Feminist Film / Media Studies

In the opening scene, or the establishing shot, the viewer notices the lush, green landscape as the sun is brilliantly rising on the horizon and the frame immediately establishes that the film is set in rural England.

Then the camera cuts to a point-of-view (POV) shot of Keira Knightley’s character, Elizabeth Bennett. You see her wearing a plain, brown dress (which is symbolic of Elizabeth's class-status, and her love of nature). You also notice her reading a book as she is walking along the field.

This scene is a POV shot where people are at a ball. Everyone's gaze is upon Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and Caroline Bingley as they make their grand entrance into the ballroom. Traditionally, the gaze is held by men, but in this scene it is held by both men and women.

In this scene you notice a close-up shot of Mr. Darcy gazing at Elizabeth Bennett. Mr. Bingley is to the side of Elizabeth, and he is also gazing at Elizabeth as the three are saying their goodbyes. Mulvey notes in her journal article, "In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness" (page 40).

In this scene the viewer notices a medium shot of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett at another ball. The two are engaged in an intense conversation as they are dancing and gazing at each other. The viewer notices other people in the background of the frame. Elizabeth Bennett is dressed in white to symbolize her virtue, and Mr. Darcy is dressed in black to symbolize his ill-favored behavior.

Then the camera cuts to a close-up, or two-shot image of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett as they are still dancing, and intently gazing at each other. The viewer also notices in the frame that it is just the two of them, whereas earlier in the scene, people from the ball were surrounding them. It symbolizes that they only care about each other in the room, and nobody else. Mulvey states, “In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female� (page 39).

In this scene, the viewer notices Mr. Darcy is the POV in an over-the-shoulder shot. He is wet from following Elizabeth to the gazebo in the rain. He is gazing at Elizabeth Bennett and professing his love for her, which she rejects. The viewer notices the thunderstorm in the background of the frame, which is symbolic of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's stormy relationship.

In this frame you see a close-up shot of Elizabeth as she is gazing through an open-cracked door at Mr. Darcy's younger sister, Georgiana, who is playing the piano. A female is gazing at another female.

Then the camera cuts to a reflective-mirror image of Georgiana playing the piano, which is symbolic of the gaze.

Next, the camera cuts to a two-shot image of Mr. Darcy entering the room where Georgiana is, and then the two notice that they are being watched by Elizabeth.

In this scene, we see Elizabeth Bennett in a close-up shot as she is walking in the early morning, much like in the opening shot of the film. The viewer notices her gazing at something in the far distance. In her journal article Mulvey says, “The camera becomes the mechanism for producing an illusion of Renaissance space, flowing movements compatible with the human eye, an ideology of representation that revolves around the perception of the subject…� (page 47).

Then the camera cuts to a long-shot of Mr. Darcy walking in the field toward Elizabeth.

Next, the camera cuts to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in a close-up shot. Elizabeth is kissing Mr. Darcy's hand after they finally profess their love for each other. Mr. Darcy is lovingly gazing down upon Elizabeth. The background of the image is reminiscent of the opening scenes with the sun shining, and morning dew is present in the background of the frame. Mulvey says, “The man controls the film fantasy and also emerges as the representative of power in a further sense: as the bearer of the look of the spectator, transferring it behind the screen to neutralise the extra-diegetic tendencies represented by women as spectacle� (page 41).

In this final scene of the film, the viewer notices a close-up shot of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy sitting and facing each other at their estate in the evening. They are gazing at each other in a loving way. The two have just been married and they are elated.

Then the film cuts to another close-up shot of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy kissing on the lips for the first time in the film. And so ends the film.

By using the concepts of the gaze, and ideas from Laura Mulvey's journal article, the main point of the film is clear to its viewers; it is an evolving love story with many twists and turns.