Incomplete but a wonderful viewing experience

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2006)

Trying to condense Jane Austin's most complex story into two hours requires a dramatic short-hand so severe that viewers who don't already know the story might be lost. However, it's such an elegant, deft short-hand that you might not care. Almost everything about this film is breath-taking and delightful, from the characterizations to the cinematography to the set pieces, and it presents all this without the energy-sucking solemnity that often mars film-interpretations of 18th and 19th century novels. The truly Herculean efforts are the actors' burdens: None of them get enough screen time to really develop their characters, but the excellent and considerably large cast does a lot with what they have. The film makers allow Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) to be played, for once, close to the age she's supposed to be; she's allowed to be a bit giddy now and then instead of the wise, bookish character most versions go for. It's only her age and perhaps a quirk of temperament that makes her more mature than her younger sisters, and her line, "I do love to laugh," finally makes sense. As Mr. Bingley, Simon Woods is perhaps a bit too goofy in his efforts to be the all-around jovial fellow, but there's no question that he savors his bucolic life. Matthew Macfadyen is handed the always-difficult task of playing Mr. Darcy, a fabulously wealthy man whose social awkwardness and insecurity is interpreted as haughtiness. He almost gets it right, but he could hardly have done better within this script. The excellent Brenda Blethyn plays Mrs. Bennett only slightly less hysterically than most versions, and the character is better for it. In one telling moment, Mrs. Bennett giggles along with her daughters as a regiment of handsome soldiers marches by; it defines Mrs. Bennett in one ten-second shot. As usual, both Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are played 20 years older than they would have been in life. I would say that Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennett and Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourg are wasted, except that they do so much with so little that they're a pleasure to watch. In Sutherland, the film makers avoid making Mr. Bennett the affable, easy-going old gentleman that Hollywood loves, digging instead for the rather feckless man of leisure who is both too comfortable and at loose ends, rather feckless, resentful of his spouse and weakened by the fact that he has no control over his own destiny. Judi Dench is a cipher as Lady Catherine, but she does make every line count. Special kudos to Tom Hollander as Mr. Collins, who avoids the easy route of the foppish, self-important cliché, going instead for an under-socialized parson of ridiculous but almost frightening intensity. He makes for an all-too-believable nerd. Except for Lizzie and Jane, the sisters get no character development whatsoever. One of them scandalizes the family for about 15 seconds, one of them is a bit serious, and one of themdoesn't and isn't. They all seem like terrific actresses, so it's a shame that they don't get to strut a little more. The cinematography is nothing short of gorgeous, and the sets are rich with detail and atmosphere, from the Bennetts' respectable but rundown abode to the excitement and clamour of a country ball. If anything, some scenes are perhaps too heavily populated; it's hard to believe that all of rural England held as many people as are seen in Merriton. There are shots and pans that alone are worth the time to watch the entire film, and there are several very neat traveling shots that are there simply to show off, as in a party scene during which the camera meanders like a guest from one crowded room to the next, giving us a tiny piece of plot or character every few seconds, in one long shot. The nods to popular taste are jarring and inappropriate  here comes Mr. Darcy like Heathcliff through the mist, his shirt open halfway to his navel, to claim Lizzie alone on the moors  but they're mercifully infrequent and forgivable. In general, this is a delightful version of the story, more energetic and accessible than most, sinning no less against the original than other theatrical versions, delightfully romantic and a terrific way to spend an evening.