Lovely film masks poor performance by Keira Knightley

Rating: 5/10 (23 August 2008)

What a beautiful film. The costumes, production design and cinematography keep the production values very high. That goes along way when you have to mask probably the weakest interpretation of Elizabeth Bennett ever. Keira Knightley seems to mumble her way through the movie, and throws away practically every line with her lower jaw thrust forward in juvenile muggery. All the beauty of the film serves to put lipstick on a pig. There seems to be nothing going on internally to the character of Elizabeth. Ms. Knightley would have been far better suited to play Lydia running after redcoats as flighty as she is. She completely lacks any kind of probity, which is essential in a work much about judgment, character and prejudice. If I could mix and match the various elements of the three adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, I would have had Elizabeth Garvie from the original BBC series play the heroine, and this movie would have been just perfect. It's unfortunate that Hollywood seems to latch onto whatever 'hot young model', and who better in their mind to cast in the role than the anorexic ass kicker from Domino. It's really a shame that they could not have spread the casting net a bit wider and hired someone who could have brought some levels and depth to the character. It's good Keira did not win the Academy Award, the nomination was bad enough.