Very good film version of Austen novel

Rating: 8/10 (7 April 2014)

This modern version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is very good. It's sure to entertain all but the most ardent Jane Austen fans. And, but for the remarkable 1995 BBC mini-series, this movie might even win the hearts of most die-hard Austen fans.
The movie has several small weaknesses, but some strengths that mostly make up for those. Among its strong points are the roles of several of the actors. Keira Knightley and Rosamund Pike are excellent as the oldest Bennet sisters, Elizabeth and Jane. Brenda Blethyn is very good as Mrs. Bennet, and Claudie Blakely does very well as Charlotte Lucas. Matthew Macfadyen is very good as Mr. Darcy, and Judi Dench plays Lady de Bourg very well. The roles of other major players are so-so, and most of the lesser players are not developed enough. The other strong points of this film are its cinematography, makeup and sets. All are excellent.
This movie is considered a modern adaptation of Austen's novel in the language, manners and personal behavior of the characters. Films made about stories that take place in the past – however along ago, should reflect those times and their culture and customs as closely as possible. When they do so, they serve a great value. As such, they are windows into the history and culture of those past times. They educate movie goers about the times, their customs and events. But, if they are not accurate, they give false impressions about the past. The modern tinges to the script and roles in this film are not such that they would significantly mislead viewers about Austen's late 18th century England.
But, the script and direction overall have some pluses and minuses. The general strengths are in the liveliness of character roles. The weaknesses are mostly in the portrayal of the Bennet family, its home, and the community. In this regard, the costumes and settings also are questionable. The character of Elizabeth is a little too silly early on – she is more closely akin to the younger girls than to Jane. But the younger girls – Lydia and Kitty are just shown in their girlish behavior briefly. And, between Elizabeth and Darcy, we see almost instant attraction for the first meeting. This comes on far too strong and too early in the film.
This movie is 11 minutes longer than the 1940 film, and is able to get more of the story on film. Still, several of the incidents are crowded to the point of possibly confusing viewers. Events are rushed in places, and anyone not familiar with the story may get lost or not know what is going on in those instances. This is especially true toward the end of the film. The film fails to develop some of the characters enough, so the viewer's interest is barely aroused in Mr. Wickham, Georgiana Darcy, the Gardiners and some others.
One thing that struck me as very wrong had to do with the early scenes at the community dance and the first ball. The setting, costumes and music made me think that I was watching a barn dance in the American colonies. The later ball scenes were more refined, and more likely attuned to the landed gentry. Along these same lines, as noted by some other reviewers, are the barnyard atmosphere around the house with chickens and hogs moving freely around and even inside the house. The Bennets had a cook and other servants. So would family members have been doing the laundry and other chores as implied in the film? With all the mud around the house, we saw people coming and going all the time, but no mud tracked on the floors, and no sign of people taking off their shoes.
A small estate like that of the Bennet's may surely have had barns, corals, and servant's lodgings and outbuildings. But those would have been removed a short distance from the house. And the family members of the estate wouldn't have been trudging through the mud and farmyard.
One interesting scene stands out all alone in this regard. Elizabeth is sitting on a swing that is suspended from rafters in a drive-through farm building. The ground all around her clearly is a mess of mud. So, she should have had very muddy boots, shoes or feet. Yet we see her twisting in the swing with her bare feet sticking straight out. They look quite clean.
This is an entertaining version of Jane Austen's great novel by the same name. If you enjoy this film, you will be enthralled by the 1995 TV mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth and a host of other marvelous actors. It runs 5.5 hours and gives full treatment to most of the characters and situations of the novel.