00s Movie Review - Pride & Prejudice

Director: Joe Wright
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 127 minutes
Year: 2005
Starring: Keira Knightley Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Tom Hollander, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Judi Dench, Rupert Friend, Carey Mulligan, Kelly Reilly, Talulah Riley, Penelope Wilton

Description: Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?

Review: After the 1940 version with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson and the successful mini-series from 1995 with Colin Firth, this is the newest incarnation of Jane Austen’s literary classic “Pride & Prejudice”.

Keira Knightley, as Elizabeth Bennet, plays her biggest role to date. She is the point of your attention and Knightley shows us she can handle the pressure. Especially in the more dramatic scenes she stands strong, even if she shares the screen with the experienced Judi Dench.

The chemistry between Keira Knightley and her on-screen Mr. Darcy, portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen, is great. Every time the two get closer, you feel butterflies in your stomach. Just a look or response is enough to know what they feel.

Both Knightley and Macfadyen are perfectly cast in their roles, but Rosamund Pike also did a wonderful job. She shines and this is the movie I discovered her in. Judi Dench plays her role as arrogant and respectable Lady Catherine very well, like we expect from her. Tom Hollander as the typical Mr. Collins, is responsible for a more humoristic touch. His character is incapable of saying anything spontaneous, which is especially funny when he has to share some more emotional matters. Then there is Brenda Blethyn as the neurotic Bennet mother, who wants only one thing: her daughters to be married with a preferable wealthy and good looking man.

The camerawork is impeccable and the music fits the style and time period of the film perfectly.
As a fan of the novel, I’m very pleased with this movie version of “Pride & Prejudice”. You might call me a hopeless romantic, but it’s one of my favorite films of all-time.

Rating: 5/ 5