What happened to Mr Darcy?

Rating: 6/10 (16 September 2005)

The new "Pride and Prejudice" is pleasant enough, with stunning photography and locations, definitely a less polished adaptation than the BBC 1995 TV series. The action has been moved back about 20 years,to when Jane Auste started writing the book, rather than when it was published, so the costumes and period details are not the usual imagery we have of Jane Austen's work. The Bennet girls are presented as true country girls, with unkempt hair and modest clothing, and the house looks worn out and messy, chickens walking in the courtyard and everything. That has some charm, but, I'm afraid, there are more serious let-downs. First of all, they had to compress a rich book like "Pride and Prejudice" in two hours and that inevitably lead to cuts that didn't allow to sufficiently develop the many different characters. In particular Mr Wickham is a mere passing figure, while he has a much weightier role in the story. If your familiar with the plot it seems to run away at an alarming speed. Second: Mr Darcy. I went open minded, ready to give MacFadyen a chance, avoiding comparisons with Colin Firth. But there was nothing to save about him. He really is dreadful! Mr Darcy is supposed to be proud and arrogant, but MacFadyen looks flat and inexpressive for virtually the whole film. When he tries to show his caring and sensitive side, he then turns into this big puppy-eyed jelly of a man, devoid of all masculinity. Well, I'm sorry, but comparisons are unavoidable: Colin Firth did it a thousand times better! To be honest all the male figures are nothing more than caricatures of Austen's characters. Mr Bingly is exuberant, young and naive, but in this film he's transformed into a babbling idiot. Mr Collins is not bad, but not a patch on David Bamber's outstanding performance in the TV series. Even Donald Sutherland is not doing Mr Bennet the justice the character deserves, with an underplayed performance. The women fare much better. Brenda Bethlyn is perfectly adequate as Mrs Bennet and Dame Judy Dench is a tremendous Lady Catherine De Bourg. The Bennet sisters are as you would expect them, though Jane is a bit underdeveloped. But it is Keira Knightly who really shines. Her Lizzy Bennet is as good if not better than Jennyfer Ehle's. You really do feel for her, more than you do for the rest of the characters. Shame there is virtually no spark between her feisty Lizzy and the stone-faced Mr Darcy played by MacFadyen.
In short: if you've not read the book nor seen the TV series, you'll enjoy this. If you've done one or both of the above, you will find flaws that might spoil the enjoyment.