P&P 200: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Review
Continuing the 200th anniversary celebration of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice novel, with my thoughts, opinions, and review of A Modern Pride and Prejudice (2011) starring Maia Petee and Caleb Grusing (aka Caleb Grant).
Here's my review of A Modern Pride and Prejudice...
Here's my review of A Modern Pride and Prejudice...
Watch A Modern Pride and Prejudice trailer here...
(source: papercutproductions7)
A Modern Pride and Prejudice Synopsis
I thought this was okay and didn't look or feel like a modern Pride and Prejudice movie to me. One of the main problems of this film was Austen's classic literature dialogue from the novel just do not work well translating or using it the same way as the original was (that Austen wrote) to fit it to a modern context for this movie. It just didn't make sense to be using similar old English language in modern times with actors speaking their lines in an American accent. Sure, it has never been done before, but if it doesn't work or doesn't make sense, it should be changed and adapted to a modern dialogue (while still keeping with the old...otherwise don't use Old English in modern context...if the accents aren't British by actual British actors, lol) 'cause if it's not done right, it's just not gonna work. They just don't mesh well together.
Another one (of the many) problem in this movie was the majority of the actors (mostly from Colorado) especially the main cast were just inexperienced and needed more acting experience to play their iconic P&P literary characters. It looks like most of the actors were just reading or reciting their lines (without showing feelings or emotions) instead of demonstrating their dialogue with proper acting. Their acting felt forced and just not natural or believable, in my viewing. I don't see nor identify the actors as the P&P characters they were playing. It was like they were playing characters with similar names from P&P, but they were not those characters. I don't know. While I applaud Bonnie Mae, the writer/director with her cast and crew for daring to do another P&P adaptation (and trying to do a different approach), but Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice is tricky and not easy to adapt to, especially if it's been done several times before (and those previous 4 main P&P adaptations such as 1940, 1980, 1995, and 2005 were already most familiar to P&P/Austen fans) and you're doing a modern version of it and don't have the right and big production, screenplay, cast and crew to work with. This film was just a hot mess, in my opinion. I know it's a low budget indie, but it could've been done better and there are other indie adaptations with low budgets that has adapted the source material right and adapted it very well. So many things were wrong in this adaptation. I don't even know what else to say...
Overall, I thought this adaptation, was a let down, a disappointment ('cause I had previously supported, posted, and promoted it here a lot, which I didn't mind...I wanted to help and it was P&P related), and waste of time making or watching it. I tried to like it (for Bonnie and her cast, who were really nice and friendly group people I got to know through this movie as they were making and filming it), but I'm sorry, I got to be honest here, this just didn't do for me. Also, I have a a minor issue about the DVD (thanks Bonnie for sending me a copy...I appreciated it!), which should've had a menu and scene selection 'cause I couldn't rewind or fast forward the movie (even if I tried, lol). No extras either. The picture quality of the DVD was at least good. It showed a nice view of the Colorado mountains and filming locations. I liked the opening song, it was catchy...Other than those few things I, at least liked from the film, I don't have anything else to say or add here. So, yeah, that's all I have to say.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife and with that knowledge a mother of five single girls will do anything in her power to get that man to marry one of them. Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth (Maia Petee) and her oldest sister Jane Bennet (Christina LaFon) through trial and error of first impressions, timeless proposals, mistaken opinions and true love. When Jane meets the new eligible bachelor Mr. Bingley (Mark Mook), she falls head over heels until he suddenly leaves town unexpectedly with his friend Mr. Darcy (Caleb Grusing). While Elizabeth consults her sister she finds herself intertwined in the reasons behind Mr. Bingley's departure, a new found friend Mr. Wickham (James Hawthorn), prejudices and a possibilities of finding love herself."I thought the premise and concept of this modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice set in Colorado was interesting...at least it was before it was made into a movie. Watching this on screen is completely different. It didn't work nor translate well, in my opinion.
The first Impressions are not always lasting ones
I thought this was okay and didn't look or feel like a modern Pride and Prejudice movie to me. One of the main problems of this film was Austen's classic literature dialogue from the novel just do not work well translating or using it the same way as the original was (that Austen wrote) to fit it to a modern context for this movie. It just didn't make sense to be using similar old English language in modern times with actors speaking their lines in an American accent. Sure, it has never been done before, but if it doesn't work or doesn't make sense, it should be changed and adapted to a modern dialogue (while still keeping with the old...otherwise don't use Old English in modern context...if the accents aren't British by actual British actors, lol) 'cause if it's not done right, it's just not gonna work. They just don't mesh well together.
Another one (of the many) problem in this movie was the majority of the actors (mostly from Colorado) especially the main cast were just inexperienced and needed more acting experience to play their iconic P&P literary characters. It looks like most of the actors were just reading or reciting their lines (without showing feelings or emotions) instead of demonstrating their dialogue with proper acting. Their acting felt forced and just not natural or believable, in my viewing. I don't see nor identify the actors as the P&P characters they were playing. It was like they were playing characters with similar names from P&P, but they were not those characters. I don't know. While I applaud Bonnie Mae, the writer/director with her cast and crew for daring to do another P&P adaptation (and trying to do a different approach), but Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice is tricky and not easy to adapt to, especially if it's been done several times before (and those previous 4 main P&P adaptations such as 1940, 1980, 1995, and 2005 were already most familiar to P&P/Austen fans) and you're doing a modern version of it and don't have the right and big production, screenplay, cast and crew to work with. This film was just a hot mess, in my opinion. I know it's a low budget indie, but it could've been done better and there are other indie adaptations with low budgets that has adapted the source material right and adapted it very well. So many things were wrong in this adaptation. I don't even know what else to say...
Overall, I thought this adaptation, was a let down, a disappointment ('cause I had previously supported, posted, and promoted it here a lot, which I didn't mind...I wanted to help and it was P&P related), and waste of time making or watching it. I tried to like it (for Bonnie and her cast, who were really nice and friendly group people I got to know through this movie as they were making and filming it), but I'm sorry, I got to be honest here, this just didn't do for me. Also, I have a a minor issue about the DVD (thanks Bonnie for sending me a copy...I appreciated it!), which should've had a menu and scene selection 'cause I couldn't rewind or fast forward the movie (even if I tried, lol). No extras either. The picture quality of the DVD was at least good. It showed a nice view of the Colorado mountains and filming locations. I liked the opening song, it was catchy...Other than those few things I, at least liked from the film, I don't have anything else to say or add here. So, yeah, that's all I have to say.
Do you know where can I watch this film? I've been looking it like crazy.
ReplyDeleteHi!!! Do you know where I can watch it?? Please!!!
ReplyDelete