Movie: Pride and Prejudice

Watched the movie ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and loved it. Though I had read the Jane Austin book a long time back, it seems I had forgotten it except a few recollections all through. And the movie is so beautifully made that I am speechless about the experience. It is overwhelming.

To begin with, I like happy-ending stories and this was one. When Elizabeth and Darcy seem to be separated, viewers can feel a simmering pain – how unfortunate? I wished it did not happen like it happened; and indeed there were secrets which came out and Elizabeth could see the real Darcy.

If I talk about the characters, I don’t know why Darcy was so grave always. He did not dance; not even smiled in the first scene when he makes an entry. And he keeps that serious face all through. Though I think we do not get to know the reason for apparent sadness anywhere in the plot. Was he sad over loneliness? In the later parts when he interacts with Elizabeth, one can see his childlike face lit up. Elizabeth appears stubborn though intelligent, and she realizes in the end about her weaknesses. Elizabeth’s mother was such a chatty character; she talked too much and most of the time unwanted stuff.

About the socioeconomic conditions depicted in the story; I could not help but notice some elements. Daughters were burden to the family in a way and parents had to do anything to get them wedded and sent out. Though the manner in which these parents were doing was shocking – sending daughters in front of soldiers and in public so as to display them in the hope that some worthy man could notice them. They were also offering for example Mr. Collins one daughter instead of the other of his choice. This part was shocking. In India, even though daughters are considered ‘burden’ in the same sense, but not treated in this manner, which can be called immoral by Indian parents if they see it here. When one of the sisters in the story eloped with a soldier who asked for a kind of pension or compensation to marry her; and the family had to agree to his demand in order to save their social prestige, it was shocking. It seems status of women in society and harsh social realities have been same almost everywhere in the world.

Anyways, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ has been an enlightening watch. How we are wrong in understanding people and individuals and how we tend to see faults in others while the same faults present in us are overlooked by us; is depicted very nicely in it.