why 2005 pride and prejudice moves me

To be honest, I’m suprised I like this movie at all, or that I’m even writing an article about this. I don’t normally enjoy romantic movies, particularly the more modern “Hallmark” type movies. I’m not even a huge fan of pride and prejucide/Jane Austin necessarily. I’ve read the book and thought it was fine and even attempted to watch the “sacred” BBC version but I found it boring and stopped halfway through. However, I have watched the feature film numerous times, which for me is something I typically can’t do with a film so that means something is unique about this film in particular.

What could it be? The story is good but not amazing. It’s a bit silly in its plot and really not realistic. I never really feel like the characters felt that realistic or necessarily relatable. But, at the end of the day, it’s still a a great movie because of what it makes you feel. One of the few movies that I’ve watched and truly felt like I was watching art. Art that is expressed beautifully in the visual field. I agree with Tolstoy in thinking that the purpose of art is to connect us with certain emotions or feelings. Or as CS Lewis perhaps would say, to connect to our deep spiritual longings. Pride and Prejudice 2005, through its music and idyllic scenes, creates a longing or desire in me that is hard to describe. Not really a desire for my own “Lizzy Bennett” or a wealthy and “happily ever after life” but something rooted in delighting in decency, order, and beauty. God created a world for us to delight in, something that can be difficult in its current sin cursed state. Art that celebrates those things in various ways can help us rediscover beauty in the smallist things.