8/28/13

   One of my favorite movies of all time is Pride and Prejudice (2005).  I have probably watched it over twenty times, and I am not exaggerating.  I have read the book, and I think that the movie is an accurate adaptation of the book.  To be completely honest, I watched the movie before I even read the book.  But after watching the movie, I knew I had to read the book, and I loved the book as well.  I think it is quite interesting how directors try to portray the story.  The way they dress the characters, set up the lighting, portray relationships, etc. are completely thought out and intended.
   An interesting fact about me is that I love watching the commentaries with the directors and/or actors.  Watching the commentary shines a light on the decisions the directors make and why they make those decisions.  After watching the commentary on the Pride and Prejudice DVD, I looked at the movie a different way.  I noticed lighting in certain places that was supposed to make a statement.  I noticed how symbols were present throughout the movie that hinted to the overall plot of the movie.  Watching the commentary helped me analyze and understand the story even more than I had before.
   Symbols are present in the movie that allude to different aspects of the movie as a whole.  In the commentary, Joe Wright, the director, commented on the first shot of the film.  The film opens on a shot of Elizabeth Bennett walking to her house while reading a book.  Wright presents the idea that Elizabeth is in fact reading the story that is about to take place.  She is actually reading the love story that is about to happen.  Most people would not notice this or interpret this on their own.  But after finding out that Elizabeth is reading her own story, one can come to the conclusion that Elizabeth is smart and enjoys reading and reading about stories of love, but she is headstrong and will not marry unless she is truly in love.  The beginning shot could imply that she is ignorant about the fact that she is soon to fall in love.  She is blindsided and does not expect to have her own love story.  An interesting symbol that shows up in the film is mirrors.  In the opening scene, Elizabeth looks through a window seeing her mother and father talking.  Wright comments that the window symbolizes fails of perception.  He says that Pride and Prejudice is all about, "seeing people through windows of your own understanding."  The people in the story are blinded by their pride and their prejudices.  Elizabeth looks at Mr. Darcy through eyes of her pride and prejudice.  She is blinded by her love for him because she lets her pride get the better of her.  Events throughout the movie cause Elizabeth to have certain prejudices and feelings against Mr. Darcy.  She thinks him to be an awful man full of pride when she does not know his whole story.  It amazes me that one little symbol like a window can actually mean so much more than a square one can look through.
  The commentary highlights introduces many more ideas than just symbolism in the move.  That is why I love commentaries.  The commentaries help the watcher understand something he or she might not have understood, or allows him or her to catch something they never noticed.  I highly recommend watching the commentaries if you want to look at the movie or story itself in a different way.