It doesn't get any more romantic than this...

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2006)

"Pride & Prejudice" was quite easily the most pleasant cinematic surprise I've had in ages. It is easily the most romantic film of the year and it may just be the best.
Brits often complain about the repetitive nature of Hollywood formula pictures. They make a valid point despite the obscenely hypocritical tone that tends to accompany it. You see, Brits seem churn out the same seven movies over and over again...
Shakespeare adaptation. Elizabethan drama. WWII drama. Literary biopic. British gangster flick. Python-esquire silliness with comedian-du-jour. Austen adaptation.
Now, don't get me wrong. They make some truly wonderful films. But their range isn't too daring. They have failed to match the American independent scene in terms of originality, daring and experimentation.
So when yet another Jane Austen adaptation comes down the pike, you'll forgive me if I tend to roll my eyes let out a weary sigh.
The only thing that peaked my interest for this recent version of "Pride & Prejudice" was the inclusion of Keira Knightley as the beloved Elizabeth Bennet and Rosamund Pike as the eldest Bennet sister, Jane. Knightley and Pike are two of the loveliest and most talented young actresses of this generation and I was curious to see them try their hands with this poetic material.
So with all my trepidation in tact, fully expecting to see a respectable but nonetheless uninspired British period piece, I sat down to watch director Joe Wright's version of the classic tale.
Within thirty seconds of the opening, I knew I was in for something unexpectedly refreshing. I had a smile on my face for the next two hours, fully enthralled with the witty trials and tribulations of the Bennet's family struggle to marry off their five daughters to respectable husbands.
Austen's prose shines through each and every pore of this film. Keira Knightley and company wrap their skills around every meaningful word and subtle glance in ways that will have attentive and literate fans bursting with delight. It is a delicate, complex and intricate script that will leave the witless behind in a wake of confusion.
WARNING: The next bit of gushing will make this very heterosexual critic sound more gay than a Wyoming Cowboy in heat.
This version of "Pride & Prejudice" made my heart soar. I wanted to hug and kiss everyone in the audience, except for that fat guy in the third row. If Keira Knightley's firecracker performance doesn't have you cheering, perhaps the heartbreaking strings and rolling piano scales of Dario Marianelli's wonderfully romantic score will have you in tears.
Perhaps Bingley's eventual drop to one knee will send shivers down your spine. Maybe Mr. Darcy strolling majestically through the morning mist toward his true love will have you weak at the knees.
Maybe the anguish of Mrs. Bennet's nerves will resonate. Or the kindly recognition of Donald Sutherland's Mr. Bennet will leave you warm inside.
Will the playful interaction of Elizabeth and Jane under the covers as they wistfully dream of true love touch your heart?
Will Elizabeth's journey to the edge of a cliff or the spinning solitude of a barnyard swing have your heart aching for a resolution?
I don't know what will touch you the most... But rest assured, something in this film will move you. If it doesn't, consider yourself emotionally numb.
This is a film for utter romantics. It is a film for connoisseurs of literary elegance and sly wit. These characters spar in verbal gymnastics that will leave your head spinning.
If Jane Austen's legendary love story is the engine to this film, Keira Knightley is the fuel. Her performance in the best of the year... from either sex. She bursts from restrained to rambunctious, elegant grandeur to rugged determination. She handles the part like a seasoned veteran who eats Shakespearean dialogue for breakfast. To paraphrase the man, she is more lovely and more temperate than a summer's day, imbuing the silver screen with the darling buds of May.
See, I told you this would sound gay!
But I don't care. This is the kind of film that can make you feel like that... like love is all that matters in the grand scheme of things.
"Pride & Prejudice" is the best film of 2005. It is certainly the most romantic. If you are in that mode where you just need a break from all the typical British period pieces... trust me... take a look at this one. It blows them all away, virtually reinventing the genre... certainly revitalizing it. I had no earthly idea that I would find love in this story... a sentiment shared by the beautiful Lizzie Bennet.