For some reason I woke up this morning before seven. I decided to roll with it, made coffee and went for a walk. The sky was pink, the breeze was cool, the birds were singing and I felt like Keira Knightley in this scene from Pride and Prejudice, in spite of the distant hum of traffic on the highway and the suburban scenery.
I just re-watched that movie this week and it made me wish I could take long walks everyday over the British countryside.
I have to re-watch it every couple of years. It’s one of my comfort movies. Sometimes I need the familiar, something I know I’ll love. But I’ve forgotten just how much I love that movie.
It’s a great story, I mean hello. I have a shamefully documented love of Jane Austen. But for me, this movie transcends that. It’s a piece of art.
It’s an impressionist painting made up of emotion. Every scene is so deliberate - the angles, the costumes, the light, the music. It’s a compressed version of the story. A haiku. Watching the movie feels almost as if you are looking into a tiny dollhouse that’s come to life. And the cast, the cast is amazing too. So many seasoned actors and so many who've blown up since!
I would love to sit down with Joe Wright for a few hours and just talk about how he made the movie and his artistic choices. I have questions, you know?
And I want to go to England.
And of course every time I watch the movie again, it makes me want to read the book again! Ha!
Do you have any movies like this in your life? Comfort movies you turn to again and again?
p.s. It’s now 4:30 in the afternoon and I feel more like this:
Hmmm, never thought about that movie being a haiku form of P&P, but I see your point.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen Bright Star? It's one of those artsy movies that's totally a rich indulgence. Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson), Persuasion (Amanda Root) and Cranford are also my go-to's for comfort.