Good Version of a Classic Story

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2006)

I enjoyed this movie, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice is a masterpiece with a plot and dialog that will live forever. The director, Joe Wright, used the camera imaginatively and most of the outdoor scenes made excellent use of the beautiful English countryside. The film moves with pace and the way the characters interact seems very modern, they just happen to be dressed in period costume. Deborah Moggach's script incorporates most of the dramatic set pieces and the memorable one-liners from the book. It's a bit like a greatest hits compilation.
Keira Knightly's Elizabeth is beautiful, charismatic and full of life, making Darcy's attraction easy to understand. Matthew MacFadyen's Darcy is a shy man unwilling to let his emotions show. He seems drawn to Lizzie's confidence, vitality and sense of fun. He initially appears haughty and arrogant but his later good deeds, humility and wealth play a part in winning Lizzie over. Darcy is a difficult part to play but MacFadyen does a good job.
Donald Sutherland plays Mr. Bennet like a stoner with a sense of humor. Rosamund Pike is a very pretty Jane. Brenda Blethyn's portrayal of Mrs. Bennet is perhaps too sympathetic. Tom Hollander is excellent as the awful Mr. Collins. Judi Dench was a little disappointing as the battle-axe Lady Catherine de Bourg. Mr. Wickham hardly makes an appearance in this version - probably not enough time.
On balance, I preferred the 1995 five-hour BBC version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It had more time to let the characters develop and it focused on the marvelous dialog. This shorter compressed version is first-rate and has a strong visual style but if you came to this fresh without knowing the story you might wonder what all the fuss was about.