The Thatcher-Reagan Years go Regency!
Last summer I embarked on a week-long PRIDE & PREJUDICE marathon. I was to watch 7 adaptations in 7 days and come up with the number one crush-worthy version. I ended up getting through 5 in 7 days (but that included 2 mini-series)! I usually succumb to cinematic license when it comes to adaptations (film is a visual medium) but, having said that, I have a keen eye on the original story & authors intent. I started with the 1940 version (see earlier post) and followed up with the totally rad 1980 BBC version!
This 5 part mini-series (5 one-hour chapters) is massively faithful to the text. The script, written by Fay Weldon, uses loads of original dialog and is adapted with the novel in mind in every frame. In director Cyril Coke’s hands, the characters are very well developed (with the exception of Jane maybe). Coke was the son of an actor and a novelist and that background lends itself to his character development fantastically! I adored how this version set off the relationships between the entire community of friends and relatives. The endless fussing over bonnets, the writing & sharing of letters and info, the constant talk about parties and social events effectively sutures they viewer into the Bennet’s world. It was positively facebook-esque! Constant social networking. Elizabeth Garvie as Miss Elizabeth Bennet is eff-ing fantastic! Brilliant! She plays Eliza as complex, aware, and knowing – without any of the bitterness that later versions have been accused of. She’s cynical but never shrill. She knows her parent’s crap marriage is the dark undercurrent to the sisters’ lives – and this version highlights Elizabeth’s keen awareness of how her father’s neglect of his daughter’s upbringing and her mother’s commitment to stupidity has absolutely cost the family any kind of legit respectability.
Alright…onto the beefcake! David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy is wooden. Almost Al Gore-ish (truly off). 90% of the time he’s ridiculously stiff & severe to the point of caricature! (Although those cheekbones! Wow! Pure sculpture). I know, I know, Darcy is supposed to be icy & severe, but isn’t there supposed to be at least some faint hint of vulnerability and a undeniable libido (a posh twat with a heart & willy of gold)? I’m not suggesting Rintoul become the simpering lovefool of Olivier’s version, or the darker (emo, hipster-friendly) 2005 version of Darcy (as played by the earthy Matthew Macfadyen) but something, well, in-between & true. In this version Darcy hardly seems to deserve Elizabeth. Even in the later scenes, when the viewer is supposed to be rejoicing over their hookup, it’s really hard to get past his earlier rigidity. I will say, there is a very clear moment in the film series where Rintoul softens – and when he does it is such a relief! The scenes with George Wickham should reveal cracks in Darcy’s armor and that didn’t come through. Still, when Rintoul’s performance hits its stride I could see his appeal…kind of (read:cheekbones).
Okay, so I have to mention the GOD AWFUL voice overs & shabby art direction. The narration of characters’ internal monologues come across as (at best) patronizing and (at worst) TEDIOUS – it’s as if the director lacked confidence in the actors’ abilities to convey emotion non-verbally in those moments. And the art direction is, well…the costumes look they were donated to BBC by a school who sold off their drama wardrobe and props (and cheaply)! Boring, home ec, and asexual! The lighting & sets are standard 80′s Brit fare (I totally kept thinking of Fawlty Towers). But the adaptation here is so strong and (most of) the performances so subtle and spot-on that a few seriously ‘80s hair dos and shabby costumes rarely distract. The script, character development and acting are delightful. There is less romance here than in other versions, but I grew more admiring of the true spirit of Austen embodied in this adaptation. Elizabeth’s character and wit come through (especially in her awesome conversations with Charlotte). It made me want to re-read the novel!
Now for the MVP. OMG, Malcolm Rennie as Mr. Collins! I LOVE HIM! He’s exactly what the book says he should be — big, conceited, pompous, sycophantic, clueless – but he manages to pull it off without making you cringe at the thought of being near him. Mr. Collins is such a juicy character – maybe the greatest bore in English literature – and Rennie DELIVERS.
*Fear not…this is NOT an Austen blog at all…I just wanted to finish the movie marathon I started – because 5 versions in 7 days was rough*
However, at times dialogues a bit too, (in my best Woody Allen) pedantic and feseci0us.
There is a certain type of bloke that always sets off my alarm – the archetype of which was well & truly established by the dreamy and ridiculously talented River Phoenix. In the decades of muscle bound schwarzeneggers and snarky brat packers and post-brat packers (I’m looking at you Christian Slater!) he shimmered like the hot-hot reincarnation of James Dean. He forever shaped my idea of masculinity – with his special elixir of non-conformity and narcissism – that went straight to my soul like champagne bubbles to my heart. His type would be destined to rule my life to this day. So, is this an indictment or a thank you? It’s a “it doesn’t matter, you changed my life .” Full Stop.
sundaycinema
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