Ravings of the crazy...

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I think those are very true words.

Having said that, I have allowed my own consent in the inferiority war I wage with myself.

Ever know someone who is smarter, kinder, more Godly, more attractive, happier, more put together, etc. than yourself? If not, you need to get out more!

I am struggling at the moment with someone like that. Whose fault is that? MINE! I know it is my fault but I am still choosing to wallow in it. Then comes those questions from out of the back of my head. Why does so and so "shine" and I don't? Why are they all the things I wish I could be? Well, those questions can lead to building a better "me" or lead to a big hole called depression. I am not in the hole but I am looking down into it a bit. The smart person stays as far from that hole as possible and uses times when they feel inferior to look for ways that they themselves can become a better person. However...sometimes you just want to feel sorry for yourself and look in the hole.

Why am I telling you guys this? I don't know? It is a bit therapeutic to write things down for me and a heck of a lot cheaper than traditional therapy...or so I'm told.

Thanks for reading the ravings of the crazy. Until next time...

Pride and Prejudice

Yes, I know I haven't blogged about Iron Man 2 or the finale of LOST. (Short version...Iron Man 2 was tons of fun and LOST was perfectly wonderful. I will come back to those in the future.)

Last night, in my almost never ending Facebook movie quote guessing game, I posted a quote from Pride and Prejudice. No one got it. I think that not a lot of folks saw it for several reasons. (I am talking about the 2005 version of the movie.) It can be viewed as a chick flick. I get that. It is also a bit hard to follow the dialogue as it is not the way we currently speak.

What is it about? Here is a brief summary from imdb.com written by a fan...

Pride and Prejudice is a humorous story of love and life among English gentility during the Georgian era. Mr Bennet is an English gentleman living in Hartfordshire with his overbearing wife. The Bennets 5 daughters; the beautiful Jane, the clever Elizabeth, the bookish Mary, the immature Kitty and the wild Lydia. Unfortunately for the Bennets, if Mr Bennet dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages. Life is uneventful until the arrival in the neighbourhood of the rich gentleman Mr Bingley, who rents a large house so he can spend the summer in the country. Mr Bingley brings with him his sister and the dashing (and richer) but proud Mr Darcy. Love is soon in the air for one of the Bennet sisters, while another may have jumped to a hasty prejudgment. For the Bennet sisters many trials and tribulations stand between them and their happiness, including class, gossip and scandal.

Here is the trailer...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARWfCBr0ZDM

The movie is, of course, based on the beloved novel by Jane Austen. This version stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy. Although the story follows all the Bennet sisters, it concentrates on the relationships of Jane and Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy...with the last being the central love story. There is also more than a bit of comedy thrown in when Mr. Collins arrives and decides he is in love with Elizabeth. Her mother is thrilled but Elizabeth is horrified at the thought of marrying Mr. Collins. In the end, Elizabeth's friend marrys Mr. Collins for security and they seem content...but not in love.

Why do I love this movie? Well, I didn't at first. Like I stated earlier, it is hard to follow when you first watch it. However, as I watched it for the second time, I began to be drawn in by the quirky family. Then I was enchanted by the love story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. More specifically, I began to love how their interactions where filmed. For example...there is a scene where Mr. Darcy helps Elizabeth into a carriage by taking her hand very briefly. That brief touch is filmed in such a way that you know both characters felt some sort of "spark" that they weren't expecting. It is their more complex scenes that really pack the most punch. In one such scene, Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance. They are verbally sparing and the director chooses to remove everyone else in the scene for a short time. It works so well because they have become lost in the little world they are creating. See what you think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykf0dtw8OYc&feature=related (Sorry - This version translates what they are saying but it was the best version I could locate.)

As you can see, these two already have some issues. Elizabeth has met a man named Mr. Wickham that Mr. Darcy knows. Wickham is charming...and a liar. He has told Elizabeth and her sisters of his misfortunes at the hands of Mr. Darcy. Wickham makes claims that Mr. Darcy has treated him unfairly in a deal over inheritance and Elizabeth believes what Wickham told her. Unfortunately, he is a cad and a liar and she doesn't know that part yet. So, she is judging Mr. Darcy on a previous encounter with him that did not go well and this incorrect information from Wickham. She wants to dislike Mr. Darcy...she is finding it hard. Don't worry...he steps up and does something really stupid and then she really dislikes him! His friend, Mr. Bingley, is falling for Elizabeth's sister, Jane. Mr. Darcy thinks Jane is just playing with his friend so he suggests that "fact" to Mr. Bingley and ends the relationship which crushes Jane since she was falling for Mr. Bingley! Elizabeth is none too pleased when she happens to learn what Mr. Darcy has done. Unfortunately for Mr. Darcy, he has come to realize that he doesn't dislike Elizabeth at all.

The next clip is right after Elizabeth learns what Mr. Darcy has done to her sister and Mr. Bingley. It is shot in the rain which gives it a great mood. Also, be sure to listen for how the thunder punctuates the scene. Good stuff...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-Zg5es7mg&feature=related

I love how they build passion in this scene. Mr. Darcy, who is usually so proper, finally breaks through that barrier of propriety and shows he can be as fiery as Elizabeth. I also love how they almost lean in for a kiss but don't at the end.

So, we have lots of misunderstandings going on. We also have a couple who shows a lot of heat...even if it isn't in the right direction yet. Mr. Darcy now knows what he must do. He doesn't think he can win Elizabeth, but he wants to correct those misunderstandings and sets about to do so.

Along the way, Elizabeth sees she too has been wrong and comes to the realization that she loves Mr. Darcy. This all seems hampered by the fact that he is suppose to marry someone else and his aunt (played beautifully by Judi Dench) shows up to tell her that an engagement (although one has not yet happened) to Mr. Darcy is out of the question. The following morning, Elizabeth goes out walking just before dawn...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqidX_5ZsLg&feature=related
Of course, he must ask for her hand and all that does transpire. Her family is taken aback by this turn of events since they all thought she loathed the man! At the end, the marriage of the two isn't shown but we get a brief glimpse of their post married life...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9Ke9f407k&feature=related

So, through a terrible first meeting and misunderstandings and everything else, they end up happy in the end. Would that life always had such happy endings! Jane Austen actually said all her heroines would have happy endings. She herself did not have one. Her story is beautifully told in the movie Becoming Jane. Check that one out if you have time. Here is its trailer...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNe13rzidOA