TWD Pilot

One scene that struck me while watching The Walking Dead pilot is actually one of the first scenes of the show. Our first five minutes viewing the pilot is very different than the start of the original comic. The first five minutes consist of a clean-shaven, fully suited Rick running out of gas and then walking to a gas station where he encounters a little zombie girl in fuzzy slippers and braces and a robe. Rick then proceeds to shoot her square in the face. This opening is much different than the comics, in which Rick wakes up alone and emaciated in an empty (albeit zombie riddled) hospital. The pilots opening is so much more violent and brutal than the comics. It also has the viewers asking more questions than the readers of the comic would. At this point, the only alive human we see is Rick - which is like the comic - but instead of our first zombie that we see being an old patient or a doctor, the viewer is exposed to the image of a child. One thing that stood out to me, was how alive the zombie girl seems before we see her half-rotted face, picking up her toy bunny that she drops. This may be what leads Rick to call out to her and ask her if she is okay. The other thing that stood out to me, and also would leave the viewer asking questions, is Rick's complete lack of emotion he has when he shoots her between the eyes. This change makes me wonder if it is to show the immediate downward spiral that Rick undergoes - as this emotional response is far from the one we read in the comic - or if it is a ploy used to catch a new audience's attention, used for ratings.

Questions:
1). As a viewer, which opening did you prefer?
2). How do you think this opening differs from the original comics' in the way it portrays and sets the tone of Rick and the entire series?

P&P part 2

Let's talk about Darcy. First of all, I found that while reading the book (which I have several times), Darcy is written as a character to be disliked, at least initially. He is pompous and arrogant and self-absorbed. Although he is "handsome" and "wealthy", his attitude and disposition are meant to completely ruin him as a hero of the book. While I already have a rough time disliking Mr. Darcy, the BBC mini-series made it even harder not to like him. Firth's character is more sympathetic, which plays with his looks and wealth, and made me as the viewer side with him long before he is revealed to be a "good guy". There are also scenes in the BBC mini-series that include Darcy that are not in the novel. The first scene shows Darcy really making an effort to find Lydia and Wickham, in order to help Elizabeth save the family name, and hopefully get back into her good graces. This shows how much Darcy needs to redeem himself with Lizzie and how he has changed from the beginning of the series. The other scene that is interesting, but also not included in the novel, is the wedding scene at the end. It isn't included in the book, but makes a good ending to a mini-series.

Questions:
1). Is Darcy's portrayal shift intentional? How would making him more sympathetic and liked effect the audience?
2). Do you think the extra scenes that Darcy are in are realistic? Would he actually have put that much effort into personally finding Lydia and Wickham?

Characters in P&P part 1

My initial response to watching the first half of the mini-series would have to be how the characters would be portrayed. I had never seen any type of adaptation of the book, and have read it enough times to really have solid portraits of all of the characters. To me, the characters in BBC's adaptation were much older and often more over-the-top than I had interpreted them to be in the novel. Personally, I felt that, while the actors portrayed the characters well, their age difference than in the novel threw me off, and changed some context for me. First of all, I never imagined Jane and Elizabeth to look or act so much older than I was expecting. Second, although Mr. Collins is a "silly" man, I never expected him to be so awkwardly comedic in this adaptation. Although this physically does not change the story, personally, it changed the way I felt about certain characters, whether I thought their actions were justified or not.

Questions:
1). Did the change in age, (because come on, they do not look 19 and 21 years old) effect how you viewed decisions and actions?
2). Is there a reason why the BBC may have chosen to cast actors that would be older? i.e. How would the Lydia-Wickham affair be altered if Lydia really looked as young as she is in the novel?

