An Exquisite Delight

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2016)

This is the rare 18th -19th century English romance which does not pervert the story to the slow, unendurable long shots of empty countryside. Indeed, every shot in this film serves the narrative and furthers either story or character.
As others have noted, the acting is flawless; nobody here "over- acts" the drama to impale the viewer on the twists, turns, and meanings. Donald Sutherland especially is a subtle delight as the father of five unmarried woman and the husband of one coarse driven wife. The role of Darcy has not been, I believe, so well nuanced and delivered -- one will see him in a fresh light after this film.
I need to comment on the photography and camera-work: especially in the final shot of the ballroom, there is a VERY long single take (apparently intended as a master shot to be used for establishing and group takes) which is really nicely done - through doorways, over and around dancers and partiers. But I mention that just to state that the camera angles and movements never intrude, this is not B Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge;" they simply are meticulously planned and executed.
I have one rankle: the color timing (at least on my recent DVD) is very oddly set. Colors are very bright, looking a bit like a "paint by numbers" set. It is reminiscent of Turner Televisions's coloring of old black-and-white movies (I believe Turner has dropped that odious idea).
Yes, I cried with huge smiles at the end. So will you, don't pretend you won't !
Upshot: Wonderful film rendition of a well-loved book.