Bride and Prejudice

 

 

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If you are looking to get a feel for what a Bollywood movie might be like, this will give you a taste, while still being grounded in the more familiar English and American styles. Filmed mostly in England, there were exterior scenes filmed in India and the United States as well. "Bride & Prejudice" was first released in the United Arab Emirates on October 6th of 2004, which was shortly followed by its release in India, the United Kingdom and France on October 8th. One interesting fact mentioned in the commentary, is that it was the number one film in both India and the United Kingdom when it opened, which no other film has ever done. The film was not released in the United States until February 11th of 2005.

As one might easily guess, this is an adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", adding in the Bollywood musical numbers, and updating the story to be about a wealthy American, William Darcy (Martin Henderson), and a poor Indian woman, Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai), who is one of four daughters that her mother is trying to marry off. This movie is at times hilariously funny, and at other times cheesily romantic. The movie was directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also directed "Bend It like Beckham" (2002).

The best moments of the movie for me were the songs "Marriage Song", and "No Life without Wife", and the hilarious snake dance scene. The weaknesses were in some of the acting, in particular for the role of William Darcy. I am not very familiar with Martin Henderson, so I am not sure if the problem was acting or direction, but I thought the performance was very wooden overall. I think the movie also suffered from being based on a fairly long book, so they had to cut it down a lot, especially to fit in the long elaborate musical numbers.

The DVD has a nice set of features, including deleted scenes, extended versions of the songs, Ashanti's song, a featurette on the making of "Bride & Prejudice", interviews with Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson, and a feature length commentary by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. I would not call this a great movie, but I certainly was entertained by it. Overall, I would like to give it 3 ' stars because this is clearly above average, however Amazon doesn't allow reviewers to do that. So in choosing between 3 and 4 stars, I would have to say it is closer to a 3 star item than a 4 star one.

I wasn't sure I wanted to watch this film at first. Both the title and the DVD box image are rather cheesy - but then I saw the trailer, and it convinced me that this would indeed be something worth watching. Thank goodness for that trailer because I absolutely adored this movie. Bride and Prejudice introduced me to a whole new world of cinematic magic. It's an explosion of vibrant colors, exotic settings, incredible music and dancing, and genuine pleasure. The story itself, combining romance, drama, as well as comedy, was also a treat in its own right. If you haven't guessed by the title, this film was inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - and I hope Austen enthusiasts will give this film a try, despite whatever misgivings they must surely have about it. I prefer to judge the film on its own merits, and I can't find anything not to like here. It's just exquisite.

The film is primarily set in India. Will Darcy (Martin Henderson) has come with his friend Balraj (Lost's Naveen Andrews) to attend a wedding - and what a wedding it is. The whole town is in full celebration mode, and the song and dance numbers that come spinning at you in kaleidoscope fashion entrance you with their beauty and grace. Darcy is immediately taken with a gorgeous young lady named Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai), who just happens to be the sister of Balraj's object of affection. She comes from a family full of girls and a mother working tirelessly to find husbands for her older daughters - hopefully rich ones. Darcy and Lalita, despite a lot of meaningful eye contact, don't exactly hit it off, but that's largely Darcy's fault. Henderson really isn't very charismatic in the role, and he's not all that eloquent either. Lalita finds him to be a rude, arrogant American who looks down on her and everyone else in India. Darcy's also a bit of a wimp, seemingly incapable of standing up to his domineering mother's influence. She would never approve of an India-born daughter-in-law, of course - but Mrs. Bakshi wouldn't necessarily leap for joy at an American son-in-law, either (no matter how rich he is - and Darcy is filthy rich). Darcy does get to spend a little time with Lalita (but not because she wants to), but then an acquaintance of his shows up in the form of Johnny Wickham (Daniel Gillies) - why the son of Darcy's nanny suddenly shows up there in India is a complete mystery to me, though. Wickham's no good, but the ever-ineffectual Darcy won't tell Lalita why. As for Lalita, she has to fend off a new suitor in the form of an incredibly annoying fellow who has come back from America seeking a bride. It looks like Darcy and Lalita just weren't meant to be, as he returns to London and Lalita finds herself having to fend off a new suitor in the form of an incredibly annoying fellow who has come back from America seeking a bride. The world's a small place, though, and fate brings Darcy and Lalita together again in Los Angeles (where the Bakshi family has come to attend another wedding).

The romance is quite predictable, but it does take interesting twists and turns along the way. I found it pretty compelling, but in many ways the love story is just the excuse to put on an awe-inspiring spectacle of music, dance, and incredible entertainment. I can't adequately describe the lavish nature of this film, except to say that it is a visual and auditory treat. I haven't had this much fun watching a film in a long time. Singing and dancing can start at the drop of a hat, and as often as not it doesn't end until the entire village has joined the fun. Lalita and her sisters are just wonderful, adorable characters (even the one who does the rather unforgettable Cobra Dance) - and Aishwarya Rai, the true star of this film, shines like the heavens on a dark night. I'll eagerly watch any movie she appears in. You won't have to worry about nodding off in the middle of this one - as Bride and Prejudice has the contagious energy to revive even the weariest of souls. Hollywood just doesn't make films like this; until you see this Bride and Prejudice, you probably won't even know what you're missing.

A great Bollywood spoof on the old standard "Pride & Prejudice"
Wonderful, colourful romp making this a must see movie.
Very entertaining for the whole family.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Bollywood at its best
This film is the Bollywood version of Jane Austen's well loved 'Pride and Prejudice'. The story stays pretty true to Austen's tale; Darcy is as haughty as you would expect,... Read more

Published on Jun 21 2006 by Ms. H. Sinton

4.0 out of 5 stars It is what it is....
When I first saw this movie I didn't like it at all, it wasn't true to Jane Austin's amazing novel. Read more

Published on Feb 4 2006 by Annie

2.0 out of 5 stars A reviewer from Canada
There are some really great, memorable song/dance numbers in this movie but, ultimately, it fails as a worthy adaption of its mentor: Jane Austen's novel, Pride And Prejudice. Read more

Published on July 29 2005 by alaspooryorick

2.0 out of 5 stars A reviewer from Canada
There are some really great, memorable song/dance numbers in this movie but, ultimately, it fails as a worthy adaption of its mentor: Jane Austen's novel, Pride And Prejudice. Read more

Published on July 29 2005 by alaspooryorick

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice Fun and entertaining movie
I liked this movie because i like this Director's work. Alos I like Ashwariya Rai Cuz she's The No # 1 Actress in india. The comedy is great. Read more

Published on July 18 2005 by Saadat Iftikhar Amanat

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL FILM
I'M NOT USUALLY A FAN OF MUSICALS, BUT THIS WAS GOOD. FUNNY AND SMART. LIKE ALL OF THIS DIRECTORS FILMS. ALSO RECOMEND 'BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM'

Published on July 16 2005

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