Kindred Spirits

"Marilla is a famous cook. She is trying to teach me to cook but I assure you, Diana, it is uphill work. There's so little scope for imagination in cookery. You just have to go by the rules. The last time I made a cake I forgot to put the flour in."

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Discussion anyone?

Ok, I think we've all seen it now, so you can discuss away, girls.

I'll start it off with a funny little picture that I have put together. I couldn't get these two actors out of my head the whole movie. I don't think Brooke agreed with me on the whole John Cusack resemblance, but the Orlando Bloom thing is WAY TOO obvious. Anyway, here's some proof that the new Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham look a little familiar...
























What do you think??

posted by Andrea @ 9:18 AM  

15 Comments:

  • At 12:57 PM, Blogger Brooke said…

    I'm sold on the Macfadyen/Cusak look alike theory now. What book is Mary reading aloud to Kitty in their bedroom after Mr. Bingley proposes to Jane?

     

  • At 2:20 PM, Blogger Andrea said…

    Brooke, I have been looking around on the Internet and I can't find which book she was reading. I was wondering that too.

    Something interesting that I DID find while I was looking around is that the UK version does not have the ending kissing scene at Pemberley. Sue and I were talking this morning about how we could have easily done without that scene. :) Isn't that interesting that they had to throw that one kiss in for us Americans?

     

  • At 4:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    When I first saw Wickham I thought "Orlando Bloom!" I didn't think of John Cusack, but I did think Darcy had a very familiar look.

     

  • At 5:47 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Yay!!! I'm so glad all of you have seen it now. I've been itching to ask a question that hopefully some of you will have insights on. The clothing in the movie looked about 10-20 yrs earlier than when I thought the book was written. At any rate, it certainly wasn't the usual "Jane Austen" look. Any thoughts as to why they chose that style?
    Lol, you are totally right about the look-alikes. I don't think I would have noticed on my own, but there really is a striking resemblance.

     

  • At 6:17 PM, Blogger Amanda said…

    that was totally WICKED! ;-)

    I didn't notice the John Cusak look-alikeness at all during the movie, though.

    Shannon, I thought the clothing looked like it was from an earlier time, too - maybe closer to the time Jane Austen was writing it? Anyway, I really liked the completely different feel to the whole film. Things were actually crowded and dirty and countryish!

     

  • At 8:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I agree Amanda, I liked the more down to earth feel to it and I thought the family dynamics translated a little better into todays culture (sisters giggling under the covers etc.). And I loved what they did with Charlotte. Maybe not strictly Jane Austen, but it still made for a very compelling story. I understood a little better why she would be willing to put up with Mr. Collins.
    I'm displaying my ignorance, but when exactly was P&P written?

     

  • At 10:05 PM, Blogger Melodee said…

    I loved the freshness it brought to the story - it was so very different from all the other versions. I liked how they brought vitality to it by putting indoor scenes out of doors, and by their beautifully creative (but never jarring) cinematagraphy. It didn't feel static at all!

    I also thought the family dynamics were great - even in the 19th century, I bet a family of five girls would talk over one another a lot! I also liked how the dialogue often seemed that real discussion/argument rather than he-says-his-line-then-she-says-her-line. Example - first proposal scene: "Had not your pride..." "MY pride?!" "...been hurt..."

    I liked what they did with Charlotte too, Shannon, but I don't think it was that far off from Austen. Jane makes it clear that marriage was "the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune" and she also mentions the relief of Charlotte's family to have her provided for. I guess it was just the pointed expression of that emotion/motive that made it new.

    Oh, and Shannon, didn't that Assembly scene reminded you of our last very crowded ball? :)

    P.S. I had the Orlando Bloom thing pegged from the preview, but the Cusack resemblence didn't even occur to me!

     

  • At 10:42 PM, Blogger Melodee said…

    Oh as for dates-- The book was published in 1813, but she wrote the original draft (and offered it to a publisher, even) in 1797.

    I have no idea about the dates of the costumes...I thought they were going more Bronte-ish...when was Bronte? But then Caroline's dresses seemed more like the "usual" Austen, so maybe they were trying to show that fashion is backward in the country!