The Humiliation of Elizabeth Bennet

Fraiman's essay unpacks the underlying themes of male gender domination in a novel that is seemingly feminine. She uses marriage as a way to help the reader understand that while Mr. Bennet may not seem like the traditional father, there is no denying that he is not thinking about what he can gain from the marriages of his daughters and what those connections bring him. Marriage is a time in a daughters life where she is handed to another man who then becomes the male that dictates her life. At the beginning of the novel, we see both Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth resist this tradition, when Collins proposes, and Elizabeth has to get the final word from her father, which is no. To Mr. Bennet, Mr. Collins is a silly man who can offer very little aside from security of their home. However, when Mr. Darcy asks consent for marriage, Mr. Bennet is quick to give consent, and impressed with the wealth of Mr. Darcy. Even before the proposal to his daughter, Mr. Bennet has been benefited by Mr. Darcy's wealth, when Darcy intervenes in the Lydia-Wickham elopement. This marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth ultimately benefit the males involved more than the females. Mr. Bennet will gain ties with an upperclass society, benefiting the Bennett name, and Darcy will benefit with a wife of his choosing that is much healthier than Miss De Bourgh. This also, in turn, negatively impacts the women of the novel. When Elizabeth agrees to marry Darcy, she is in fact marrying, literally, the reason for her sisters broken heart. That's sure to cause some tension at family gatherings.

Questions:
1). Did your impression of Mr. Bennet change throughout the novel? Or, if this essay hit you with the realization that Mr. Bennet is actually a very pragmatic father, did you change your opinion of him after?
2). After seeing such a strong female character in Elizabeth for the first two parts of the book, do you feel like her eventual nuptials to Mr. Darcy undermined what the beginning of the book set up?

The Lady in Wait; Nina Auerback and P&P

Auerbach's article "Waiting Together; Pride and Prejudice" is a closer look into the lifestyle that women were used to and how that effected gender roles in the early 19th century. She calls this "agonized restraint" (327), and how it is seen both in the home life of Lizzie and on the greater scale of England itself. On page 328, Auerbach breaks down the micro- and macrocosms of this waiting game. Within the family, all of the Bennett ladies are waiting for a man to be married off to in order to gain control of the family home and to provide for the daughter that is married. This waiting is pushed against when Mrs. Bennett devises ways to keep her daughter with Mr. Bingley, turning the waiting into the waited upon. The bigger picture of the female gender waiting is explained well, with the homes of the Bennett family and the Lucas family played against each other. The Bennett family home is named after the town it is built in, having no owner over its name, unlike the Lucas family home, which is called Lucas Lodge. It is known throughout the community that the Lucas' are complete owners of their own home, where with the Bennetts, and their home not being named after their own family, we see how the pressure for the daughters to marry could be coming from more sides than just the need to marry daughters off before they become old maids. The ownership of Longborn House is only emphasized when it is said that they face homelessness if Mr. Bennett dies before the daughters are married and in possession of the house, or it goes to Mr. Bennett's nephew. However, when looking at this waiting game the women have to play, there is a certain pressure on the whole Bennett family to marry a daughter off so the community will know that they are secure in their own home. This "waiting" was vital for women of the early 19th century, as it was all up to the man to court and propose to the woman.

Questions:
1). How would the fact that all of the Bennett daughters being out in socity be changed if there was no waiting on a male to inherit the home?
2). How does Mrs. Bennett subtly push this waiting game, and how does that in turn effect the Bennett family name in the community?

The Walking Dead Game and Inner Reflections

While playing the Telltale game, I started noticing that I was really thinking about how my decisions would affect and influence the game and the other characters. It was after the game that I sat and looked at my results and decisions and had to reflect on what kind of a person I would be during an apocalypse. The game really has an impact on the player, and there is a moment of realization when all your choices have some sort of consequence. The player is able to actively shape Lee's morals and actions and I think, after reading the articles and finishing the game, that it also, ultimately, shows a little peek into who the player is as a person; morally sound, ruthless, or willing to do anything for the good and survival of themselves and others. I'd like to say that throughout the game, I made the most moral decisions, but honestly, I know that if there was a choice between making the moral decision and making the most practical for survival, I would make the most practical decision, even if it had a moral consequence. Video games often make the player make choices, from meaningless, to completely interactive, and these choices that the player makes demonstrate the morals and ideals of both children and adult gamers. Before the Telltale game, I hadn't really played any games that made me question my decision-making and practicality vs. morality, but after, I have a deeper respect for the way video games have the ability to influence emotion and how it effects not only the game but the player.

