Pride and Prejudice Review

The Case

I knew that when I watched the latest version of Pride and Prejudice, every bit of it would be compared to my beloved A&E adaptation of the same story.  It was hard to imagine that a simple two-hour film would be able to stand up to a magnificent five-hour miniseries.  I was fully prepared to dislike this shorter version intensely.  Happily, there was no need!

The Good

Every single character in this version was totally different from the A&E version, and that was hard to get past for the first few minutes.  However, once I went through my initial 'automatic rejection' period, I found myself really enjoying the movie.  It had a lot of dialogue from the novel, so there were no complaints as to how the story was portrayed, but what I liked best about this version was that Knightley played Lizzy with some real fire in her soul and with a definite attitude as well.  She lit the screen with her playful mannerisms and sharp wit. 

As to Macfadyen, he slowly won me over as Mr. Darcy.  The best thing about him is his mysteriousness at the beginning of the movie.  No one can figure him out, least of all Lizzy and the audience, and I think that aided his overall performance.  I enjoyed the fact that every actor in the movie approached his/her character with an honest openness, not as figures, but as people.  It created an earthy, homey feel to the film that was sometimes lacking in the miniseries.

Of course, the main element in Pride and Prejudice is the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth.  And boy, did they sizzle!  There was no more physical stuff than there was in the miniseries - which I think is good, and true to the time period - but just because they can't interact on a more physical basis doesn't mean that they don't want to.  The desire they have for one another screams for release, which heats up the screen in ways that the miniseries didn't - couldn't - pull off.  The appropriate sparks were most definitely flying!

The Bad

Obviously, the time constraints did play a role in how much of the story could be told.  A lot of little scenes that were important to the book - and the A&E version - had to be cut.  It doesn't hurt the movie so much as it lends it a slightly full, or rushed, feeling, and the relationships are continually changing, rather than being allowed to just play out.

The cast was acceptable, but not superb.  Other than Jane, I gotta say that if I had to choose between the two casting choices presented, the A&E version was better, in a lot of respects.  No one can play the Bennett parents better than the mother and father in the miniseries.  And Donald Sutherland (Mr. Bennett in the movie) was just too laid back and lethargic to be believable as the hounded husband.  Also, Jena Malone played Lydia, and I couldn't stand her for some reason!  Wickham was boring, and not at all the charmer you were supposed to believe he was, and the rest of the cast was good, but not as good as A&E.  Mr. Collins, especially, was a let down.  He's just so foppish in the miniseries, and in this one, he was pictured as more boring than looney.

But again, this version is shorter, and mostly revolves around Darcy and Elizabeth, so the weaker performances do not weigh down the film as much as they would have if it had been five hours long.  I believe that I can still honestly say that the A&E miniseries is my favorite version, but I can also say that this new adaptation really does succeed in doing the story justice.

And in closing, can I just mention Bingley's hair?  What the heck was up with that hair?!

The Verdict

Four stars!  If you've got the time, see the A&E version (and my review of it!), but don't underestimate this shorter Pride and Prejudice film.  It's got it where it counts!