Excellent version with just that little something different

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2005)

Keira Knightley's performance was a revelation - Whilst obviously extremely pretty, she was also animated, lively and young enough to bring off the freshness in Lizzies character. I thought Matthew MacFadyen was great in his role - thoughtful enough, and melting gradually throughout the film to the man who declares his love passionately at the end. I always thought that the wet shirt scene in the 1995 version was wildly overrated and very un Jane Austenish, so the passionate looks and buttoned up emotions of this one were much more in keeping with the book. MacFadyen gives a very intelligent performance and there are some great moments such as when his sister says to Lizzie that he had told her she was very good at the piano and he corrects her "quite good, I said quite good". The setting was also fresh and realistic - much less uptight than previous versions, with real mud, lots of animals, untidy rooms and a great feel for the period in which it is set - much less picture postcard than it could have been. At just over two hours it could have been longer - Mr Wickham could have been done more justice, as could Darcys letter, Lizzies time at Pemberley and Lizzies growing impatience to get Darcy on his own at the end - in the book she gets increasingly desperate to be able to speak to him, which just adds to the growing tension. The mist scene at the end raised a laugh in the cinema I was in - whilst I have to say that both actors looked great, and once Matthew MacFadyen had started talking I forgot about how contrived it was, it was still a bit hackneyed - more Charlotte Bronte than Jane Austen. Still - made a great poster. I also thought that the end was an anticlimax - a smile or a kiss or Lizzy rushing off to fling her arms around Darcy would have sent us all out smiling broadly. However - check out the US version of the trailer - at the end there is a two or three second clip which certainly didn't appear in the film here - so lets hope it gets reinstated in the DVD version ! As an update there is a petition running to "reinstate the kiss" - check it out at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/PP2005/