Dazzling To Look At And True To The Book But Needed A Stronger Leading Pair

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2008)

Wright's adaptation of Austen's novel is quite true to the book and a much better film compared to the other 'recent' adaptation being Gurinder Chaddha's 'Bride and Brejudice'. The visuals are dazzling and the writing is impressive but at times the pace moves a bit too slow. I liked Wright's attention to the time period as he presents the costumes, the actors' body language, the class distinction, the settings and the language very accordingly. The cinematography, especially the long shots at the party sequence, is brilliant and the score is soothing. Keira Knighley performs better than in any of her other films but she's still miscast. She just doesn't seem to have the suitable nuances that are required to play Lizzie Bennet. Matthew Macfadyen is one of the most unconvincing Darcy's ever (another miscast indeed). He gives the film an unnecessary melodramatic touch and goes over the top with his expressions. However, the supporting cast (with the exception of an irritating Jena Malone) that includes Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Rosamund Pike and Tom Hollander perform very well. On the whole, I liked it most for the visuals and the supporting cast and appreciate it for being true to the books but it required a stronger lead pair. My favourite adaptation (albeit a very loose one) remains Sharon Maguire's 'Bridget Jones's Diary' (I haven't seen the BBC series yet).