Distilled Austen Makes for a Fine Brew

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2006)

Some will ask "how many versions of Jane Austen's read-to-the-point-of-fraying 'Pride and Prejudice' do we need?" The current film archives show no fewer than ten versions and growing. But for this viewer the current P & P du jour is as satisfying as any, edited and distilled to its main story lines without diminishing the main message from the author. Deborah Moggach can be thanked for the screenplay (with some subtle revisions by Emma Thompson) and Joe Wright for his sensitive and forward momentum directing approach.
So what make this version different and successful? First, the placement of the Bennet family in the pig and mud friendly country home that sets the scene properly for the driver of the film - finding proper husbands for the five daughters whose well placed marriages will assure the lower class Bennet family a future stability. Yes, it is a bit untidy, this household, but that makes it a family more dependent on the land and more prone to dreams of 'marrying up' in a country ruled by class system. Second, the casting of the Bennnet family with five truly young actresses (Keira Knightly, Rosamund Pike, Talulah Riley, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan) instead of older types trying to appear like teenagers; a mother (Brenda Blethyn) who indeed shows her desperation of class; and a father (Donald Sutherland) who epitomizes Austen's father figure mold. Add to the Bennets the credible men characters of Simon Woods, Matthew Macfadyen, Tom Hollander, and Cornelius Booth and top it all off with a pivotal Lady Catherine de Bourg of Judi Dench and all players are in place for a fine cast. The dialogue is crisp and sharp and the usual diversions into lineage names and sidebars are eliminated, bringing this long story down to just over two hours.
The scenery and costumes are superb as is the cinematography by Roman Oshin and the musical score by Dario Marianelli with a lot of help from Henry Purcell. Is it one of the best movies of the year? Perhaps, perhaps not, depending on taste. But it is nice to see Keira Knightly shine in a role more challenging than any she has had to date. She inhabits Elizabeth Bennet luminously. Grady Harp