As a big fan of the A&E version, I was extremely satisfied!

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2005)

I'm a huge fan of the mini-series since it aired on A&E 10 years ago. I had doubts about the movie version, first, how can any man redo Colin Firth's celebrated performance? And secondly, would Keira Knightly do justice to Eliza Bennet? And most importantly, how can you enjoy the film without comparing it to the mini-series!? Answer to the first question, is Matthew McFayden did a fantastic job, he's a great and passionate actor. Keira Knightly fit perfectly as Eliza Bennet (and believe me I had doubts), but her performance was outstanding. And lastly: the mini-series. For the first 20 minutes of the film, all I could do was compare every actor, every movement to the mini-series. But then I became so wrapped up with the sensuality of the film, something the A&E/BBC miniseries lacked. Granted, the A&E version is more true to the novel, it also has more room for intelligent banter and novel preservation because it's 5 hours long. Although what the mini-series did lack, was the PASSION! Which this movie exceeds. It is not just a great novel, but it's a love story which the film portrays beautifully. The passion in Eliza's heart and love for Mr. Darcy after realizing his goodness is something that is quite reserved in the mini-series.
The film made a great approach in making miniseries fans satisfied by being able to see the passionate and sensual side of Jane Austen and the story.
The director's choices were fantastic. We got to almost feel Eliza's character the part where we see the sunlight Eliza sees with her eyes closed. It was a great choice in trying to connect the audience almost anatomically with our protagonist.
If you are a big fan of the mini-series, don't be stubborn - you will be pleasantly surprised to see a new side to our favorite Jane Austen couple.
FILM: 10/10 DIRECTING: 10/10 PERFORMANCES: 10/10 (although I wasn't really happy with the casting of the Binglys) WRITING: 9/10 ADVERTISING: 0/10 (Consider this movie poorly advertised, especially 2 months before Oscar announcements; shame shame shame)