Pride and Prejudice Opening

This is the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice  It is a British romance film directed by Joe Wright based on the novel by Jane Austen. Five sisters from a family of landed gentry deal with issues of “marriage, morality and misconceptions”.  The movie is set entirely in England and was also shot entirely in England.

The themes of the movie include realism, romanticism and family. This version was aimed at a younger audience. There was another movie by the same name made before. Austen scholars claimed Wright had created a new hybrid genre, using the traditional traits of the heritage film with "youth-orientated filmmaking techniques".

The movie opens with the sound of birds chirping. This makes it seem very peaceful. It may also reflect the time as it was set in a time when nothing too serious was occurring. It is believed period dramas help us to escape the reality of the stress of modern day. We see the sun starting to rise in the sky at the start of the day. It is very relaxing to watch and gives a feel of the type of movie the audience are about to watch. A piano can be heard as the sun turns brighter and brighter. It is a slow piece of music that seems peaceful and calm as the title of the movie is displayed in the screen. There does not see to be anything going wrong. The day seems full of hope. The music continues to play as we are introduced to a main character. The sound of a book being closed and the happy sigh of a young woman is heard. It seems very tranquil. The sound of what seems to be a cow is heard which gives a sense of the countryside. The country seems to be at peace. Ducks are heard as they splash about in the water. The sound of the water gives a spring/summer feel to it. It seems to be warm and inviting. We can hear the young woman's footsteps which gives a sense of wonder and curiosity as to where she might be going and what her aim is to do when she gets there. The ducks are still heard as the piano continues to play softly. the music stays at the same pace with the same tune being played. It suggests maybe a possibility of romance to come later in the film. In fact, there seems to be hope of anything occurring. There seems to be many possibilities and opportunities ahead. The music pace changes slightly as the audience expect she may be almost at her destination. The camera shots following her and we hear laughter and are introduced to four new characters, one of which is playing the piano. The sound of geese is heard as what appears to be a farmer, is feeding them. A man and woman can be heard having what appears to be a serious conversation. The young woman from the start sees the laughing girls and questions them. There is slight tension but it still remains quite calm. We hear that a certain young man is single and it is quite obvious that the girls seem very excited by it. 

The costumes of the characters reflect the time. The young woman are all dressed in long dresses with bright colours that reflects the time of year. The countryside view adds to the effect and it shows just how peaceful the surroundings are. The house is reflective of a country house from the specific time period. The older man and woman are dressed to suit the time and the old man appears to be relatively upper class. The furniture is also reflective of the time, class and social status, and the area that they are from which happens to be the English countryside. Washing is hanging on the lines drying out in the sun as the birds chirp. Inside one of the women is playing an old grand piano. However, it s an unusual colour for a piano which reflects the place that the film is set in. The summer hats reflect the upper class social status.There are a number of old chairs at the table as well as vases of flowers. This family seem to have a lot of money to be able to afford all of this furniture. There is what appears to be some sort of balcony and steps to the house, just outside of the building. It reflects the respectable status.

The camera shot at the start is effective as the audience are able to watch the sun rise in the sky and see how bright it is. It adds to dramatic effect as well as adding to the calm summer feel to the film. The medium shot of the young woman reading her book has a great effect as it introduces us to the main character. There is a close up of a book that she is holding and appears to be reading until she closes it. We see her walking across a small lake in a wide/long shot. The camera follows her in a long shot until she reaches the door. As the camera stops filming her and moves into the house, it creates a more enjoyable view for the audience. The camera zooms in on the room before turning around to go out another door to continue to follow the young woman. The camera zooms in on her as she ascends the steps. We see a mid shot of her and three other young woman looking through a door on hearing the news of Mr Bingley. The scene stops as the woman realises that they are watching and gives them a disapproving look. This adds to dramatic effect. The door is closes as the camera stays in the same position.