Iwanted to like this film, but disappoints on several levels

Rating: 5/10 (13 November 2005)

I wanted to like this film, but in the end found it disappointing on several crucial levels. I don't expect word for word dialogue from Jane Austens' book, but I did expect the clever satire to remain in tact. The anachronisms within this adaption both of conversation and environment lead me to believe maybe both Deborah Maggoch and Joe Wright didn't truly understand the material or chose to ignore it. ( screenplay & director, respectively) If what's gone before can't be improved, then at least show us something new. There is neither here. The performances were good, given the canvas they had. But I was frustrated that this film had some moments and hinted at some potential to be very good. I have a much deeper appreciation for the work Emma Thompson did in adapting Sense & Sensibility. You had your romance, but the humor and sport making of society was not lost in it. Pride & prejudice is not just a romance. Both Darcy and Lizzy have certain prejudices ( so to speak) that must be demonstrated and overcome, by their actions and conversation. interpreted badly, and they become just a pair of spoiled brats. here is my argument about Direction and screenplay. Darcy and Lizzy must engage each other in a sort of verbal sparring match that exposes each of their flaws in a polite but pointed manner. Darcy must be shown in such a way that we believe his words & actions might possibly be misunderstood by Lizzy. He's elite because he believes the elite deserve their station. where Lizzy must demonstrate that she has qualities of deportment that would make Darcy consider her despite her not being among the elite class. here in this film, Darcy just comes across as snobbish and Dull Lizzy as impertinent with a sense of over entitlement. It's not believable, and all the subtle humor and caricature of class system is washed away for an attempt at grandeur and realism, and we are left to be told this is how it works out. instead of shown how it works out and why. It's not the cast at fault here, it's the adaption.