Exuberant, emotionally resonant version of a classic story

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2006)

Joe Wright's film of "Pride and Prejudice" has tough standards to live up to: it's based on one of the most beloved novels of all time, and comes just 10 years after an acclaimed miniseries version of the same story. I'll leave it to other reviewers to give this new movie low marks for its supposed historical inaccuracy or betrayal of Jane Austen's intentions. As someone who admires Austen's novels, but admires good film-making even more, I found this "Pride and Prejudice" highly successful.
At 2 hours, the movie obviously can't flesh out its supporting characters or provide quite as much social commentary as the novel and miniseries do. But because of its need to tightly focus on the main plot line, it conveys the emotional life of its heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, better than the other versions of this story. The intelligent, opinionated Elizabeth has so much to deal with over the course of six months or a year: her family includes a silly mother, sarcastic father, and flirtatious younger sisters; her beautiful older sister Jane gets her heart broken; and she must contend with characters like the sycophantic Mr. Collins, the judgmental Lady Catherine, and, of course, the haughty Mr. Darcy. Watching this movie, you relate to Elizabeth's problems on a more personal level.
Furthermore, the movie (more than the miniseries) is very cinematic, smartly using visuals to tell the story. The dance sequences are some of the best I've ever seen in a period film--the dancers don't merely go through the motions to add background detail, but look like they're truly having a fun time. The camera effortlessly moves through the crowds, following first one character and then another, but always showing exactly what we need to see. Darcy and Elizabeth's first dance together is filmed in an almost haunting way that makes the tension and attraction between them clear.
Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen both find fresh approaches to their iconic characters. Knightley's Elizabeth is dreamier and less vivacious than usual. She delivers many of her witty comments with a serious undertone, and there are plenty of shots of Elizabeth alone, lost in thought, trying to find solace in the beautiful landscapes that surround her. MacFadyen plays Darcy not as a fully-formed romantic hero, but as a young and imperfect man who has just as much to learn about life as Elizabeth does.
Brenda Blethyn and Jena Malone have great fun with two of the showiest roles, Mrs. Bennet and Lydia Bennet, respectively. I'm not sure what to think of the casting of Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet. He gives a fine performance, but at 70 years old, he looks more like the Bennet girls' grandfather than their father. However, his white-haired cragginess underscores the poignancy of the fact that when Mr. Bennet dies, his family will lose their home.
Maybe Sutherland stands out so much because otherwise, this is truly a young person's "Pride and Prejudice." Knightley and MacFadyen are younger than the typical Elizabeth and Darcy, and their performances make clear that a major theme of the story is how both characters mature by coming into contact with one another. And the film-making has the youthful energy and boldness that is necessary in order to tackle filming such a famous novel--and to come out a winner.