The World According to Tiff Sniff

because the one I have has been worn out mopping up my drool.
I went to see the new "Pride and Prejudice" over the weekend. Twice, actually. I never really liked the book (I think I read it when I was too young to appreciate it), but am a big fan of the BBC miniseries, Bridget Jones, and Colin Firth in general. (Pictures are from Chatsworth, by the way, which inspired Pemberly, and is where they filmed scenes for this movie.)


Matthew MacFadyen gives him a run for his money, though. I've been a fan of Matthew's since seeing Enigma in London in 2001. He has great screen presence, and an incredibly sexy voice. Then I discovered him on MI-5 (an English TV show, called Spooks there, that comes on A&E here), and have had a little crush ever since.

Now it's developing into a full-blown obsession.

Oh, and the rest of the movie is really good, too. Keira Knightley is turning out to be quite a good actress, and plays Elizabeth Bennett well. She finds the right balance of wit and sympathy, and manages to look ever-so-slightly-less-attractive than the actress playing Jane, the beauty of the family. Donald Sutherland is so endearing as Mr. Bennett. (I hate that the Harry Potter movies only cast Brits - he really should be playing Dumbledore now.) Judi Dench was born to play Lady Catherine. And on and on and on. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the camera-work is fresh without being too edgy for a period piece. The score is perfect - accenting the emotions playing out onscreen without distracting from it.

True, much of the original story is cut out, for reasons of length. Most of the attempts to "modern up" the telling works, so that Austen's prim style is cut through and the passions of the characters shine through. There are a few moments, however, when 21st-century mores are inserted with a heavy hand. But all in all, it's a fun, engaging movie.

This story resonates with every woman who has ever lived, ever. At least to some degree. As my friend Katie pointed out, all of us make snap judgments about people, and it's nice to find out sometimes that people are better than we think they are. And every girl has had a crush on that unattainable man, who we hope will be able to see in us what no one else can, and fall in love with us for it. Jane Austen found a way to make the fantasy come true, but in a way that acknowledges the challenges of such an occurrence, rather than explaining them away or ignoring them. The creators of this adaptation managed to capture perfectly the alchemy of Austen's story.

It's definitely a chick-flick, although any guy who knows what's good for himself will take his girlfriend/wife to see it. And I challenge any straight woman to walk away from it without falling a little bit in love.