane Austen story of love and aspirations.
Of all the persons associated with this version, DP Roman Osin and Production Designer Sarah Greenwood should be given first kudos for their invaluable contribution is setting the mood and direction of this film. There are hardly a few romantic films I can recall that have been photographed with such care and attention to artistic beauty as this film. The images float across the screen like a fluid painting, owing much of their continuity to the editing of Paul Tothill. Director Joe Wright has evoked the right amount of emotional emphasis from his actors to carry over this unfortunately truncated version of a rather lengthy and cumbersome novel. While the performances are delightful, I believe the technical aspects of this film far outweigh the performances. So many actors have played those parts so often that most of the words are as familiar as a Shakespeare play. Even the great Dame Judi Dench seems lost in the two-dimensional and overly dramatic Austen dialogue of the moment, trapped to sound just as peevish as the last person to play the part. Then every fourteen year old girl in the audience sighs as Mr. Darcy proposes to Lizzy, and dreams of living in a big beautiful castle by the sea, ad nauseam.
What makes this particular production so distinct from the others is its technical mastery. When Wright moves the camera through the house, we see one vignette after another being played out until at last, languishing on a cool blue wall, Elizabeth ends the long dollied scene with her icy take on Mr. Collins. I haven’t seen a long shot like that since the Italians stole it from Orson Welles. Extremely complex, with expert timing required by the cast not to look caught off guard, the shot and the scene flow like the brush strokes of DaVinci, lovingly lingering on the beautiful Miss Bennett. One wonders what took Darcy so long to be so bold? The answer lies in the lengthy feminine hand of Miss Austen, hoping to draw her reader’s anticipation to the very end of her novel about the various strata of social graces.
The DVD is a typical minimal effort by the home division of Universal Studios with few extras. However, the film is so beautiful and such a joy to watch, I highly recommend adding it to your collection. I would still insist that a more lengthy version would be preferable, if you enjoy the story details more, such as the BBC production. However, for authenticity of the period and pure artistry, this will have to do.