Following her rejection of him, Elizabeth’s short laugh of bitter irony on first seeing Pemberley, the estate of which she could have been mistress, was expression enough.
Carey Mulligan and Jena Malone as Kitty and Lydia Bennett made the two youngest girls every bit as silly and single-minded as their father thinks they are. While it was strange to see such a big, Canadian star like Donald Sutherland in this quaint movie as Mr Bennett, in a scene with Lizzie near the end he proved why he had been chosen for the part. Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennett was every bit as fussy, nervy, and interfering as a mother should be when she has five daughters to marry.
While Rosamund Pike was sweet and pretty enough as Jane, poor Talulah Riley as Mary did not have as much to do as her sisters. That’s what comes from being the studious middle child when your elder sisters are handsome, opinionated, and independent; and your younger sisters can think of nothing but officers of the regiment.
And what of Miss Keira as our heroine Miss Elizabeth? She was stubborn, prejudicial, and headstrong. In other words, she was Lizzie. She was also gentle and vulnerable when the time called for it. Although Colin Firth will always be my Mr Darcy, Macfadyen gave a gallant performance, and his moments of vulnerability could not have been done any better.
Joe Wright emphasises the class difference to a greater extent. While Netherfield is as grand and lavish as any country house, the Bennett home, Longbourne, is in dire need of a lick of paint and some renovation. Yet Wright also showed off the beauty of the English countryside. A stunning, lingering view of the Peak District and a breathtaking picture-postcard shot of Chatsworth House as Pemberley would have been reason enough to see this film at the cinema. I wish I had.
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