Pride & Prejudice

To those of you who think this is a wonderful adaptation of Jane Austin's most excellent book let me say this: you couldn't possibly have read the book. Of all the adaptations I have seen, this one is quite possibly the worst. The actor portraying Mr. Darcy had no concept of the kind of man Darcy is or his nature. The scene where he goes after Elizabeth, in the rain, to declare his love for her, is positively unfathomable, most especially since no such scene exists in the book. And as for Kiera Knightly, her representation of a gentlemans daughter was horrendous. She appeared at all times unkempt with straggly hair, oftentimes looking like she had just walked out of a ragbag, then at other times she seemed to walk about flailing her arms in a coat belonging to her father. Over the last few years I have watched most all of the productions of Pride and Prejudice but this one is, without a doubt, the most painful to sit through. Just a hot mess! Do yourself a favor and invest in the BBC production with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. It is longer but we'll worth it.

I think my 3 stars come from having watched a similar story who has set the standards so much higher! (North & South) were Richard Armitage (Mr.Thornton) plays a very similar role as Mr. Darcy. He makes the guy on Pride & Prejudice look like an amateur and exaggerates our ability to see Mr. Darcy's flaws as an actor; his acting is forced, the arrogance of his character seems so "prepared" that I found him extremely annoying. It was like watching poor theater. I can see the actor and not the character. The chemistry and playfulness with cara knightley is more annoying than truthful. She never hates him (but plays to hate him) because they do a very bad job as actors manipulating those subtle emotions. Watch "North & South" and you will understand how a couple can portray hate, prejudice and understanding in a powerful and complex way.

I think it is a okay film based off of my classic romantic novels. I only wished it were put together better. It lacked what I thought important details and jumped time way to much. The acting was great and the actors that was chosen for the characters were great. I just personally found it lacking and wanted more.