Review of Pride & Prejudice (2005) by Carol M — 16 Feb 2016

The landscape shots are breathtaking, and the score is beautiful. That is where the worthiness of Austen ends. Rumpled clothes,bare feet, loose ratty hair, and farm animals in the house are not Austen. Elizabeth Bennet was feisty, not bipolar. The film's attempt to cram this rich story into a commercial-length film -- and appeal to non-Austen readers -- resulted in sudden, inexplicable character turns. I felt that both leading roles were excruciatingly miscast. (Although I have enjoyed them in other films.) And Donald Sutherland -- an actor whose work I have much admired in the past -- turned in one of the most humorless performances I have witnessed on film. Austen was anything but humorless. But the engagement announcement scene between Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth was excruciating to watch, more befitting a man having a nervous breakdown than one sharing joy with his most beloved daughter.

I have seen many Austen movies -- both the costume-drama ilk and the modern adaptations and enjoyed them immensely. It seems to me that this particular production suffered an identity crisis in trying to adapt Austen whilst leaving Austen out of it almost entirely.