"Pride and Prejudice" (2005 film) - SPOILER ALERT

Before I share my thoughts on this movie, I should tell you that I've never read the book, Pride and Prejudice, nor have I seen the 1995 mini series version yet. I was not at all familiar with the plot. I just happened to see that the 2005 movie version is available on Netflix. I had heard of it before, so I put it on my "maybe I'll watch this" list. After a friend told me they liked it, I decided to put it on my "must watch" list. And so I did. Four times. In less than a week.

Sometimes I watch a movie that many times because I just love it that much and sometimes it's because I don't quite understand it, though it's interesting enough to give it another try...or two, or three, or four. My reasons for watching "Pride and Prejudice" four times are all of the above. This will go down in history as one of my favorite movies of all time.

My only criticism has nothing to do with the movie at all, but rather my understanding of it. I had a difficult time understanding some of the dialogue. When I re-watched it, I turned the captions on and that eventually cleared up everything I previously did not understand.

This masterpiece of a movie had me right from the very beginning and held me until the very end...and even beyond! The opening scene reminded me of my favorite spot to stand on my morning walks - the water, the rising sun, the birds chirping. It's my happy place and so I found that scene very comforting. It felt like home. The entire movie was filled with scenes like that. I can't say they all felt familiar to me, but they all gave me a sense of comfort. I think that's what I loved most about this movie. Of course, there were problems the characters had to deal with, but despite that, I felt this sense of peace throughout the movie. It's a good rainy day, curl up under a blanket, and drink a cup of tea kind of movie.

There were also details like the scenes with the maid's humming, the horses, the unlike I've ever seen before trees, the moon, and the rain scenes that I found appealing. Even the house and their wardrobes captured my heart. Perhaps I'm just a fan of early 19th century rural England and didn't even realize it! I did go there years ago and I stayed in Brighton with family friends, so even the mere mention of Brighton felt familiar to me.

I also felt connected to the main characters - both Mr. Darcy and Lizzie. Like Mr. Darcy, I am not comfortable talking to people I don't know. I tend to keep to myself when I'm in a situation like Mr. Darcy was at the ball. And like Lizzie, I love to walk, too! Even besides those examples, overall, I saw myself in both of them.

The musical score for this movie was spot on and I also loved the dancing scenes. There was one scene when Lizzie and Mr. Darcy were dancing together in the room with everyone else, but part of that scene was created so that you could tell they felt like it was just them, as they showed no one else in the room. I actually felt something when I watched that scene and it accurately conveyed how they were feeling at the time.

I absolutely love the way Mr. Darcy tells Lizzie for the first time that he loves her. His personality as well as his deep and sincere love for her shone through when he spoke those words. Then later when he said, "I love...I love...I love you," also touched me deeply. When Lizzie mentioned how cold Mr. Darcy's hands were, I felt like his hands instantly warmed up with the sun shining on them as they became closer. Finally, when Mr. Darcy called Lizzie "Mrs. Darcy" five times, that spoke volumes, especially given the conditions under which Lizzie wanted to be called by that name.

So, if it's not already clear, I loved this movie and I am sure I will be watching it again. Charming is the word that immediately comes to mind when I think of "Pride and Prejudice", but it also has light humor which I love. Every member of the cast played their parts well. The plot held my attention, and despite my not being able to understand all of the dialogue at first, I found the story intriguing and I was excited to see how it would all unfold. It is everything I like in a movie. Soon I will watch the 1995 mini series as well. It will be a tough act to follow, but I've heard nothing but good things about it, especially when the 2005 movie version is seen first. So my hopes are high.

UPDATE: I watched the 1995 mini series. You can read my review here.