     

  • At 7:21 AM, Blogger Andrea said…

    Oh, I love all this discussion!! Yay!! Way to go KS's!! But, all this period-fashion-talk is way too smart for me. I have no idea about all that stuff. Heck, I don't even know what's in fashion NOW. :)
    I was talking with Melodee last night about how I was impressed with the movie in that they were able to squeeze in every significant event, but they were still able to capture Lizzie's comtemplative personality. They had fairly lengthy/quiet scenes of just her while she was reading, walking, thinking. The very first scene of her reading, walking to Netherfield, on the cliff in Derbyshire, on the swing, and walking out in the fog in early morning are the ones that stick out in my mind. They were fairly quiet and lengthy for the speed that the movie was going.
    By the way, I LOVED the Charlotte character. Very endearing and you sympathize with her very easily. I'm glad they kept that depth to her.

     

  • At 11:28 AM, Blogger Brooke said…

    By the time the Bronte's sisters published their books clothing style had changed. No more empire waists. They had waists where they belonged and big skirts and puffy full length sleeves. My best guess for the way the Bennett's clothing is, is the Director of P&P3 wanted to illustrate the financial situation thus the inability to buy fine fabrics and pay for fancy dresses. It fits in with the house and new family dynamics. The style of dresses worn by Lizzie was probably worn by poorer people.

     

  • At 7:37 AM, Blogger Melodee said…

    Aha! In the Pride and Prejudice booklet they say:

    We set our version in 1797 which was around the time Austen actually first wrote the book (then called “First Impressions”)...[This] also allowed us to contrast designs and styles more freely and move away from the tyranny of the Empire line dresses and formal rigidity of the early Regency period.

     

  • At 11:48 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Aaah! I am so frustrated. I typed a rather lengthy comment yesterday, but somehow it got lost. Note to self: copy comment before pushing publish button.
    Thanks for the insights on the clothing issue and good research Melodee!
    Yes, Melodee, the ball scene did remind me of our own ball. :) I'm not particularly fond of a crowded ballroom, but it made the movie very real. :-D
    *Sigh* I had lots more things to say yesterday moring, but now I don't remember any of them. :-(
    Oh well, obviously they weren't that important. :-D

     

  • At 10:17 PM, Blogger Melodee said…

    I'm sorry, Shannon! That is frustrating!

    Guess what I found out today? The title of the book Elizabeth was reading at the beginning of the movie was First Impressions. :)

    On another note, only my father would take three 40+ bachelors to see P&P in the movie theater. Can you believe it?

     

  • At 8:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I appreciate all your posts! I agree with the look-alikes. And that they didn’t need the kiss at the end. You all are so helpful to figure out the clothing issue. I noticed the variance but didn’t have a clue what to derive from it. I liked the crowdedness and the dirty country life. At one point I was amazed to see the wood plank floor with splinter-worn edges. I agree with the observations on family life and interrupted conversation. The indoor scenes outdoor and outdoor indoor was a little distracting because I was expecting A&E/BBC predictability. So I agree that it brought vitality to this version—it didn’t feel static or predictable—also because of the way they managed to fit in most every significant event (even though non-readers might not understand the significance, like in LOTR). I appreciate Charlotte even more and agree with her famous lines “it’s best to know as little as possible about the defects of a man…” and her ability to find happiness with a man like Mr. Collins. Not only did the crowded ball seem familiar, did I also recognize the “Patty Cake Polka”? I agree with Andrea’s quiet, lengthy scenes that stood still in the midst of the pace of the movie and portrayed a different kind of movement. My observation was that of Elizabeth’s and Mr. Darcy’s ability to show the unspoken thoughts and feelings of prejudice and the dynamic change those thoughts and feelings turn to. Unlike previous P&P movies (and the like), these characters had an ability to let us read their feelings. At the end, even Mr. Bennett can see that Elizabeth is in love. This Mr. Darcy’s eyes and cheeks quivered at intense emotion and you could see his struggle. I like actors who can let you in on what’s going in their minds—they did it fabulously.

     

  • At 10:03 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    And can you believe that "Lizzie" gets an Oscar nod?

     

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