Questions:
1). Do you believe that moral  decisions made in games are actually tied to the morality of the player as a person?
2). Are the decisions you made in the game the same ones you think you would have made in the same real-life situation?
3). Could emotional impact of video games be utilized to influence children and how they perceive morality and decision making?

Hutcheon's Theory of Adaptation

Hutcheon argues that adaptations are an important aspect to all works of art. He believes adaptations offer different perspectives of the piece of art. Many times, Hutcheon argues, a new adaptation of an old work with revitalize and bring new life to the work, and often bring the work of art into a new generation. It is clear that he does not agree with fidelity, because he states that art is not always meant to be imitated, and rather, an adaptation is open to expand on the work. Hutcheon also talks about how technology has opened up different and new forms of mediums for art and story telling, but also how it affected imagination and fidelity. A good point about fidelity he makes, is that when a work is adapted from a classic, people are much more critical of it, and afraid to lose the "meaning", however, when monetary gain is on the line, producers and film screen adapters are more likely to change the adaptation in order to make a more successful film and more money. I know, personally, that I get upset when seeing a movie of a favorite book and it has been drastically changed, or cut, not for adaptive change, but because it will help the backers of the movie become more successful.

Questions:
1). Are different-media adaptations more successful than same-media?
2). If so, does this affect classic works or more modern works? If not, why might same-media adaptations have a harder time gaining an audience than the original work?

Response # 2 to BBC's "Pride and Prejudice"

I definitely enjoyed this mini series more than I thought I would. It is very well done as an accurate representation of the book Pride and Prejudice and it really brings it to life on the screen. I think the casting and the setting is the best part in bringing everything together, I imagine that it doesn't look too different than how it is in the book. This feels like the best adaptation one could do for Pride and Prejudice on the screen because it encompasses so much of the original story while changing very little. It keeps all the important elements in and adjusts things so it flows better on the screen but overall it feels like a very faithful adaptation to the story. Colin First and Jennifer Ehle are perfect casting for the two leads and considering the 6 hour length it really doesn't seem like there would ever be a more accurate representation of the story on the screen than this miniseries. I do enjoy the 2005 film more but it is only two hours and there is much less time for the whole story.

I think the most engaging aspect of the story are the scenes between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I feel like the story revolves around those two so that even when they aren't together a lot of the time you are still thinking about the both of them. Their scenes are very interesting to me because of how the culture they live in is so polite and refined, they have this kind of social barrier up between them but underneath that there is a lot of complicated emotions. For example, early on you aren't sure what Darcy really thinks of Elizabeth, and she seems a bit confused about him as well. But because the way they interact in their society of everyone being all proper, it is even more difficult to tell exactly what they are thinking. Even as their feelings change for each other as the stories go on, they still treat each other in basically the same courteous way. To me that is the most interesting part of the story to see the way they interact in a formal manner while underneath are complicated emotions.

I think my favorite episode is probably episode four because the part where Elizabeth meets Darcy at Pemberly is a romantic and nice scene. I like it because after all the friction between the two it finally feels like there is starting to be some warm feelings on both sides. As the audience we can tell the two have feelings for each other and it is interesting to see how this plays out during Elizabeth's surprise appearance at Pemberly. This scene is good because it feels like there is no other distractions or waiting for the plot to happen, this part is what the story is all about, the two main characters interacting. I think this is also the time in the story where we really are sold on the idea of those two being together and now we want it to happen in the end.

I think it's interesting how polite everyone is to each other in this story. For instance when Lady Catherine shows up at the Bennets at the end and is so rude, Elizabeth still talks with courtesy. After she turns down Mr. Darcy he wishes her good health and all. It's funny to me how it feels built in to their conversations to have a certain amount of courtesy, even when they are fighting or mad at each other, people are still civil in how they talk. It's funny and I like it.

Response # 1 to BBC's "Pride and Prejudice"

There is a lot that could be written about so I will start off by saying how the 2005 Pride and Prejudice has been one of my top 5 favorite movies since it came out. I am not sure why because everything else I like is action and adventure but I really like the directing, acting, and story in the 2005 film. So when we read the book and watched the miniseries I couldn't help but be influenced by the most recent film because I have seen it so many times.

