The new "Pride and Prejudice", eh? It's not half-bad.



I was about fourteen when the BBC Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version was first aired and I was smitten, I have to admit. I read the book on the strength of it (and that led on to me reading the rest of Austen's novels and scoping out any other BBC adaptations that were floating around. None of them lived up to that first viewing of "Pride and Prejudice".). It was going to take some beating, especially when taking into account the time limitations of a feature film as opposed to a television serial.



When I heard that Matthew McFadyen was to play Mr Darcy, I was quietly confident despite the initial "He's no Colin Firth" sentiment. Do we all remember him in "The Way We Live Now"? Which also starred such luminaries as David Suchet not to mention a couple of bright young things - Cillian Murphy, Miranda Otto, Shirley Henderson, anyone? There was "Spooks", of course; yet another decent BBC drama (that cuts rather close to the bone these days and is the better for it) which starred McFadyen as pseudo-Bond, Tom.



As for Keira Knightley? Well, we know she can do period (Elizabeth Swann in "Pirate of the Caribbean") and we know she can do strong (Guenevere in "King Arthur"). Perhaps a little too pretty to be Lizzie Bennet but she's a good enough actress to overcome such a disadvantage. (I will dislodge my tongue from my cheek any day now).



Rosamund Pike was certainly going to be pretty enough to play Jane and Jena Malone as Lydia seemed to be a good call, 'despite' her being American. Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet and Dame Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh was really dream-team casting, wasn't it? Tom Hollander, Simon Woods and the wonderful Donald Sutherland provided strong male support, as expected from the boys.



I really, really enjoyed it. Not just the acting but the scenery. Honestly, it made England seem positively idyllic, even when knee deep in pig shit. Pemberley was stunning while Longbourn was more rustic than in the BBC version but none the weaker for it.



Some of the dialogue did jar a little; I can't quite imagine Jane telling Lizzie that she was 'over' Mr Bingley in quite those words or Mr Bingley telling Jane that he had been an ass but I did enjoy the ever-present eaves-dropping sisters toppling in through the door. There was some touches that were maybe not Austenesque but were far too touching to omit. Mr Bennet seeking out Mary to give her a hug having embarrassed her and her piano-playing at the Netherfield Ball? Priceless. Who didn't want Donald Sutherland as their father in that scene?



The characters omitted weren't too conspicuous in their absence; various siblings from what I could gather. There was no Mariah Lucas, no Mrs Phillips and no Mrs Hurst but it didn't matter. I think the screen would have been crowded if they had been included.



To be fair, the concluding scene, with Mr Darcy walking through the mist was possibly a tiny bit contrived but I'm sure as hell not going to grudge Lizzie and Darcy that scene! The chemistry (damn, I hate that phrase) between them had been simmering along nicely throughout the film and it was wonderful to see it come to fruition.




Now. Did anyone else think that the chap playing Mr Wickham was a sort of Orlando Boom Lite?


Disclaimer: Any errors in reference to the book are all my fault. I haven't actually read it in years...