It is a universally known truth that "Pride and Prejudice" is one of the most iconic novels of the 19th century, being also the masterpiece of the british writer Jane Austen. The book tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a rural landowner's daughter in the interior of England, not far from London. Together with her four sisters and mother, she needs to deal with the problems related to education, culture, morals and marriage in the aristocratic society of the early 19th century.
Considered one of the greatest successes of English literature, "Pride and Prejudice" has gained several adaptations for cinema and television. The most recent one, directed by Joe Wright, was released in 2005. In it Keira Knightley plays the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, while Matthew Macfadyen plays her romantic couple, Mr. Darcy.
In this analysis, we will see how the filmic adaptation of the book interfered the way in which the image of Mr Darcy was developed, differing from the presentation made by the housekeeper in chapter 43, when Elizabeth visits Mr. Darcy's estate in Pemberley.
At the beginning of the scene, we see Elizabeth's arrival in the property alongside some relatives, the Gardiners. In this particular moment of the story, new attributes are linked to Mr. Darcy's image: his fortune, so frequently mentioned, is materialized with the exposure of his acquisitions in the intimacy of his home. The detailed descriptions of the aristocrat's property, made by Jane Austen at the beginning of the chapter, adopts a faithful visual représentation in the film : through the use of a wide shot at the very beginning of the scene, Wright manages to both contextualize the events and, at the same time, he illustrates Elizabeth Bennet's focus of admiration and astonishment. We can also see how Wright manages to transmit the magnitude of the place by positioning the camera at a higher angle to the characters when Elizabeth and her relatives enter the house, in the company of the housekeeper, showing how small they are compared to the building - which alludes not only to the size of the characters, but also to their social classes.
In the following sequence, the camera follows Elizabeth's glance, looking up at the vast painting that decorates the ceiling. As she enters furthermore the building, we're able to see every detail of Mr. Darcy's house, filled with artifacts and expensive objects. In this particular moment, I'd say that one of the most striking differences in the representation of the interior of his house, which differs from that made in the book, is the vast number of statues presented, assuming almost entirely the decorative space of the hall – giving the impression that Elizabeth is in a museum for contemporary spectators. This large number of artistic objects illustrate the cultural and intellectual interest of Mr Darcy, as well as it contributes to the affirmation of his riches. Elizabeth then interrupts herself in front of Mr Darcy's marble bust. Her gaze expresses a certain admiration. The housekeeper who accompanies them on their visit asks, after discovering that Lizzy knows the owner of the place, what she thinks of his beauty. The character then replies that she finds him attractive.
At this point, one notices that Joe Wright has opted to condense the large passages of dialogue made in the book, choosing to focus on the visual representation of his riches, while Jane Austen benefits from this moment to present Mr Darcy's personality and moral values through flattery made by the housekeeper. "Darcy is Austen's ideal upper class man, balancing power and compassion, community involved and dedication to family."1
Bibliography
1 - Pride and Prejudice, sumary and analysis. Disponible sur: < https://www.litcharts.com/lit/pride-and-prejudice/chapter-43 > .
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