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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Movie Music and More #16: "Pride and Prejudice" (2005)


Whatever you may think of this movie version, I think we can agree that it has some beautiful music.  Dario Marianelli's score feels like a musical love letter, the way it tenderly accompanies Jane Austen's classic story of intelligent people learning to see themselves and each other more clearly.

This first selection is pretty indicative of what much of the music is like.  Sort of soft and trickly, happy and yet just a little pensive.


This piece is more stately and elegant -- it's from when Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are dancing together for the first time, and glowering at each other.  Please note that the title is supposed to be "A Postcard to Henry Purcell" -- the person who posted it to YouTube made a typo.  (Henry Purcell was an English composer in the 1600s, just so you know.)


Now, I have listened to this soundtrack many, many times.  I find it very soothing, perfect for a long afternoon when I want some background music to accompany doing jigsaw puzzles with my kids or whatever.  So I got the sheet music a few months ago, because I love playing music from movies that I like.  And, weirdly enough, I hated it.  For some reason, this trickly, gentle music is fun for me to listen to, but utterly boring to play myself.  Weird, huh?

4 comments:

  1. I LOVE this music. It used to be my favorite soundtrack ever, and it was one of the first ones I owned. I also have the piano music. I enjoy playing it, even though it's hard for my clumsy fingers to make the delicate, romantic sound I'm going for. ;-P

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    1. I think that was part of why I didn't like the sheet music -- I play too slowly. I'm going to get my mom to try playing it next time she visits -- she's much better at sight-reading than I.

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  2. I agree--the music for this movie is GORGEOUS. I also listened to the soundtrack a bunch last semester when I was trying to write summaries for my political science class. Very soothing.

    And you're right--it does fit the story really, really well. People say the '05 adaptation is only about the characters' feelings and not their thoughts, but I think they're wrong. The story IS about what's going on in Lizzy's and Darcy's minds--and the soundtrack reflects that. Especially the first scene, where Lizzy is walking along reading her book and that "tinkling" sort of music is playing in the background. You can almost hear her thoughts in the music, if you know what I mean.

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    1. People say a great many things about the '05 adaptation, don't they. I like your take on it here!

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