Is There Anyone Out There Who...

The time: 5:15 Matinee
The place: Any local small theatre
The movie: Pride & Prejudice (yes, yes, the new one)
The review: Well, see, there's the tough part. Is there anyone out there who has seen this movie and relishes its swift but bracing beauty? Granted, it is much shorter than the A&E version, thus less dense - but, shouldn't we try to see if it can stand on its own two feet? I admit I was critical at first, and spent much of the movie trying to sift through some 'Americanisations' (quick scene changes, short dialogue, earthy qualities/characters)to discover its heart, and I found it to be quite genuine. What I thought at first to be simply bad acting was really certain characters fighting their own social awkwardness - a thing rarely done well in Hollywood. In a world where everybody knows exactly what to say when, this movie gets under the skin of real life, where we feel most the burden and the blessing of trying to find and say the right words at the right time (ei. see Darcy). Therein lies the chief romance. As for the character of Elizabeth (scathing remarks of Kiera Knightly aside), I did appreciate her liveliness and quick spirit, even if it was a bit girlish. We often imagine a 'mature' Elizabeth who is somehow above most of her peers, but in this character we are able to see the shock with which she realizes the error of her own assumptions as well as the growth that takes place afterwards. The discussion she has with her father after Darcy's proposal is especially touching - and more than just sentimental. There is a point where one feels tempted to reach out and grasp the beauty there. Is there such a thing as earthy sublimity? That is, at least, what seemed to be present. Overall, I must say I liked the movie very much, and even more the second time, but for different reasons than the 6-hour masterpiece. Yes, in this version the characters were rough-hewn, weak-tongued, and short-lived - but aren't we all in some way or another?