no life without wife
03.26.05 @ 5:47 p.m.
According to Mr. Kholi in Bride and Prejudice.
I'm actually not going to give the movie a glowing review... I'm too aware of all the bad reviews it got to be willing to do it, but I really liked it. I think the thing is that to enjoy the film, you have to be an Austen nerd. You have to understand what is going on with the Mary character... who Wickham is, who Collins is, etc. etc. Really, half the entertainment for me was comparing it to the BBC production.
So, hmm, let me collect myself. Of course, I adore Aishwarya Rai. I have since seeing Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. She's so pretty and actually, Madeline Whitby (of my last novel) is loosely based on her appearance, except anglicized, since it's a Regency. Mainly, I find her eye color striking. The fellow playing Will Darcy... He seemed more and more attractive to me as the movie progressed, though he was a little vapid. Here is the problem: It would take too much time to develop the male characters, and so a lot is glossed over. There is a reason the BBC P&P is five hours long. The Wickham isn't villanous enough, Georgie doesn't idealize her brother so much, and actually she acts in the place of Colonel Fitzwilliam. And WTF, Anne? By the time Anne comes along (and her part is ridiculously brief) Lalita is already in love with Will and she can only be jealous, rather that smug ("she looks sickly and cross, she'll make him a proper wife").
I don't know, I can nitpick now, but I was actually really pleased. It seems pretty clear to me that the basis of the story was not so much Jane's words as the BBC version, especially since there are hints of the Mary character being enamoured of the Collins character (which is a brilliant reinterpretation of Collins, as far as I'm concerned. He's slimy in new and interesting ways, though he could have fawned over Lady Catherine a bit more.)
I could have hoped for a better attempt to bring Bollywood to American audiences. I could have hoped for a better interpretation of Ms Austen's work, being an ardent devotee. The myriad bad reviews kept my hopes low, and maybe in the end that was for the best, because I came away pleased. Darcy isn't developed, okay, I won't expect the intensity of Firth and get a kind of pleasing "Oh, this woman makes me shy and inept." Naveen Andrews didn't have a big role as Banraj (Bingley), but I still decided that I love him even more than I already do for Lost.
So, ultimately, I liked it, but I'm not going to recommend it to people, because I think my like is related to my Austen (and especially P&P) obsession.
Previously
fuck it @ 08.01.05
fanciful imaginary sea voyages to come @ 07.20.05
*dies* @ 07.19.05
more ootp @ 07.17.05
harry potter: driving our children into devil worship @ 07.17.05