One thing I noticed about reading Pride and Prejudice is how unique the writing style is. Jane Austen has a way of describing things very well, and she will spend long sentences that can be hard to read at first, but in the end she describes what the characters are feeling very well and you feel like you understand the situation better than in many novels I find.

On to the miniseries, I have enjoyed it more than I imagined I would. For some reason Pride and Prejudice is just a well done story that holds up and is entertaining in a way few light hearted stories are. One thing about the miniseries that I really enjoy is the lead actress Jennifer Ehle. I have seen her around in other films and always liked her but not realized who she is. The thing I like best about her performance is how it feels like the same performance that Keira Knightley gave, I think Keira was undoubtedly influenced by Jennifer's performance. Keira Knightley is one reason I love the 2005 film so much, and I was worried no other Elizabeth could come close. I was surprised at how well Jennifer portrayed Elizabeth and how similar her performance is to Keira's which I enjoyed so much.

The miniseries really brings the story to life, with the production and setting and cast. It also did a great job of matching dialogue and creating new dialogue that fits within the story. In contrasting the mini series with the 2005 film I have noticed a difference which leads me to enjoy the film the most. In the film there is obviously less time so they have to cut a lot of the story, and it feels like they cut a lot of the more dramatic elements, and kept the romance and comedy. This makes the film very pleasing to watch because there is not too much serious drama, whereas the mini series is also great but has the time to keep more of the serious drama. Some people may prefer that, but I enjoy the light hearted aspects of the story the most.

In reading the book and watching the mini series, one thing I notice is my perception of the Bennet family wealth seems off. Originally I always felt like the Bennets were rather poor because Mrs. Bennet is always complaining, and they are obsessed with finding rich men to marry. But then when you pay attention you notice that the Bennets have servants and a decent life. So really they are more like middle class, but because of all the focus on finding rich men to marry I kept thinking of the Bennets as a poor family.

Question, 1. How funny was it when Mr. Collins totally messed up on the dance floor and crashed into someone? Pretty funny. OK I need a real question.

Question, 2.When did English culture change to be more modern? It is so different the way men and women interact in Pride and Prejudice, and I was wondering at what time did England change and become less like the way is was in the story. And Why?

Response to "The Humiliation of Elizabeth Bennet" by Susan Fraiman

This article reminds me of the last one because I can not tell what the point really is. It generally is concerned with the sexism of the society that the story takes place in, but I don't see how that is new information. I feel like we grow up knowing about how sexist old European societies were and how much better things are in America in the present. I don't really need to read details about how things were sexist and unequal for women back then, everyone knows that and reading the book itself was enough of a reminder. Fraiman writes at the end "Why, as some critics have claimed, should Elizabeth alone be above the social decree?" (Fraiman 367) This is an example of how I don't really know what her point was. I never knew about what critics have claimed about Elizabeth, and never thought she was somehow outside the social decree in the story. I also disagree with her idea that Lydia and Wickham's story serves as a darker parallel for Elizabeth and Darcy's. I think there is not much of a reason to believe that, in my opinion it was just a dramatic device that fit the tone of the story because it's simple and all about relationships between men and women and a family. Basically a 'marriage gone wrong' is a perfect conflict for the theme of the story, rather than something like a death or something more dark and serious.

I guess I feel like since things were so sexist back then, in order to write an accurate story set place there it has to be kind of sexist. Pride and Prejudice does show that but also is a sweet story with interesting characters and romance and comedy. The only way around the sexism is to not show it which would be almost impossible, or never tell a story in that time and place. So I don't understand the debates and investigations to the underlying sexism in the story. To me it is necessary to show that part of the culture if you want to be genuine, but I never feel like the sexism takes over the story or is included in any way other than to accurately reflect that time and place.

1. Questions: I can't think of any questions so I want to give a special shout out to Mrs. Bennet, who is probably my favorite character. I thought Mr. Collins was the funniest, but Mrs. Bennet made me laugh out loud a few times while reading this book. Times like where she is so concerned her husband will die in a duel, then upset with him for coming home without Lydia. Or when Bingley is coming to propose to Jane at the end and she runs up to get Jane ready, and someone's like what about Kitty, and she's like "Oh, hang Kitty!" she's just really funny how she is so emotional and 180's her opinions all the time.

