Saturday, October 18, 2008

Many Levels...many times...

Several of my friends and I sat down tonight to watch the 2005 Pride and Prejudice together. Though I've seen it many many times before, I can watch it over and over again because it is just such a beautiful piece of art. The language, the adaptation, the music, the acting, the cinematography, the colors...and the symbolisim...

The more times I watch it, the more I can focus on things like symbolisim. Others have pointed out the meanings behind the birds in the films...and the weather. I paid particular attention to the weather this time. How it is stormy when the characters are emotionally upset, and particularily the dramatic, punctuating use of thunder in the first proposal scene between Lizzy and Darcy. (To be contrasted with the second proposal scene, which is the picture of tranquility.)

And, really, that's why we read or watch anything multiple times. It's because we can find new meanings, lines and words and emphasis's each time we go through.

The other reason is, of course, going back and greeting old friends and joining them once more on their adventures...but if it were exactly the same everytime it would grow boring. We have to approach art from differant angles- or, to put it simply, at differant periods in our lives.

So I suppose we all have our own particular "classics." Books that may never be regarded as classics by the world, and yet are to us because they continue to be relevant to us at whatever stage of life we are in. Because we can continue to find those meanings and those levels. Whether it's Pride and Prejudice, or Star Wars, or Peter Pan, we keep going back because we know we'll find something new. And, at the same time, something very old and very true.

3 comments:

Clare said...

Elena, I tagged you for a meme!

Visit http://mamselleduroc.blogspot.com

Grace K. said...

Beautiful, Elena...you have such a lovely way of putting things. :) I love the 2005 version not only because of the actors' performances, but as you said, the simple beauty of the film.

The music is so beautiful...I can feel and hear sunlight dancing among the notes, and the slow drops of rain falling like notes on a piano, and of course, Lizzie's theme: the hauntingly beautiful, sweet, strong music that blows you up, lifting you into the sky...

Aaahh...and the costmes! All of Lizzie's frocks are so simple and plain and yet so darling and pretty. :) Aww, Elena, I wish I could meet you so much! It doesn't look like I'll be going to Virgina..I can ask my mom again, but she's just very hestitatent about the whole strangers thing; you know, she or my dad don't know Regina or Andrew... Hahaha, mabe it's time to take Regina up on her offer to give them a call!

Lots of love, Elena! Keep writing, and know you're family to me!

Hugs tightly and blows kisses*

Your loving niece,
Grace

Lanta said...

*sighs* I am always jealous of people like you, Elena. You seem to be able to put into words things I feel, but can't express, really.

If the 2005 version is the shorter one, I haven't watched it. I watched the 6 hour version at a sleepover with my two Jane Austen crazy best friends :D It was really good. I wanna rewatch it. All six hours of it :P