Where Are All the Zombies?

Despite how often I talk about horror, sci-fi, and superheroes on this website, occasionally I do need a break, a palette cleanser of some other kind of material so I can go back and enjoy more of the genres I love afterwards. Period dramas are actually something I do enjoy, with the sets and costumes and performances all being quite interesting to me in a way that’s different from the usual fare I watch. And when we’re talking period dramas, you’re very often going to fall into the land of Jane Austen sooner or later.

Pride and Prejudice has to be one of the most adapted books around at this point. Hell, I’ve already covered one version of it over on my Castlevania site, in the form of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which was a fun mix of period drama and horror all at the same time. But there are more adaptations of Jane Austen’s famous novel than you can shake a stick at, and there are plenty of recommended versions of the work that I haven’t even gotten around to seeing. And yet it was the 2005 version that caught my eye, and that was the one that I used as my refresh film when a break was needed.

Why this version? Because director Joe Wright did something incredible with the planning and cinematography of the film. The production outright rejected the standard way of filming “proper” British content. They didn’t keep the cameras fixed so as to show off the sumptuous, ancient locations that the film was produced at. Instead the camera is a moving, breathing thing, a living character within the work, an observer seeing all but never at a reserve. It participates in the film, giving you a better sense of the world you’re witnessing. It’s a magical thing, and it sets this version of the work apart from most other Jane Austen adaptations.

You can see it early on, with a starting shot of middle Bennet girl, Elizabeth (Keira Knightly). She walks home from her reading spot, and the camera follows her. She moves through the yard, and the camera shifts and wanders, pushing through the house, past other Bennet characters, and out the other side to meet up with Lizzy again. It’s a continuous shot that wouldn’t have been easy in a modern film, but to then do it in the tight quarters of this older home, while actors have to move around and have complicated interactions in full Regency-era dress… it’s impressive. And this isn’t even the most complicated shot in the film.

There are a number of sweeping, moving sequences. Complicated dance hall numbers full of chaos and life. Long takes of characters walking and talking. And then a party sequence halfway into the film, that starts with a long one-shot into the house before breaking away to a series of cuts, only to then lead to another, even more complicated one shot that shifts between three rooms and fourteen characters across all their interweaving storylines. The film is full of life and depth and it makes the world of this novel feel so much more real for it.

And all of this in service of a story that you would otherwise feel like you’ve seen before. Again, Pride and Prejudice is very well worn territory, and this film doesn’t otherwise change the material being adapted. The magic is in how it’s transcribed to the screen and not in any material changes to the story. So Lizzy is still a free spirit, still resistant to marrying for money when she could marry for love. She rejects the hand of her cousin (it was a different time, so we won’t think anything of it here), Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), all because she kind of has eyes for a different man that’s come to town, Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). Except she also finds him insufferable, and he likewise is no fan of hers. Except then, through complications, twists, and back and forth disputes and passionate speeches, the two eventually fall in love.

It really is a solid work, and the only flaws in the film come, in my opinion, from the source material. Lizzy, as well played as she is by Knightly, is a lot. She’s kind of annoying at times, which I get she’s supposed to be as she’s a young woman, but she can be hard to tolerate. Knightly’s charisma helps to paper over that a lot, but there were times in the film where you just wish Lizzy would talk crap out instead of making assumptions, and it becomes unbearable.

Although, in fairness, I also had my issues with Mr. Darcy here. In this case I don’t want to blame the source material. My issue was kind of with the actor, although not in the way you might expect. Don’t get me wrong. Macfadyen plays Darcy very well, and there’s nothing wrong with him in the role or the performance. The issue is that I’ve watched all of Succession, and he plays a really wormy, weasely, shit-heel over there, and any time he was on screen here I still saw him as that same asshole. Credit to his performance on Succession as he was fantastic in that role there, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see him otherwise now.

Now, I’m sure there are plenty that won’t have the same issues with this work as I did, and I want to admit these qualms I had were minor. The acting in this production is superb, and the work really is a sumptuous sight for the eyes. Even as I was annoyed by the lead characters I couldn’t deny the amount of work that went into the film. And while I really wanted to throttle both leads and tell them to just communicate their feelings, I was still hooked on the film. This version of Pride and Prejudice is over two hours long, but it didn’t feel like it. My wife and I sat down to watch part of it with dinner before going off to do other stuff, and then we simply didn’t get up until the movie was over. It sucked us in.

You can’t deny the sheer artistry on display in the film, and what’s most impressive is how much you don’t notice it unless you’re looking for it. The long takes serve to keep you moving with the story, and as the camera twists and moves through scenes it’s not showy. Instead it makes you feel like a character in the film, a participant watching all of it play out. The film draws you in and keeps you there, in the moment, in a way that a more traditional version of this film never could. Wright was, well, right to film the story this way as it pays dividends in the final production.

Whether you like the story of Pride and Prejudice or not, there’s no denying that the 2005 adaptation is a fantastic work of artistic filmmaking. The movie is so well put together, so perfectly produced, that it blows most other versions of the story away. There’s artistic merit, and then there’s the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. Even just on a technical level you won’t be able to watch other versions the same way again.