BBC Pride and Prejudice Part 2: The Suspense

     The second part of the BBC miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice took a very interesting liberty in digressing from Elizabeth a bit and showing more of Darcy. For me, the book always seemed to focus in on Elizabeth more during the second half; the first dwells on her home life and her sisters a lot, and readers see what Elizabeth thinks and does mainly through interactions with others--talks with Jane, for example--rather than her actual thoughts, which we see a lot of as she tours Pemberly and then in smaller moments that tell us what she thinks as well as what she says to Lydia and Lady Catherine. However, the miniseries, although still primarily focusing on Elizabeth, also shows snippets of Darcy and the things he does independent of Elizabeth's company during the second half.
     One of those moments that I really just love is the entire sequence leading up to the two of them reuniting at Pemberly. Shots cut back and forth between Elizabeth touring the estate with her aunt and uncle to Darcy sword fighting and expressing his desire to head home, riding his horse back onto the grounds, swimming in a pool on his estate, and then walking across the lawn. All of these make the suspense build up in the viewer, as even someone who has never read the book will be able to tell that the two are going to meet again. If they were not destined for such a fate, then why would the scenes keep switching between the two, showing a new side of Darcy, who is open to stripping down and swimming in a pool or go for a walk without putting back on his expensive coat, and also a new side to Elizabeth, who is open to admiring all she sees around her and re-working her old opinions of Darcy after the letter.
     In the book, we only have the latter's views and opinions expressed, and not the former's. All we see is Elizabeth viewing the beautiful grounds and trying to come to terms with the letter. Instead of feeling the suspense of the two meeting again, there is only Elizabeth's disappointment at having turned him down. She expresses it in everything, with constant references to her decision, such as,  "of all this, I may have been mistress of!" and such sentiments along that line. One feels bad for her, and the only suspense comes from wishing Darcy would show up and get this love fest going again instead of knowing he will.

Discussion Questions:
     The first time I read this, I really didn't know when Darcy was going to show up again. Did anyone just know he was going to appear at Pemberly?
      Was Pemberly as magnificently portrayed as the book leads us to imagine?

P&P 1995 part 2

One thing I thought was really interesting was that there were a couple of added scenes that didn't happen in the book. In the books these scenes were talked about or inferred, but none were actually witnessed in the book because these scenes didn't involve Elizabeth at all and the book is from Elizabeth's point of view. The scene where Lydia has run off with Mr. Wickham is added in and shows  how Wickham was just using Lydia and Lydia is very oblivious and naiive to Mr. Wickham's intentions. The mini series also shows a scene where Darcy is doing all that he can to try and find Wickham and Lydia after they run away and Elizabeth finds out. This scene shows how Darcy has really changed and become fond of Elizabeth as much to help track down Wickham and pay him off. Another very big added scene is the wedding scene. The wedding isn't seen in the book but the wedding scene in the series is a nice touch for the ending, and adds some humor when they show how everybody is reacting to the oldest bennet girls getting married.

Pride and Prejudice Part Two

There's a lot of interesting stuff to talk about in the last three episodes of Pride and Prejudice (1995). To take a sort of different approach, I'm going to use this blog post to talk about the elements that were not represented in the original text. The environment and set construction of this miniseries was pretty interesting, and I found that they were surprisingly accurate to what I had pictured in my head. The Bennett house was, in my opinion, portrayed on film a bit nicer than I had assumed it would look based on the book. I don't really know why but I imagined it to look like a lower class of home than it was actually represented to be. I assumed the house would be much smaller, older, and less nicely furnished. I also imagined the pemberly house being a bit smaller and with less windows. The lack of decorations and scenery was sort of surprising.

