Sequence Analysis in Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Pride and Prejudice (2005) was Joe Wright's debut as a director of a feature film. It was a tough choice for the studio, because he had no real experience and didn't even read a Jane Austen's novel. But in the end it was the best candidate, because Wright managed to explore his nature talent and was later inspired to direct his other movies like Atonement or Anna Karenina. Pride and Prejudice was the first romantic film he worked on, but later he was admired for his work and the film was welcomed very warmly by the audience and the critics and became a commercial success.
It was a bit challenging to work on another Austen's adaptation, because of a huge BBC's mini-series success, which was released ten years before Wright's version. Joe Wright had to do something completely different from 1995's adaptation, that is why he's read the novel and watched only the very first Austen's adaptation. He decided not to watch BBC's series, because he could have unintentionally copy some parts while creating his film. So his film was special and directed from Elizabeth Bennet's emotional perspective - sometimes it feels like the audience is watching some scenes from a voyeuristic perspective. (Jane Austen Society of North America)
So how is this movie different? First of all, it differs because of the director's choice of placing most of the important scenes outdoors and shooting entirely on the same location. He showed a true beauty of England and the breathtaking landscapes of Derbyshire, Kent and Pemberley. The nature seems to be totally untouched and had a deep charm that was able to recreate romanticism of the novel. Wright decided to change the perspective of a historic drama - his film is realistic, it doesn't have only ball rooms and banquets - he shows the audience a life of a real family with its problems and what it is like to raise five girls under the same roof. The director didn't want to create another perfect family when each member of it listens with patience. His Bennet family is just like anyone else's - they interrupt, they sometimes fight, but love each other very much. The film was different from other costume dramas, because with the help of such inspiring background the main characters seem fresh and realistic. Especially Elizabeth - her walks in the moors at dawn or the way she is standing on the edge of a cliff - those elements show her free spirit and inability to enjoy boring time at drawing rooms, three course meals and the facts like that every young woman must play pianoforte and draw. It was a good decision to make this film for the younger audience - Keira Knightley is only twenty years old, the same age Elizabeth Bennet was. And she managed to show the audience Elizabeth's true feelings, fears and of course prejudices.
One of the most powerful scenes in the film is showing Lizzie and Mr. Darcy's first dance at the ball. The director captures the intensity of their relationships - Elizabeth despises Darcy for what he has done to Mr. Wickham, but at the same time we couldn't help but notice a sexual tension between the characters. With the help of mise-en-scène and editing, Joe Wright reveals their hidden feelings.
The mise-en-scène shows a crowd on the background and two lines of dancing partners. There are three British soldiers and Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. The opening shot is mostly focused on Mr. Darcy, while the rest of the people are seen quite vaguely. Mr. Darcy's figure is taller than others and it makes him look important. This scene is compared with the one where Lizzzie was dancing with Mr. Collins, who looked very small among all the other gentlemen. Subject - camera distance is always a very important element of a cinematography, because it makes the audience feel different about the characters. It this case, medium close-up was used - it means the shot is taken from the chest up. The scene is shot from a normal, eye-leveled angle. As two characters begin to dance, the camera starts to tilt on its axis, so a canted angle is used. The camera angle adds the effect of a dialogue on a screen, while the camera shows Elizabeth when she speaks and then Darcy when he replies back. The camera itself is stationary but from side to side it pivots on the axis, so this kind of camera movement is a pan. The music starts to play and it somehow reflects the the conversation between the characters. (Sikov)
Firstly, they have a small talk and the music seems soft. But then the conversation is getting tense, two characters confront each other and the music is getting deeper and more complex.
The lighting is quite soft, three-point lighting is used - key light, a fill light, and a backlight with the main characters to be the brightest light sources for the shot. Key light is the brightest one and fill light cuts down on shadows which were created by the key light. Backlight comes from the background and it enhances the depth in the shot. In this particular shot the lighting is subdued, so it means low key is used.
