Probably Not the Pride and Joy of Austen Devotees

A few years back, I was introduced to the Jane Austen classic Sense and Sensibility. It quickly became one of my favorite books, and Emma Thompson's masterful adaptation one of my favorite movies. My experience with Austen has been limited otherwise, so when I heard about the new version of Pride and Prejudice hitting movie theaters, I was sufficiently intrigued to want to see it. I finally got a chance last week, and while I know enough Austen devotees to know that I should probably be head over heels for the story, this particular version failed to grab me. It was enjoyable enough but didn't impress me nearly as much as Sense and Sensibility. I think it's time I tried my luck with the mini-series.

This latest version of Pride and Prejudice stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett, a feisty young woman in no hurry to be married off. Her mother (Brenda Blethyn) has other ideas. Elizabeth is one of five daughters, and Mrs. Bennett would like nothing better than to see them all settled with rich and well-respected husbands. She's the right mix of irritating and well-intentioned to be comical but not repugnant. She's annoying, to be sure, but there's little doubt that she cares about her daughters. Still, Mr. Bennett (Donald Sutherland) is a much more sympathetic figure. We get the sense he's spent his life being bullied by his wife, and he mostly tries to keep a low profile and not stir up her anger, though he is willing to step out of his submissive role when the subject calls for it. He and Elizabeth have an especially close relationship, so he is unwilling to let his wife force their daughter into a decision that would make her miserable.

Over the course of the film, Elizabeth has three potential suitors. The first is the laughably unsuitable Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), a short, nervous preacher desperate for a wife, though it doesn't much matter who. Then there is Mr. Wickham (Rupert Friend), a dashing guardsman who Elizabeth rather likes until his actions betray him as a libertine. The third and most important is Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), whose dour demeanor and insulting remarks upon their first meeting cause Elizabeth to loathe him for life, or so she swears. Yet for all her indignation, there is an undeniable attraction and the lingering possibility that she has misjudged his character.

Secondary to Elizabeth's romantic trials are those of her sister Jane (Rosamund Pike), who is certain she has found instant love with Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), an affable and clumsy redhead who is a good friend of Mr. Darcy. Their relationship progresses smoothly, despite the disapproval of Mr. Bingley's sister Caroline (Kelly Reilly) - a character every bit as aggravating as Sense and Sensibility's Fanny Dashwood but not as funny - until he suddenly backs off, leaving Jane distraught and Elizabeth furious. It's perhaps a fault of this movie that I am fonder of Mr. Bingley, who strikes me as a bit of a cross between Fred of A Christmas Carol as well as Edward of Sense and Sensibility, than I am of Mr. Darcy, who is supposed to be one of the most compelling romantic characters in all of literature. My favorite character, though, is the beleaguered Mr. Bennett, and truth be told I'm more moved by his relationship with Elizabeth than Mr. Darcy's.

The film is pretty-looking, though again, I prefer the cinematography in Sense and Sensibility and the sense of intimacy that is achieved there. Here, we spend more time in settings in which there are many people, and as a result I found it harder to connect to individuals. Additionally, while I usually have no difficulty understanding British accents, even in period pieces, I caught myself having to strain here. I know that Pride and Prejudice is considered one of the great works of literature, British or otherwise, and I know that adaptations often fall short, so I'm not going to judge the book on the movie. But in the immortal words of Randy Jackson, "It was just a-ight for me."

Cold Mountain Displays Strength of Spirit in the Face of Cold-Heartedness

Although I had a great desire to see Cold Mountain when it arrived in theaters at the tail end of last year, I suspected that this was a film I would be better off seeing in the comfort of a living room with an eye-shielding pillow handy. I expected the Civil War epic to contain several long and bloody battle scenes that might even require me to leave the room. So I was pleased to discover when I watched it last week that epic battles weren’t something I would have to worry about. My pillow did not lie idle, however; the violence in this movie remains, but it comes out in staccatos, displaying the enmity to be found among those who were supposed to be on the same side of the conflict.

Nicole Kidman stars as Ada Monroe, the pampered daughter of a minister (Donald Sutherland) who moves from socialite Charleston to the backwoods Cold Mountain in hopes that the fresh air will do his ailing heart some good. They settle in comfortably for a brief time before the beginning of the war, and during this interval Ada makes the acquaintance of Inman (Jude Law), a gentle man of quiet intensity. Though they hardly know one another at the time of their separation, the thought of reuniting sustains them both through the myriad trials that follow.

When Ada’s father succumbs to a heart attack, she is left alone with a lush estate but no money or skills to sustain it. She is reminiscent of Shannon, her character in Far and Away, in her ineptitude when it comes to dealing with everyday tasks, but she is kinder and less fiery than Shannon was at the beginning of the film. She doesn’t want to be spoiled, she’s just never had the opportunity to learn anything that would come in handy during such a trying time. Her kindly neighbor Sally (Kathy Baker) realizes this and sends help in the form of Ruby (Renee Zellweger), a tough-talking tomboy with enough spirit to rouse Ada out of her debilitating depression. Tending the farm turns out to be the least of their worries, however, as vigilante Teague (Ray Winstone) and his cronies terrorize the townspeople in their search for deserters and their helpers.

Meanwhile, after receiving an injury in battle, Inman decides to head back to Cold Mountain, moving from one life-threatening situation to another. He takes up with a series of characters upon whom war has also taken a great toll: Reverend Veasey (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an adulterous pastor with far less integrity than Inman; Maddy (Eileen Atkins), an elderly woman who takes Inman in after discovering him badly hurt; and Sara (Natalie Portman), a fierce and lovely young widow who gives Inman shelter for the night and is rewarded with his aid when Yankees strike her home.

The film follows the two main characters’ parallel storylines. The first we hear of Ada is in a letter Inman receives from her just before battle. Her story backtracks to the moment of her arrival in Cold Mountain, and it takes a while to catch up. Once it does, though, she faces as much danger in the comfort of her own home as Inman does on the run. This film does show the cruelty of war, but on a more personal level. It shows ordinary people trying desperately to survive – men trying to find their way home in spite of the brutally enforced mandates against desertion, women trying to fill the men’s shoes in their absence as food grows scarce and villainy abounds. Time and again, cold-hearted individuals go out of their way to destroy the lives of the decent folks in the film, and more often than not the perpetrators are Confederates just like the victims. The violence in the movie is no less traumatic for its brevity, and perhaps even more shocking.

Kidman again shows her acting chops in this film and demonstrates that she works especially well in period pieces. Law, meanwhile, manages to pull off an incredibly powerful performance with hardly any words at all. His goodness and strength shine through his grimy surroundings, and when he does open his mouth to speak, the words are always worthwhile. I confess that I usually can’t stand Zellweger, but her spunky character is probably the most enjoyable in the film and certainly provides a great deal of needed levity. Baker brings a blend of motherly warmth and sorrow to her portrayal of Sally; Sutherland, in his brief time on the screen, is a benevolent presence bringing great insight into the character of Ada. Other notables include Charlie Hunnam as Bosie, the villainous young man who gleefully hunts down deserters and those sympathetic to them, and Brendan Gleeson as Stobrad Thewes, Ruby’s vagabond fiddle-playing father.

Speaking of fiddles, the film’s soundtrack is lovely, featuring a great deal of folk music and many Celtic-tinged melodies reflecting the beauty of the land and the sorrow of the situation. Cold Mountain is hardly an uplifting movie. In fact, I would call it quite depressing. But it does show the strength of the human spirit in the darkest of times, and the dedication of the cast makes it a film worth investing nearly three hours in.