(Also I realize not all of this is super pertinent to the first half of the miniseries, I watched them all during the same weekend)

1. Does the miniseries portray the Bennett family in a  higher class structure than the novel?
2. If so, to what degree?

The Importance of Pemberly

The arrival at Pemberly is a powerful, and pivotal moment in the film. We are show the vast and beautiful grounds, and the massive, stunning mansion. We watch as Elizabeth drinks it all in, and is enchanted. At Pemberly Elizabeth first begins to warm to Darcy. Pemberly changes everything.
So what is so important and powerful about Pemberly? I believe Pemberly is so important to the story because it is the first time we see Darcy truly vulnerable. We see Darcy in his private home. It is a very intimate setting, and we begin to feel as if we are just now seeing the real Darcy. Removed from social circles where he feels awkward, in the privacy of his own home, around people who have known him from birth, we finally get to see who Darcy really is.
No scene portrays this so literally as the scene where Darcy jumps into the lake. This scene is not in the book, but it plays a very important role in the movie. It is a visual representation of Darcy exposed. He is significantly less dressed than he usually is, behaving in a way he never would if anyone else was around. It is in the vulnerable state that Lizzie bumps into him.
Throughout the Pemberly scenes Elizabeth is able to see Darcy at his tenderest, most comfortable and most himself. That would not be possible without the important and intimate setting of Pemberly. Pemberly is so powerful and pivotal because Elizabeth finally gets to see Darcy for who he is.

1).Why does Wickham choose to run away from Lydia if he knows he can get no money from her? Why not convince a richer and equally naive girl to 'elope'?
2). Does Mr. Bennet really change, or are the feelings of remorse, like he said, really "gone soon enough"?

Part 2 P&P episode 6

In episode 6 of the 1995 edition of Pride and Prejudice, about halfway through, Lizzy returns to the sitting room, that she was forced out of by her mother, to inquire of Jane what has occurred with Mr. Bingley.  As she walks back into the room Lizzy receives the news from Jane that Mr. Bingley has proposed, or that he loves her at least and soon will propose. This scene is strange to me because its is absolutely emblematic of the idiotic nature of how 19th century British society behaved. The notion that your life should consist of guarding what your family has procured through endowment over the years and mony made of investment, as well as spending nearl all you time pondering you affection for a women is just astronomically absurd. I understand that this is the point of the book but this scene just was the straw that broke the camels back.

I did however enjoy the acting here. The giddy nature of Mr. Bingley and how Jane speaks to Lizzy is that oldish english type is entertaining and well done in this scene. The sitting room in which the scene centers doesn well to emphasise the nature of the wealth in the Bennett Family.  This is also the point at where Lizzy  seems to know that she is primed for Mr. Darcy.

• Is not the scene shortly after where Lady Deburg is grilling Lizzy in the ‘garden’ not one of the most entertaining?
• What do we think of Lizzy’s reaction to Jane, do you feel that she is more or less happy for Jane than her other sisters marriage? Why or Why not?

P&P Episode 3

In episode 3 of the 1995 edition of Pride and Prejudice, at the beginning of the episode, two of the sisters come running into the house to tell Elizabeth the news that Mr. Collins has made a proposal of marriage to Charlotte Lucas, and that she has accepted. It seems, as she is often found, Lizzy is taken aback and is producing, in her close up shot, to have a look of disdain. Lizzy seems perplexed, this will continue on to the next scene when Lizzy and Charlotte are by the fireplace, and troubled by the news of her friends impending marriage.

Sitting by the fireplace Elizabeth is exsaterbaded by the idea of Charlotte Lucas marrying Lizzy’s cousin, Mr. Collins. Maybe she is regretting her refusal to his proposal or pondering that her friend can do better or perhaps just thinking how idiotic it is to get married for the economic reasons Charlotte lays out  instead of for love. This response by Charlotte to Lizzys reaction after making the her feelings clear by the look of disgust on her face. Charlotte says, “Why are you surprised my dear Lizzy, do think that he is not good enough to procure my hand”. Or some such thing. Old english is sometimes, while exceedingly elegant, hard to follow. What is interesting about this scene is Lizzy seems to react poorly after being called out by Charlotte, she acts with contempt rolling her head as to indicate she has little time for this conversation and then simple tries to make her ‘friend’ feel better by offering a weak supportive statement.

