A really good adaptation of the story to film length.

Rating: 10/10 (31 October 2005)

I was interested to see how Joe Wright could fit the story into 2 hours when th 6 Hr BBC series had trouble fitting it all in, and the film has done really well - keeping the tone and mood of Jane Austen's story while making sensitive adjustments (like leaving out Bingley's married sister and her husband, changing the famous Lady de Bourgh scene in the shrubbery etc) Matthew McFadyen is Colin Firth's equal and very different so it's a pleasure to have them both. I saw the 1930's Laurence Olivier version - it was a cross between Paint Your Wagon and Gone with the Wind, and the story adaptation was astonishingly ridiculous. Still worth a look so you know what good quality is when you see Joe Wright's P&P. I liked the way Matthew McF's Darcy used haughtiness simply in order to cope with life - basically he's a shy lad, with a desperate wish to have a great woman make a man of him.... I loved Jane - just perfect. Keira was a bit light, but okay in the end. Bingley was just fine too, and Judi Dench and Donald Sutherland were superb (although Donald's teeth were a bit American bright white for an old man.) I like Caroline Wilton too.