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Nov. 25th, 2005 04:03 pmSomebody on Austenblog asked why anyone who's read the book would defend P&P3. So here goes.
For my part, I'm inclined to defend the movie because I think the level of vitriol leveled at it at certain sites is disproportionate to the "crimes" it has committed.
I've seen all the JA adaptations (I think) except NA and P1, and to my knowledge, this is the only one aside from MP2 that has met with this much anger. MP2 is also the only one I dislike on the grounds of being unfaithful---any others I dislike, it's because they were boring, or ugly, or both. Now, I don't think this movie comes anywhere close to the level of travesty that MP2 attained, so I find the rabidity of its detractors to be somewhat bewildering. I mean, at least the makers of P&P3 actually respect Jane Austen and P&P --- at least, they don't go around openly insulting it in interviews. It seems to me like they really tried to be "faithful," in their own way. There are some unpopular interpretations of characters, but nothing too outrageous. I mean, nobody would actually (I hope) interpret Fanny Price as a spirited, horseback-riding hoyden, but who honestly hasn't heard the argument before that Mrs. Bennet is actually really very sensible in trying to get her girls married? Who hasn't witnessed a Shy War? Even if you don't agree with it, it's out there.
Plenty of other adaptations -- Emmas 2 and 3, P2, and even S&S2, which I love -- make serious changes to the text, but they don't have gaggles of people bashing them. (Though of course every adaptation is disliked by *somebody.*) So I don't understand why this one meets with such frothing-at-the-mouth responses. Though I have my suspicions.
EDIT: Got a reply which was more of the same, insisting on the horrible inaccuracy of the movie, and here's my response to her:
( Read more... )
For my part, I'm inclined to defend the movie because I think the level of vitriol leveled at it at certain sites is disproportionate to the "crimes" it has committed.
I've seen all the JA adaptations (I think) except NA and P1, and to my knowledge, this is the only one aside from MP2 that has met with this much anger. MP2 is also the only one I dislike on the grounds of being unfaithful---any others I dislike, it's because they were boring, or ugly, or both. Now, I don't think this movie comes anywhere close to the level of travesty that MP2 attained, so I find the rabidity of its detractors to be somewhat bewildering. I mean, at least the makers of P&P3 actually respect Jane Austen and P&P --- at least, they don't go around openly insulting it in interviews. It seems to me like they really tried to be "faithful," in their own way. There are some unpopular interpretations of characters, but nothing too outrageous. I mean, nobody would actually (I hope) interpret Fanny Price as a spirited, horseback-riding hoyden, but who honestly hasn't heard the argument before that Mrs. Bennet is actually really very sensible in trying to get her girls married? Who hasn't witnessed a Shy War? Even if you don't agree with it, it's out there.
Plenty of other adaptations -- Emmas 2 and 3, P2, and even S&S2, which I love -- make serious changes to the text, but they don't have gaggles of people bashing them. (Though of course every adaptation is disliked by *somebody.*) So I don't understand why this one meets with such frothing-at-the-mouth responses. Though I have my suspicions.
EDIT: Got a reply which was more of the same, insisting on the horrible inaccuracy of the movie, and here's my response to her:
( Read more... )
