Friday evening, a few of us ladies went to catch a screening of the latest Jane Austen remake: Pride and Prejudice (2005). I must say that it was a rather enchanting experience seeing this film on the big screen.
The movie was shown in a smaller auditorium and all the seats were filled with the exception of the very front rows. Luckily Sandra persuaded Yuie and I to finish up our concessions grub (dinner on the go) inside the theatre or else we would not have gotten as good of a view.
With the exception of having to get reacquainted with the new cast, the dialogues and scenes played along like a movie in my head. I took notice of the details they tried to highlight (including the zoom-in of Mr. Darcy’s hand holding Lizzie’s as she is helped into the carriage), but the highlight for me would have to be Lizzie’s visit with her aunt and uncle, stopping by Pemberley (residence of the the Darcy’s) whilst the ‘man of the house’ was supposedly on holiday, They are shown the grounds of the fine estate… when Mr. Darcy makes his unexpected appearance. This was one of my favorite scenes in the A&E version, and I was happy to see it replayed in this one as well … along with Lizzie’s stroll through the myriad of sculptures which she admires including one that’s the bust of Mr. Darcy. This sculpture museum reminded me very much of the sculpture court in the Louvre (Paris)… bringing an air of great magnificence to the setting. In summary, this film did not disappoint (that’s for sure)… whether it’s splendidly superior to its predecessors, is in the eye of the beholder. They certainly elaborated more on the ending which is what I like in the original 1940 version. This film also put its own spin on how the story unfolds. So let’s just say that if they do another remake again in the future I would still be interested in seeing yet another artistic interpretation of this fine film/story.

Music Score
I half expected the score to be composed by Patrick Doyle or of the like but was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed this composition by an Italian “newcomer of sorts”, Dario Marianelli — this is another name I shall have to remember. He has magnificently brought this period piece to life by threading the pianoforte style of the underlying score into the story… so much so that you would’ve assumed that Miss Georgiana (Mr. Darcy’s sister, who is somewhat of an accomplished pianist) was providing the entire performance for the audience in “narrating” the intricate scenes. You can certainly count on my adding this film score to my music collection.