At least we still have the book

Rating: 1/10 (9 July 2010)

Deborah Moggach has succeeded in taking a literary classic which has engaged and delighted readers for two centuries, and transforming it into a third-rate Regency romance. In this she has been aided and abetted by Keira Knightley (spoilt and petulant rather than sparkling, and displaying none of the wit and intelligence of Austen's heroine), Matthew Macfadyen (wooden) and, of the supporting cast, most notably Donald Sutherland, who can't even be bothered to adopt a plausible British accent.
The only half-decent acting in this film is from Rosamund Pike and Tom Hollander. Something must be seriously wrong when the viewer is cheering for Mr Collins and shouting at the screen that he's too good for Elizabeth.
It is hard to know where to start on the question of historical inaccuracy. One example out of many is that Elizabeth runs about barefoot in a dress made of dark fabric. A family that was reasonably well-to-do - and certainly one that sought to mix in circles above its own station - would have taken great care to dress their daughters in pale fabrics, which indicated that they could afford a maid to wash their clothes daily, and indeed that they could afford to replace their clothes when they wore out from too much washing. The frustrating thing is that nothing whatsoever is gained, artistically or dramatically, from the countless historical inaccuracies - it is simply laziness on the part of the screenwriter, producer, designers, and everyone else involved.
This film is a triumph of media hype over quality. Mercifully, in ten years it will have been superseded by another interpretation - which can only be better. In the meantime, whilst Moggach may have butchered Austen's storyline and Knightley has mangled her heroine, we can still go back to the book if we want something really worthwhile.