Review of Pride & Prejudice (2005) by Jonathan B — 09 Aug 2013

This is an engaging and watchable film version of the Jane Austen classic novel. Keira Knightly makes a good Elizabeth though Matthew MacFadyen's Darcy does lack some of the charisma the character requires to make him truly memorable.

I also struggled with the casting of Donald Sutherland who, though capable, just seemed uncomfortable in the role of Mr. Bennet. Visually, this movie is a treat and everything you would expect from a period drama.

Good use is made of some stunning English landscapes and architecture and the script is well handled. Brenda Blethyn is great as Mrs. Bennet, driven to distraction by the drive to marry off her daughters and secure their future and Judi Dench is proper boo-hiss as Lady Catherine.

The success of this adaptation lies with the lovely direction by Joe Wright who allows the silences and glances to tell the story as much as the words. Austen's novel is as much about the manners and etiquette of the era in which it was set and this is well captured here, despite the need to heavily edit several plot lines.