Beautiful yet disappointing in a way

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2006)

Jane Austen's most popular novel has appeared on the screen many times successfully. I was almost afraid that it would be boring, but this wonderful story will never grow old.
First the positives.
The camera captures the beauty of the English countryside and makes this a worthwhile movie going experience. Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland are excellent as Mr. & Mrs. Bennett. Judy Dench is good as always in the small role of Lady Catherine de Berg. Keira Knightley looks stunningly beautiful, and overshadows the elder sister Jane who is supposed to be the beauty in the family. Matthew McFayden's Mr.Darcy is handsome and sensitive, but needs more pride to be like the character in the book. Mr.Charles Bingley was amiable but just a little too sweet. Lyida the youngest sister and Mr.Wickham were played well in limited roles. The humor which is present throughout the novel is just as effective in the movie. One scene that is effective in the movie is when Elizabeth tours Pemberley and walks around the museum. She sees the statue of Mr.Darcy (I think in the book it was a painting, but can't be sure) and her expressions soften. We can see that her opinion of him is changing and perhaps she is regretting what she missed.
Now the negatives.
Keira Knightley's Elizabeth looks too modern in her posture, walking style, and even hairstyle. She is brilliant in some scenes (esp. when she tells Mr.Darcy that he would be the last person in the world she would marry). In some other scenes though all she seems to do is narrow her eyes or smile. The fault may lie in the script, which is not completely honest with Austen's novel. In the book Mr.Darcy proposes to Elizabeth at the Collins's house, and second time at the Bennett house (outdoor, IIRC). The movie took liberties with the locations. Darcy and Elizabeth somehow meet in the rain when he proposes to her the first time. What was she doing all alone there? This was supposed to be 18th century England. In the second proposal scene, which is even worse, They both wander outside early morning and run into each other ("I could not sleep"; "Neither could I"). The dialog sounds too modern, and so is the scene. The screen writers would have been better off using Jane Austen's writings which were much more effective.
The movie is more effective when it is following the book closely, particularly the dialogs and locations. I was disappointed in the way some things had been changed from the original version and it did not improve the movie. It did the opposite. It would have been good to show at the end how Mrs. Bennett was thrilled to see 3 of her daughters married, and shots of the two couples -The Darcys and The Bingleys- would have been more appropriate than the romantic last scene between Darcy & Elizabeth. I wish the screenplay had been written better.
Overall the movie is worth seeing, in spite of the flaws, because of the beautiful cinematography, and good acting by the cast.