PRIDE & PREJUDICE

REVIEWED BY CARISSA HORTON

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

One cannot help but pity poor Mr. Bennet (Edmund Gwenn), five daughters and completely bereft of sons. Yet, the man's affection for his dear ones is unmistakable, he even adores his wife, in spite of her idle tongue tended toward gossip. When the unsuspecting Mr. Bingley (Bruce Lester) moves to town along with his sister and old friend Mr. Darcy (Laurence Olivier), the Bennet family is all in a twitter. Two eligible young bachelors with excellent means of support for a wife. What could be better?

The eldest Bennet daughter, Lizzie (Greer Garson), is by far the most practical and finds the uproar over the new tenants of Netherfield Park to be rather pointless and bordering on the ridiculous. Her opinion of Darcy does not improve after her first encounter. To her, he seems pious, snobbish, and quite supercilious, with no interest in the neighborhood's comings and goings. However, her younger sister Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) has taken quite a fancy to Bingley, and he is indeed very charming and sweet. It seems one of the daughter's may be married after all, much to the delight of Mrs. Bennet (Mary Boland).

Elizabeth is beginning to believe that she may have misjudged Mr. Darcy, as he is attempting to make amends, albeit it in the oddest manner. The somewhat unexpected arrival of the Bennet's cousin Mr. Collins (Melville Cooper) throws the entire family into an uproar. The Bennet estate is entailed away from the female line, so once Mr. Bennet dies everything the family owns will belong to Mr. Collins. His one purpose in visiting is to choose a bride from amongst the five Bennet daughters. None are particularly thrilled with the idea, especially Lizzie as she's the oldest. Poor Elizabeth could not be more befuddled in his attentions, what with the subtle changes to Darcy's personality and his obstinate determination to befriend her. Unfortunately, even gentlemen can misunderstand a conversation, and after one such occurrence, Darcy wanders very close to ruining the happiness of many involved, including himself. The possibility of true happiness seems somewhat slim. But happiness always reigns eternal in these films of the heart, and it will prove no different for the Bennet family.

There is very little questionable content, and even then it could hardly be called questionable. Lizzie's youngest sister, Lydia, is an absolute fool and is convinced into running away with a military man, and they were not married. They are on her return, but there was a gap of several days, though it's hard to tell if anything occurred. The younger girls are quite boy crazy, especially for men in uniform and they behave quite ridiculously around them. Engagements are assumed rather than pronounced, and point blank refusals are rarely taken seriously by the men. Mrs. Bennet is utterly conniving and deliberately sends poor Jane to see Mr. Bingley in the rain in the hopes that she will catch a cold and have to stay for a few days. There is much bantering of wit between Lizzie and Miss Bingley who is one of the most selfish and unkind creatures to walk the face of the earth. At every turn, her tongue lashes out and finally hits the mark where Lizzie is concerned.

The relationships between the characters are what I find most interesting. First impressions are often mistaken ones, and it's somewhat surprising as to the true nature of a certain personality. It is incredibly rare to locate a film where the entire cast was perfectly chosen, and Pride & Prejudice is definitely one of those films. Greer and Laurence play off each other perfectly, exchanging verbal judo on a regular basis, though it's usually for a good cause. Each one of the actors was ideal for their role, and I would not replace a single one. Larry deviates from his normally brooding persona to don the guise of an aristocrat, and does it so seamlessly you would believe him to have never played anything else. The costuming is for the wrong era, and from what I've heard, the gowns have a tendency to annoy some people, but I found them rather adorable. The scenery is magnificent, with lovely gardens, a charming hamlet, and some towering mansions. I was very impressed with the setting, and found it to be quite believable.

I have loved this film since I first saw it four years ago. My father has been quite the Laurence Olivier fan for several generations and he has passed that admiration on to myself. Something else to be eternally grateful for in the parentage department. The film does stray from the book a great deal, but I consider it to be simply based on. When movies are exact, they're not quite so intriguing. The ending deviates the most from the novel, but I can see why it would have been changed. There's a great deal of difference between what would have been accepted in 1940 and what would be accepted today. Your best bet would be to watch with an open mind, and expect changes. I can guarantee, absolute purists will not like this film. If you're unable to accept even the smallest change, than I would recommend watching the A&E adaptation which is almost exact to the novel. But if you enjoy classics and can stand a few alterations and a much-shortened plotline than you will truly find this version to be worth your while. The antics of these most beloved characters are priceless and so well-played that I find myself going back again and again for another visit to Meryton, England.

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