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.