Discard the film; read the book

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2006)

I have to admit that I have not seen the BBC famous 'Colin Firth/Mr Darcy wet shirt scene' that everyone seems to rave on about, so in this respect, I went into the cinema with fresh eyes and perspective. I have, however, read the novel. Twice. And loved it. So in my eyes the film had a lot to live up to. Insome respects, Pride and Prejudice was excellent: a truly 'feel-good'film. I loved the realism and the beauty which has been captured is breathtaking- notably the opening scenes and where Elizabeth was stood on the cliff, with her cape billowing around her. In the cinema, I became immersed in the story (as opposed to l'ennui of 'Mansfield Park', another Austen adaptation) and for the most part, Wright did an excellent job of translating the book to the big screen. After all, who can argue that the ball scene between Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy(where as they intertwine, the others disappear) isn't wonderfully done? Some of the cast did full justice to the characters- such as Tom Hollander as Mr. Collins and Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet. The latter's performance was so good that it has inspired me to re-read the novel for the third time and she really made the role her own. Such performances really did make the film.
However, if only I could give such a glowing account for the two leads. Keira Knightley. What a mistake. She misinterpreted the wit, the sharp sarcastic edge of Elizabeth Bennet. The character was more 'giggly' than feisty; it was impossible to believe in her; we were not seeing Elizabeth Bennet, but Keira Knightley PLAYING Elizabeth Bennet. You could not get beyond the actress. Knightley was simply too interested in pouting her lips and 'looking pretty', thus delivering a somewhat wooden performance. She lacked the subtlety, the finer nuances which convince us, the audience, to empathise (which appears to be a problem in her other films, such as 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' or 'Bend it Like Beckham'). Matthew MacFadyen? A disappointment. I had seen him in 'The Way We Live Now' and frankly, I prefer him as the cad Felix Carbury. I believe MacFadyen (from other performances such as 'Maybe Baby') to be a promising actor, and certainly much more versatile than Knightley, but here the character was again misinterpreted and a construct, rather than a believable being. I couldn't engage with him in the same way that I could with Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet, who to be fair, out shadowed him (!) Coupled with this was the irregularity of the plot and a villain who was more insipid than villainous. Key events were glossed over and condensed so that the audience gradually felt 'hang on, why's this going on here'? Perhaps less time should have been devoted to artistic beauty and more energy consecrated in plot and character development. Or Wright could have taken a leaf from Peter Jackson's book and done both (!)
Ultimately,the film's shortcomings were due to a lack of chemistry between the leads and miscasting of Knightley and MacFadyen. Furthermore, the overly slushy, sugar coated interpretation did not do justice to Austen's original. It lacked the grit, the substance, the challenging nature of the novel. Doesn't it say it all that until I chanced upon this page I had forgotten that I had even seen it? A 'nice' (and how I loathe that word- but it suits this vehicle perfectly), feel-good film in it's own right, but lacks the impact of the book. 6/10.