Also I found it interesting that Mr. collins was in the room during this conversation. I thought this was an great example of how the scene really adds to the conversations intimate nature by having a fireplace, the volume of the crackling was clearly amplified for affect.

• Is Lizzy’s reaction to the news of her friends marriage at all telling of a greater issue with the Elizabeth Bennett characters persona of ever caring and friendly.
• Does this scene support or contradict Jane Austen's stance on marriage when we see Lizzy’s reaction to Charlotte’s telling that she is happy with the Collins proposal because he is economically fit and she as as much of a chance at happyness as anyone who enters marriage for love.

Pride and Prejudice - Part Two

While the totality of the BBCs 1995 Pride & Prejudice was quite enjoyable, I would like to focus on one particular scene – the second to last one where Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are walking and they become engaged. The setting of this scene was remarkable to myself, as they are seen walking down not the concise, clean-cut, beautiful walking paths seen all throughout the rest of the movie, but rather, they are walking down a muddy, messy, dirt lane with cornfields surrounding them, hardly romantic, dare I say? This seems to symbolize the messy background of their relationships, and how things don’t fit perfectly between them. It shows the impropriety of Elizabeth’s family mixed with the haughtiness that derives from Mr. Darcy’s. Also, in this scene it seemed rather odd how Jane and Mr. Bingley were walking so close to Darcy and Lizzy, and how they didn’t notice this significant exchange going on behind them. The last shot of this scene when the Jane and Bingley are seen walking side by side with Darcy and Lizzy following in almost a direct line shows the preciseness that this was to happen all along. As someone else (I forgot who, I apologize!) mentioned earlier, there was no doubt that each of the couples were going to work things out in the end of this miniseries. The ending was more predictable than it seemed to be in the book and the 2005 Wright’s version; nevertheless, I still found it compelling and equally as respectable. In this depiction, reference to Lydia’s immoral behavior seems to be heightened, beginning with her snorting in the first half and ending with her multiple shots lying in bed with Wickham close by. Why do you think that sex is more heavily implied in this version than others? Also, in these scenes, Wickham is always seen with a drink either on his desk or in his hand. He appears as a lush, and thus more significantly unappeased by his relations with Lydia. Do you agree, or disagree, and why so?

Pride and Prejudice 2

Upon watching the second half of the Pride and Prejudice showing, I found myself looking at the show in the same light as the article we read. To that I mean that the show was obviously more focused on the development of the secondary characters and that their performances were more focused on than that of our main character Lizzie or Elizabeth. For this point I point to the numerous additional scenes that Mr. Darcy is in that are not told in the original story. He actually is seen searching all of London until he finds Wickham and Lidia and then forces Wickham to marry Lidia in order to save the name of Lizzie's family. He also paid off the money that Wickham owed. The amount of time that Lizzie is the only focus in the scenes is truly much less than one would think. This thus lowers the effect of the character development of not only Elizabeth but also that of the infamous Mr. Darcy whose television counterpart is shown to be much more of a heroic and respectable man than that of the original Darcy.  Another element of the lack of focus on his character development is the fact they had an attractive man play him. This more appealing representation of Darcy forces the audience to focus on more of hi physical appearance rather than his character.  This is but a single method that adaptations use to alter the representation of character from their original designs in the source material.

PeePee part deuce

Honestly, who didn't see that ending coming from a mile away? Jane/Bingley and Lizzie/Darcy getting together was about as saccharine and predictable as a happy ending could get (I'm surprised Anita Sarkeesian hasn't victimized herself about it yet). But, oh good god, that slow burn of Elizabeth losing her preconceived notions of Darcy was oh so deeply satisfying. From the moment of the ball I kind of knew that Elizabeth was pretty full of herself. That was something I really liked about the miniseries against the book, we get to spend some time with the other characters and not just with Lizzie's inner monologues. I loved the performances by folks like Mrs. Bennet, Mr Collins, Darcy, and most other characters, Lizzie, Mary, Lydia, and Kitty, I feel, were kind of bland.

