This past week (February 25th – March 2nd) I mainly watched a classic mini series throughout the week, but I did manage to watch a movie over the weekend as well. Although a mini series doesn’t fall under my umbrella of “movies, books, and albums,” I will be reviewing it below nonetheless!
TV Series: Pride and Prejudice (1995) Directed by Simon Langton
Summary:
The 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is a British television series produced by BBC. It closely follows Jane Austen’s classic novel, focusing on the romantic entanglements of the Bennet family, particularly the headstrong Elizabeth Bennet and the wealthy, aloof Mr. Darcy. The series is acclaimed for its faithful adaptation, strong performances, and beautiful period setting. It consists of six episodes and is widely regarded as one of the best adaptations of Austen’s work, with Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy becoming particularly iconic.
Summary written by ChatGPT when prompted “Summarize the 1995 adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice‘‘”
My Thoughts:
I’m not sure what made me want to watch this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice last week. I have seen the 2005 film adaptation before some years ago, but that wasn’t available for free, so I decided to give the 1995 BBC mini series a try. And after all, my favorite movie of 2023, Barbie, mentions it during the “depression Barbie” scene:
Me telling you that I watched Pride and Prejudice is not a cry for help…at least, I don’t think it is? Last week was a stressful week, and so I guess I was craving to watch something familiar and “comforting,” even though I had never seen this adaptation before.
During my master’s program, I had to take a class that was all about Jane Austen’s works. Growing up I didn’t care much for her work, but ever since I took this course, I’ve been pretty obsessed with Jane Austen and the Regency Era. It’s interesting to learn about how more rigid social and economic conditions affected women. In a time when women are more liberated and free to make their own choices in life, I wonder why we are still so intrigued by women’s conditions during Austen’s time.
I think that just as we love fairy tales with princesses and happy endings, women might also view Austen’s works as wish fulfillment. Just as I said during my reviews of Don’t Worry Darling and The Stepford Wives, I think at times modern women might yearn for “simpler” times when gender norms were more standardized. I’m not saying past ways of life were better, I’m just saying that because we have so many options now and things aren’t as black and white as they might have been in the past, we might feel overwhelmed by choices and by needing to define who we are. And so, at times when women might feel that life is too chaotic, it might make some of us wish that a Mr. Darcy would come and sweep us off our feet.
Of course, there are many other things aspects to Austen’s works that make them have an enduring appeal. For one, even though Pride and Prejudice was published over two hundred years ago, there are many things that we might still find relatable. For instance, feeling embarrassed about one’s family or having to deal with gossips.
I could probably say a lot more about Pride and Prejudice and about Jane Austen in general, but I just want to encourage anyone who has never read the book or seen the movie/show to give this story a try. The characters are so memorable and you can find many things to analyze about them and their intentions, if that’s something that you enjoy doing.
Really, I just want more people to fall in love with Austen’s works. If you struggle to understand her stories even after watching a movie/show or reading one of her books, I would encourage you not to give up. You could watch YouTube videos that help you understand things that you might have missed or don’t understand.
These two YouTube creators are some of my favorites!:
My Rating:
Where to Watch: As of 3/4/2024, you can stream Pride and Prejudice for free on the Roku Channel.
Movie: The Peanuts Movie (2015) Directed by Steve Martino; Screenplay by Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano
Summary:
The Peanuts Movie is a 2015 animated film directed by Steve Martino. It follows the beloved characters created by Charles M. Schulz, primarily focusing on Charlie Brown and his efforts to win the affection of the Little Red-Haired Girl, while also navigating various challenges and adventures with his friends, including Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and others. The film is praised for its faithfulness to the spirit of the original Peanuts comic strip, its charming animation style, and its heartfelt portrayal of friendship and perseverance.
Summary written by ChatGPT when prompted “Summarize the 2015 film ‘The Peanuts Movie.’‘”
My Thoughts:
I don’t have as much to say about The Peanuts Movie as I did about Pride and Prejudice. I saw that it was one of the top movies on Max last week, and so I decided to watch it. It was cute, I loved the art style, and I liked the overall message. This movie’s intended audience is children, and I think its messages are good for kids. Charlie Brown has always been known as, and I don’t know how to put this kindly, an insecure loser. Throughout the movie, Charlie Brown fails over and over again, but even so he perseveres. Although some of Charlie Brown’s friends offer him advice throughout, Charlie Brown is really on his own journey to finding his self-worth and confidence. It was heartwarming to see his friends gather around him in the end and celebrate his success.
My main issue with this movie is that I wasn’t a huge fan of how it cuts back and forth from the main story to the story that Snoopy is writing. Yes, Snoopy’s story mirror’s Charlie Brown’s story, but it can be distracting to jump back and forth from them.
That’s pretty much all my thoughts on this movie. It’s cute, Peanuts fans would definitely enjoy it, and it could be a good movie to watch as a family.
My Rating:
Meh – Yes
Where to Watch: As of 3/4/2024, you can stream The Peanuts Movie on Max with a subscription.
References:
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Mar 4 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
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