Literary adaptations are always tricky, especially when attempting to adapt a novel that is as beloved as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. While director Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation is not necessarily a masterpiece, it's still a pleasure to watch.
The story centers around Elizabeth Bennett (Oscar-nominee Keira Knightley) and her four sisters desperate attempts to find love (or at least convenient marriages) in early 19th-century England. For women of the time, marriage was the only way to ensure a substantial livelihood. This was the dilemna of the Bennett family since their parents (Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn) had failed to produce a male heir.
Elizabeth wants to marry, but for love not just for financial security. As she searches for a potential mate she encounters Mr. Darcy (Matthew McFayden), a proud, rich gentleman whose snobbish manners at first are quite offensive to Lizzie. But as she gets to know him she begins to warm to him (and he grows fond of her as well). A series of events along the way involving her other sisters will put her prospects with Mr. Darcy in peril before finally culminating in the romance she always dreamed about.
The film captures the essence of Georgian England with beautiful scenery throughout that gives the viewer a true feel for the period. The differences in social standing between the Bennetts and other gentlemen are clearly seen in the deliberate choices of settings.
The film boasts a fine supporting cast, including Oscar-winner Judi Dench (Lady Catherine DeBourgh) as well as Rosamund Pike (who turns in a brief but wonderful performance as the eldest Bennett sister Jane). However, the supporting characters aren't given enough screen time to fully show the complexity of the roles that Austen had created in her novel.
In fact, the major drawback of the film is the first ninety minutes. It seemed that the story was rushed through in order to get to the point where Lizzie falls in love with Darcy. Unfortunately, much of the intricacy of the original story (especially Austen's use of the minor characters to propel the plot) is missing. It seemed that the film needed to be about an hour longer so that more attention could be paid to some of the seemingly minor plot points that serve to facilitate the drama could be explored more fully.
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