The next shot in the scene brings us to the turning-point of the scene. Joe Wright used editing - the mise-en-scène doesn't contain any people now, only Elizabeth and Darcy are left. The music is on its highest moment and the tension between these two is undoubtably seen. The camera is not stagnant anymore and it starts to move between the characters. Such editing helped to enhance the energy on the screen and bring the chemistry to its highest level. The sequence is beautiful and gives the idea of future romantic relationship between characters - even if they think they hate each other, they cannot resist their feelings.
First proposal
Wright uses relocation from interior to exterior spaces to achieve more significant effect. Darcy's first proposal to Elizabeth is an example of such relocation. His attempt to propose takes place at eighteenth-century temple, built in a neoclassical way; other parts of a composition are hardly seen because of the pouring rain. The scene seems to be apart from the rest of the movie - both geographically and mentally.
The scene starts with a dramatic music and Elizabeth running under the rain. The camera is panning right after her. Then Mr. Darcy appears behind her. Joe Wright used low key lighting, which is soft and darker than usual because of the rain. There is a natural setting and the characters wear dark colored clothes, which don’t seem too historical - the both characters look very simple. There are in the deep focus of the camera and the camera angle changes from medium shot to a close-up to emphasize dramatic effect of the scene, which helps to isolate the characters from the rest of the mise-en-scène. Also shot/reverse shot is used in the scene - the shots alternate between two camera positions, pointing right and left, not between the characters. The camera is static and on eye-level shot.
The director has chosen such a setting - neoclassical temple in particular because it creates a romantic atmosphere and leaves the usual decorations of fancy castles behind. As two characters almost kiss, the shot is framed so that the sun starts to shine behind the figures - it makes a very special atmosphere as even the nature wants them to be together. (Sikov)
The conversation between two characters is made in a long shot, without any cuts. The sound consists of a dramatic music - original soundtrack and the nature sounds of rain.
The Second Proposal
It is by far the most romantic scene in the whole film. It starts with Elizabeth walking at the dawn in the moors, thinking about her relationships with Darcy. Suddenly she sees him at the long distance. The camera is static and it shows how Darcy approaches to Lizzie. The camera angle changes from a long shot to a close-up, that shows us Darcy's face. The costume is a very important part of this mise-en-scène - he wears a white shirt and a wide open jacket. It is clear he hasn't slept for the whole night, thinking about his relationships and secret desires.
The lighting is very soft - it reflects the beauty of the dawn and shows the first colors of the sunlight beams. The whole composition is very romantic and the backlight is used as a metaphor - Darcy is coming from the light, it is like he is ready to accept his destiny and not afraid to show his feelings to the woman he loves. He finally understands that he had terrible prejudices against Lizzie and her family and that in the end such things don't even matter. Elizabeth stands in the dark and looks at Darcy. When she finally rejects her pride and goes towards him, she stands in the same sunlight beams as he does. It symbolizes that she is ready to start things from scratch without her pride. She understands what kind of a man Darcy is and steps towards the light. The lighting changes from key low to high low.
The natural setting seems rather organic in this scene. Elizabeth is crossing the bridge right before seeing Darcy. It symbolizes that she is ready to join a new path and be honest about her feelings. The country is quietly awakening and the whole composition reminds of an Impressionist picture - like an early work of Claude Monet.
After two characters finally stand close to each other, the eye-level shot is used and the camera remains static.
Joe Wright managed to create a unique film with a realistic romanticism that was not a typical costume drama – it was more of a mainstream and opened for the young audience. His film focuses on an emotional journey of Miss Bennet, who was too proud to open her feelings to Mr. Darcy. The director used beautiful landscapes and nature to open the true character of Lizzie – her youth, freshness and eagerness to be free from the society restrictions.
Works Cited
Jane Austen Society of North America. N.p., n.d. Web. <www.jasna.org/info/maps.html>.
Sikov, Ed. Film Studies: An Introduction. New York: Columbia UP, 2010. Print.
