Media Literacy Topic 2

There is a lot of work that goes into making a movie. One of my favorites, Pride and Prejudice, is no exception. Of course, being a Jane Austin novel, there aren't any scenes with explosions, car chases, or dramatic gun fights. Obviously the production is going to cost less money than a Bruce Willis film but that doesn't mean it is any less of a movie.

The scene I love most is quite basic, but it is the most intense scene in the movie. Keira Knightly plays the plain and bookish Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Mcfayden stars as the brooding, good looking Fitzwilliam Darcy. It is raining in England, and the beginning of the scene opens with Elizabeth running across the bridge toward a marble building for shelter. Upon arriving, she pauses to catch her breath, but gasps as Darcy appears. He stumbles over a rushed explanation of why he has come to Rosings, why he had to see her, and that despite all her shortcomings, that he loves her. Elizabeth stares at him a moment before coldly rejecting him. Upon asking why she does so with so little civility, she rants about how he ruined her sister's happiness. The two go back and forth for a moment, before Elizabeth tells him he is the last man she would ever marry. There are quite a few reasons why the rainy rejection scene has become my favorite moment of the whole movie. Mainly, I love how this scene makes me feel. In a previous blog post, I lamented the lack of chemistry demonstrated between Knightly and Mcfayden throughout the film, but it is at this moment at which my heart races and I lean in, loathing the encounter while loving it. From the music to the camera angles and the banter, the pace of the scene appears quick and heated. The rain makes the situation all the more desolate (both characters soaking and cold is a stark contrast to the anger heating their conversation).

Consider first, the camera panning and angles. There are no dramatic sweeping scenes, just merely semi-quick edits to show mid-shots and close ups to convey the emotions flitting across the actors faces (via over the shoulder shots, handheld as well to give the viewer the feeling of standing next to them watching). The only moving shot in the scene is a short, panning POV shot of Darcy coming upon Elizabeth as she catches her breath. The scene is shot with a cooler frame (it is raining around what looks to be after midday, so a warmer filter would be out of place) that almost accentuates the dark plainness of their clothing. The framing, lighting, and setting are in stark contrast with most of the rest of the movie, which is shot with much warmer lighting, foreshadowing a dramatic and stressful scene for the couple.
If we look at the costuming, it is early 1800's period style clothes--Darcy in a high colored black and white suit (of sorts, not sure what else to call it), and Lizzy dons a darker green/grey dress and coat. The length of her dress is just one of many aspects that reminds the audience of what a hot romance was considered to be in the early 19th century: potentially stealing kisses and yelling at each other was as 50 Shades of Gray as things got.
The music as the audience enters the scene is fast paced and dramatic--violins lead Lizzy to shelter, but cease the moment she arrives. This set up gives the viewer a short but essential feeling of intensity. Only the sound of rain accompanies the heated discussion.
From the dialogue the viewer gathers that not only is the bookish Lizzy smart, but witty. I cried "Oh SNAP!" after she got into Darcy's face and said,

"And those are the words of a gentleman?  From the moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry."

This is not all that is revealed by this exchange. We find out that Darcy is quite concerned for his friend, Mr. Bingley, and tries to do right by him, though he realizes after Lizzy explains her sister's shyness that he aught not to have meddled. Lizzy is furious that someone has jeopardized the happiness of a most beloved sister (letting us assume that despite her disdain for the actions of most of her family, she is still fiercely protective of them). Darcy is not a man to forgive those who wrong him, like Mr. Wickham. It is also at this point at which Darcy calls Lizzy out for being prideful, and Lizzy rebukes Darcy for his prejudice against what he doesn't understand.

All of these elements come together in what feels like a fast paced, high tense scene. Upon careful consideration, I realized that though I feel emotionally wrecked at the end of their argument, it is not due to any action-movie techniques like zooming lenses and music that urges the viewer along through the scene. It is simply the characters themselves that have enticed me, drawn me in, and left me dangling in an emotional abyss of agony. "Just kiss already!" I want to scream. It is another half hour (or so) before their lips finally meet. That is one amazing scene.