Change Your Image
md-bethesda
Reviews
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Finest screen version ever
Many have attempted to bring to life the words and characters of Jane Austen, but this mini-series remains the most faithful and lively version ever to make it to screen. The cast is outstanding as an ensemble, and individually shine in their casted roles. Colin Firth portrays a Darcy who Austen would recognize--elegant, aristocratic, haughty yet a deeply good man, and does so by underplaying the role, by defining the character with both facial and bodily expression. Jennifer Ehle looks the quintessential fair-skinned English gentleman's daughter, and similarly "becomes" Elizabeth. The music--fabulous forte-piano--, screenplay, continuity, sets, etc. are simply unparalleled.
Olivier's version was "pretty" for its day, but today comes across as a bad English Gone With the Wind right down to the (era) inaccurate hoop skirts and silly chase scene home after the discovery of Mr. Bingley's arrival to "the neighborhood". The most recent screen version, likely to adapt a complicated story to a standard movie length, eliminates key characters, portrays Darcy as a weaker, love-torn, and tremulous man--not the strong Darcy Austen wrote of sparingly, but definitively. To anyone unfamiliar with the story, the latest version is incomprehensible--too many key scenes are missing. To those quite familiar with the book, it is a fair version, although the Hollywood, "Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy.." ending added to the American release is so absolutely NON-Austen, it is embarrassing.
The Queen (2006)
Balanced view
I expected this to included more of Elizabeth's life-story than it did, but given that it dwells solely upon the royals' reaction to Diana's death, it still provided a "new" view of life AS a royal. The actual pictures of a nation plunged into despair--leaving bundles of flowers at Kensington Palace---once seemed so tear-jerking. All these years later , those shots recall similar scenes of thousands leaving flowers throughout lower Manhattan days after 911. The sole difference being that those flowers were left for thousands of American "commoners"--who one fateful day had to go to work, and died for doing so--for trying to care for their families. The old scenes scenes of distress for the death of a women who died in a glamor car after leaving the Ritz suddenly feel so dated and over-the-top. Diana was never the "Peoples' Princess"--she was an uneducated, wealthy spoiled aristocrat, anorexic, and troubled young woman who manipulated the Press to "earn" her status, and then had that same Press pronounced by her brother, in footage shown in the movie, as being responsible for her death. Helen Mirren portrays subtle character changes with grace and dignity. She does not rush into these, and other images--driving herself in an old battered car, stranded in a river in a car, constantly awakened to deal with new information, her first meeting with Tony Blair, and recollections of having met Churchill in that same setting when still a young girl herself lend depth to her character's development. She, a young girl,yet Queen, dealing with matters of State. Diana , a young girl, sweeping past photographers with her glamor beau into a glamor car. Two very different lives are portrayed, with two very different life-plans. Anyone watching the movie will come away with their own opinion--NO conclusion or judgement is forced upon the audience.
Happy Feet (2006)
Bambi's Mother dying , Old Yeller and rabies, BUT Happy Feet is #1 worst
So what is Disney's deep message here? Children, if you have something which makes you different from your peers, you'll have to learn to exploit it. OH, but that's ONLY once you have NO other choice. Happy faces will greet your happy feet, so dance, dance, dance and be as cute a penguin can be. Certainly children should be taught to know that pleasing your captors is THE most important thing in life sends a great message. Captors rule. Remember that Disney taught you this, so it must be true. Can anyone come up with any other message--excepting the other obvious underlying sexual message?! A five year old picked up why the dancing was important--and it was not to be cute and alternatively attractive. Bambi's Mother dying couldn't beat this--that, however sadly, had a moral. Old Yeller getting rabies and then shot rates up there, but at least it too had a reason, a grim reality of life. This is the worst Disney movie ever.
A Home of Our Own (1993)
"Apparently " true story?
The New Yorker magazine--we can trust them, can't we?!--reviewed this movie as the true story written by Duncan, who is the screenwriter--you can read the review at the New Yorker site. Anyone who sees it will want to believe that it is true. Regardless, for any Kathy Bates fan,this is a must-see. The dry wit and honesty of the 60's dialogue is simultaneously nostalgic and refreshing. For anyone from a large family in the early 60s, scenes will bring back memories that will delight and disgust--like mixing vats of egg salad in the Miracle Whip jar. Kathy Bates shines as always, but every actor in this holds their own--even the children. Watch it--you'll love it.