A stunning adaptation

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2007)

I did not think the BBC's 2005 serialization could be surpassed but it turns out I was wrong! This is a superlative adaptation - surely one of the best movies of its type to have come out in recent years. The acting is uniformly brilliant. Matthew MacFayden and Keira Knightley, in the lead roles, both show dimensions I hadn't thought they possessed, and the supporting cast is a veritable galaxy of top talent: Judi Dench a splendidly haughty Lady Catherine, Donald Sutherland a pleasingly shambolic, kindly, wise Mr Bennet; Brenda Blethyn agonisingly vulgar as his wife; Kelly Reily really excellent as the arrogant Caroline Bingley; and a lovely cameo from Tom Hollander as the ghastly Mr Collins. Above all, though, Miss Knightley makes an intelligent and luminous Lizzie, and fully deserved her Oscar nomination. Elsewhere, Deborah Mogach's screenplay manages to preserve and convey as much of the book's greatness, in the time allotted, as is possible; Joe Knightley's direction is faultless; the cinematography breathtaking - a tribute to the beauty and charm of England's countryside and architecture. There is a shot of Miss Knightley atop a rock in Derbyshire that made me catch my breath. I have watched this movie three times, and each time, as D'Arcy strode towards Lizzie through the mist at the end, the tears streamed down my face! A must see.