Classic & Classical - Pride & Prejudice – Elizabeth Bennet

Lizzie Bennet is no perfect but so rounded that everyone can relate oneself to. Her kindness, liveliness, quick-wittedness, and attractiveness shine through her journey of self-discovery and bringing up. Sometimes, she gets annoying but we still love that imperfection.

The first proposal. Angry and offended. She refused. Shocked and in pain. 

 At Pemberley. Staring at Darcy's bust. Pleasantly shocked mixed with admiration. Started to comprehend his true personality.

At Pemberley. Miss Bennet's shy and in love (for the first time). Her opinion on Darcy has changed. Looked at him with obvious affection. 

Lady Catherine: "Are you engaged to him?"

Lizzie: "I am not." In agony and sadness. Tears in her eyes. The man she truly loves seems farther away than ever.

With that to say, Miss. Keira Knightley exceeded my expectation and imagination.  I imagined her as Lizzie while reading the book. I think she more deserves the Oscar than just a nomination. And I don’t even like her as an actor (the Pirates of the Caribbean part III just kills Keira’s character stone death, anyone ?). She is nonetheless the ONLY Elizabeth Bennet to me. I don’t feel like she was acting in the movie. She truly turns herself into Elizabeth Bennet. I can feel Lizze’s “light and pleasing figure”. The chemistry between Miss. Knightley and Mr. Macfadyen add realness to the romance of their characters – Elizabeth and Darcy. Overall, well done Keira! I will be more looking forward to your new films. 

Dawn. Absorbed into Darcy. He proposed the second time. She cannot say a word.

Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 1
Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 2
Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 4

Classic & Classical - Pride & Prejudice – Mr. Darcy

At Rosing. Darcy could not take his eyes off Elizabeth.

Kind, warm-hearted, loyal, noble, strong, manly, but gentle and passionate in love. Tall, handsome, conveniently rich. Mr. Darcy is arguably THE man that every girl can ever dream of. I think whoever plays him would have to handle his sophisticated conflicts between his distant appearance and his gentle heart, and between his pride and his love for a woman of “inferior birth”. He loves Elizabeth for exactly who she is. Though he fought hard himself, he cannot conquer the desire for her. How romantic it is!
I think Mr. Matthew Macfadyen’s performance in the movie is beyond wonderful. He matched Darcy’s sensitivity, manliness, self-struggle and self-discovery perfectly. When I read the book, immediately did I see Matthew.  The chemistry between Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen makes their portrayal of Lizzie and Darcy so real. I like Collin Firth as Mr. Darcy too. It’s like a decent Darcy. Matthew Macfadyen, however, is the best Darcy in my heart, seriously. 

The first proposal. The signature Mr. Darcy's look. 

The ardent love in his eyes even after Lizzie's refusal. 

The first proposal. Angry. Heart-broken. In vain. Struggle to resist kissing Elizabeth.  

At Pemberley. Shy. His evident admiration. 

At Pemberley. His manner has softened considerably. 

His eyes read "I'm violently in love with you".

At Pemberley. The only time he smiles happily before they got married. 

Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 1

Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 3

Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 4

Classic & Classical - Pride & Prejudice - the Movie

The Netherfield ball. They unconsciously formed an intimate connection through sarcasm. 
It was the first to wake me up in the morning, also the last to bring me sleep at night. My mind fixed on it, craving to see it everyday. My heart races.  My heart skips a beat. I was completely absorbed into it. Now that I recovered a bit, I can tell you. It is Joe Wright’s 2005 movie Pride & Prejudice. Watched it 20 plus times. Scrutinized the actual movies scripts for countless number of times. And now after 2 weeks, my affection for the whole Pride and Prejudice theme are so solid and lively that it intrigues me to write a Pride & Prejudice post series. For better for worse, I decide to let my emotion go, even into cheesy expression of my thought. Who cares. I'm in love with this movie. 

I don’t think there will be ever an adaptation that can be as good as the book. We, readers, have the immense imagination and freedom to interpret Austen’s narration. It was written in a formal language while the emotion and passion still shine through vividly. Pray, how on earth did Miss Austen manage to do so? Nonetheless, the 2005 version truly lives up to my expectation.

The movie perfectly paints the romance between Elizabeth and Darcy. I feel what I imagine from Jane Austen’s book - the passion, intense pride and prejudice, most ardent love, ultimate scruples, irresistible affection and strong personality. I love Joe Wright’s “close up” approach. The facial expression is priceless. I think he did an especially great job on casting. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen are the ONLY Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy I see. The chemistry between these two really lifts up the whole movies. The way they look at each other, pray, just melts my heart. I screamed out loud after the dawn scene when Darcy proposed to Elizabeth the second time. How ridiculously romantic and cute! Seriously, I feel like a teenage girl spotting Justin Bieber or Robert Pattinson on the red carpet. Although the motivation is completely different, the exhilaration of witnessing something that beautiful and sweet really refreshes my mind. Oh, and the classic romantic pleasant music! How wonderful the color of the movie! Everything is perfect! LOVE!  

Darcy: "You have bewitched me body and soul. And I love, I love, I love you. And never wish to be parted from you from this day on". 
Elizabeth: "Your hands are cold". She happily accepted his hands. Yay!


Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 2
Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 3
Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 4