_favorite movies_

Typically, I don't really like watching movies over and over again. They lose their freshness, their intrigue, and most of the excitement. That is why it is particularly wonderful when I find a favorite movie - one I can watch over and over again and not get sick of. One that brings a smile to my face and that tingling happy sensation, even though I can practically quote the movie word for word. Those movies are few and far between, which is perhaps why I love them so much.

Some of these movies come from my childhood - movies that I grew up seeing, beloved because they were some of the few movies available. Consequently, I came to love a lot of old films simply because if we watched movies, it was with our grandmother. Sound of Music, Snow White, Singing in the Rain, and Don't Eat the Daisies will always be cherished. Later, Big Fish, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Fawlty Towers were added to my list of favorites. Wall-E and Up! became some of my favorite Pixar films. World's Fastest Indian, Sweet Land, Amelie and Catch Me if You Can are also movies I will always love. And, the girly part of my cherishes a couple movies: Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice.

Well, Pride and Prejudice was the choice last night. I hadn't watched it in a while. I forget how much I absolutely love that movie. Now, I know it's a "chick flick" and usually I protest them. ...but that's another story.. Pride and Prejudice grabs my heart like few other movies. Why? I have some ideas, but I'm not exactly sure.

First, the sets and locations are BEAUTIFUL. Sunlight golden prairies that almost make me want to drive to Wisconsin to experience something similar. Old brick and stone buildings that secretly scream of their warmth and character. Everything is in place, but very lived in. Even the grand palace of Netherfield (the Bingley's rented estate) has an older character to it, slight imperfections on the stone columns and banisters that give an air of grandeur but also a gentle humility, so similar to Mr. Bingley's personality. The Bennett's home is not as grand, but still seems to be about 5 times the size of my own home. But it is lived in, loved, and cherished by every member of that family. It is rustic, rural, and cozy. I wish I could develop sets like that. That would be an amazing job. Anyway, the sets steal the show.

But the actors aren't bad either. They create a wonderful view of a flawed, loving, beautiful family. They drive each other crazy sometimes, but love one another more than they could hope to express. The mother, Mrs. Bennett, is remarkably... obnoxious. She drives me up a wall. She thinks highly of herself, she puts others down, and generally says things she shouldn't. But she is still a mother, in love with her husband and her children. Because of that time, the only role of a woman was to get married, bear children, and make sure her daughter(s) get married as well. Under those cultural circumstances, I can definitely understand why she does the things she does, to a point. I love the father in the family. I love the relationship he has with Lizzy. And I love Lizzy, or Elizabeth Bennett, the most, because she reminds me so much of me.

Lizzy loves to laugh. loves her sisters and her parents, and has a good time dancing and meeting new people. She confides in a best friend and in her older sister, Jane. She is skeptical of men, and does not want to give into the cultural norm of marriage for safety and comfort's sake. She is no longer a child, but doesn't see herself as a woman. And, by coincidence, she is 20 years old, same as me. (at that last point, ... I could easily freak out Lizzy-style. I am nowhere near and have no desire to be married in the next couple years. Eventually, but not now.). Anyway, I know she is a beloved character by thousands of readers, and I will always be one of them.

And then there is Mr. Darcy. Now, I really don't fall for guy characters in books or movies much. Mostly because I'm just a bit too practical and know that with a moviestar there is absolutely no chance of even meeting them and with a book character ..well, he doesn't really exist. I was never one of those girls who paste pictures of guys and magazine ads to their bedroom walls or their high school locker. I'm not saying that's bad, it's just not me. But I will always have a small place in my heart for Mr. Darcy. Not because I want to marry him or anything, but because I see a part of myself in him, That proud part, that arrogant part, and the part that doesn't feel like I'm skilled at meeting new people.


Anyway, I could go on and on about why I love the book, or the movie (and yes, I know the newer movie doesn't exactly follow the book. But I still think it is an excellent film). But I think I just see it as intensely real, flawed, beautiful, and timeless. Something I look for in most of my favorite things and my favorite people.

<-- I notice weird things. Like I love how in one of the last scenes, arguably the most "romantic" when it's all foggy and dramatic, the ground is not perfect or groomed. They let it be normal and wild and not manicured. I know that's a weird thing to notice and appreciate, but I like strange things like that :)