BBC P&P 2

For the second half of the P&P viewing, I’d like to take a look at how dreamy Mr. Darcy is. You read that right, dreamy. In the book, we are supposed to view him as pompous and arrogant, and while he is wealthy, he isn’t the ideal man for any woman, for he simply isn’t interested in women. But in the BBC production, Colin Firth plays him, who himself is a looker, let’s be honest. And while Mr. Darcy in the novel is handsome, I bet he was never imagined as Colin Firth handsome. Does this change what the audience perceives of him? Makes him less arrogant, since he’s got a nice face? While I definitely think this does play his character up, making him more appealing to the masses, it does somewhat hinder the true character of Mr. Darcy that we meet in the novel. 

BBC P&P 1

The first segment of the BBC Pride and Prejudice seemed to highlight all of the little things that we just assumed were happening in the book but can still make or break a scene in film. Each character was able to carry themselves in the same way as they would in the book; Elizabeth coming off as more high in society than her family with the posing of her face and walk, Lydia making at the time what would be improper for a young lady like herself to be making, and even Mrs. Bennett’s crazy will for her daughters need to be married off seemingly seeping from her pores. With a more objective view on the whole situation, these small pieces of subtle body language and movement can be almost vital to the true portrayal of a character, especially when the characters come from such an acclaimed novel that many view as having some of the most complex and developed characters in today’s literary world.

Questions: While the expressions and body language are vital, does it add an element that takes away from the true nature of the character since we don’t see that in the novel? Did any of the expressions out of place for a character?

Pride and Prejudice: Take Two

Since Jael and I watched the 1995 BBC version together all in one setting, I think I messed up the last blog post we did on Pride and Prejudice by talking about things that happened in the second half of Pride and Prejudice when technically we weren't supposed to be that far ahead yet so I apologize for that. In that blog I jumped the gun by talking about Elizabeth and the Gardiners first view of Pemberley but since I already discussed that aspect of the movie I won't talk about it again. Instead, I'd like to talk about the way Georgina Darcy is portrayed in this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. In both the novel and in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice the reader/viewer are given preconceived ideas about what Miss Darcy is like. These notions are put into the reader/viewers head mainly through what Caroline Bingley has to say about her. From the information we gather, Miss Darcy is presented to us as a stuck up, haughty girl who has been given anything and everything. While the last part may be true, the viewer is in for quite the shock when we are first introduced to Georgina on screen. Instead of being presented with a stately and snobbish woman like Caroline Bingley, we see a young girl with a gentle face and a shy and quiet temperament. This portrayal of Miss Darcy is almost identical to what I pictured in the novel. I was extremely impressed by the choice of actress and by the acting done by said actress.

Discussion Question:

Mr. Darcy is one of Colin Firth's most well known roles as an actor. Did you like or dislike his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the film? Do you think he did the Mr. Darcy that we see in the novel justice? Why or why not?

Pride and Prejudice-Darcy's change

One of the things that I found a bit troublesome about the original Pride and Prejudice was how Mr. Darcy's character didn't seem to change all that much for me.  We do get to see how he changed in that he acted kinder towards people after Lizzies rejection of him, but after watching the television adaptation, I got to see how he changed emotionally as well.  To me, it seemed that his character in the book remained roughly the same from the beginning to the end, as a sort of proud, intellectual man, so I was really happy to see how the adaptation was able to play off more of his emotional state during his transformation.
The first scene that illustrates that's change in the greatest was when Mr. Darcy first proposed to Elizabeth.  Up till then, Mr. Darcy always had this emotionless, almost irritate look to his face and acted in an extremely intellectual manner, never allowing his emotions to show.  This image of Mr. Darcy is immediately shattered in this scene when he enters Lizzies room, practically running, with a look of unease to his face.  He then proceeds to take nearly a full minute pacing back and forth in her room, nervously staring at Lizzie while making vain, hesitant indications that he wishes to speak.  These actions destroy the image that was earlier built of him in the series, with him often standing still with his own thoughts, and it was certainly a change to what I had built of his character from reading the book.
In all, I liked how the television series made Mr. Darcy appear more human as he changed throughout the story.  He never gets fully over his intellectualism, and I'm grateful for that, as it is still a major part of his character.  These subtle changes to his character made me feel happier for both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, as now we can see how the both of them change for the better, all for the love of the other.