Casual Critic Mini Reviews

Pride & Prejudice (UK) (Focus Features) (2005) ***Year: 2005iMDB

Director: Joe Wright Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFayden, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland

A condensed but still entertaining version of Jane Austen's classic, the new Pride and Prejudice may be a good introduction to the work for those that have not read the book, but does not raise to the level of the 1995 BBC mini-series adaptation.

With only 2 hours at its disposal, Joe Wright produces an ambitious adaptation. Knightley manages to capture the liveliness of Lizzie Bennet, and MacFayden will always be compared to Colin Firth of the BBC edition, but he also delivers a believable Mr. Darcy. The highlight of the cast is however Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet while the lowest point is Judi Dench whose brief showing as Lady Catherine seems a rehash of any of her previous typecast roles, in part also due to the insufficient background that the movie provides to her character.

Nevertheless, a classic story that deserved a modern screen adaptation to replace the 1940 production (with Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy) and with a larger audience than the 1995 BBC production which, and I know I repeat myself here, remains the ultimate film version of this classic novel.