I know I made this comment to a few of you last weekend, after I returned from my brief beach getaway. But I figured I'd post the observation here too, in case anyone else felt like chiming in. I finally saw the latest film adaptation of Pride & Prejudice a couple of weeks ago (the one starring Keira Knightley). Shortly after that, I watched Bridget Jones's Diary again. Seeing them both so close to each other produced the following observations: 1) Pride & Prejudice is fine, but if people had it on the 10 Best Films of 2005 lists, that's kind of odd; 2) Bridget Jones is a much better film than a lot of people give it credit for; 3) Bridget Jones is a better film in many ways than Pride & Prejudice; and a key reason why is that 4) the makers of Pride & Prejudice seem to have totally overlooked the fact that humor is an essential ingredient to Austen's works. The failure to appreciate that leaves the Knightley movie a flawed adaptation. Bridget Jones's Diary's strengths, points that make it one of the best romantic comedies of the last few years, aren't limited to an appreciation of that fact. But it does, in a way, make Jones the work that's really more true to Austen's style and meaning.
Posted by armand at March 25, 2006 01:56 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Movies