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I love P&P. This is one of the funniest book I've ever read, and I enjoy very much crime stories. So I was quite exciting when my cousin lent me the DVD, but unfortunately it left me utterly disappointed.
The plot is sometimes incoherent, with big shortcuts, but I was so exciting for the miniserie that I could have easily forgiven that. Overall, it was quite a good plot, the whole part with the ill brother and the bastard baby was very welcome.
No, I mostly blame both the cast and some scenes. Like I said, what I consider the most in Jane Austen is her unrivaled sense of humour. Humour which was clearly missing here : no wits, no soul, no irony, nothing but cliché drama characters.
I could not recognize my dear Lizzie, so lively, so witty, so unique. I certainly think Anna Maxwell Martin was the perfect example of a complete miscat. I usually like this actress, I really do, but here she was boring, passive, her face did not reflect anything but affliction - is that TRULY Elizabeth Bennett???? It left me so frustrated, just like I was watching another cliché female character rather than the unique Lizzie Bennett.
There was also no chemistry between her and Darcy. Again, I have nothing against Matthew Rhys, but he should not have been here. He was plain, and, just like Anna, always had the same face expressions. And the whole story with his great-grand-father, which could explain why he was so reluctant at his love for Lizzie in the first place, was a nonsense to me. I don't think he needed any justifications for his first behaviour, that really was unnecessary. Anyway, I think I could have done with it. I am mostly angry at Lizzie's cast.
I also like very much Austen's movies' XIX atmosphere, how people talk and express their feelings in a very codified way, this other language of the body, which is much more puritan than ours. I love how they fear their first kiss etc, as it leads us to such a different time and that I love to travel in time. But none of it here : they often kiss, there is even a sex scene etc - THAT could never belong to any Austen's novels. I am not saying that it is shameful to show that or anything, simply that I simply did not feel any Austen's spirit in it. Effusions or tears were not necessary to bring emotion to the watcher, and especially not in this context!
Same for the colors used to film: everything is dark, gloomy. Yes, I know, this is a murder story, but still. Hercule Poirot's show manages to be very colourful and playful with dark stories and that is why it remains so unique.
I think that is all. It lost this unique Austen's taste by trying to be more "average" rather than staying in this ironic and colourful tone, and so it became "just another crime show with the same characters of every crime shows". To be fair, it was quite good, but blank and without soul, and certainly not Austen's.
score 4/10
Brunehaut 22 June 2018
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4211961/ |
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6-1-2021 02:46:06