Pride & Prejudice

Gorgeous. With the very first shot and the first notes of the piano, I was captured and only released with the closing credits, emotionally enriched. It's hard to see a film so well directed, so easily narrated and so wonderfully acted. Artistically, too, it is flawless – thoughtful composition of images, imaginative cinematography, elaborate sets and costumes, here the Oscar nominations are very appropriate. Same with Keira Knightley, she doesn't really appeal to me as a woman (see Tetsuo's comment), but here she was divine, in both her acting and expression. And I can hardly imagine a better Mr Darcy than Matthew Macfadyen's either. In short: for the first time in a long time, a film that struck a chord with me. PS: I'm getting really interested in Jane Austen adaptations, I'm going to look for Lee's Sense and Sensibility. (08/27/2022)

Formally it’s absolutely great, but, unfortunately, in every other shot or dialogue I felt like I've seen exactly this countless times before and executed better. Pride and Prejudice did not offend me in any way, it has unusually sharp and witty dialogues for the period it is set in. Similarly, I liked Keira Knightley’s frankness and honesty. However, as a story about love and relationships, this piece didn’t resonate with me deeply, which is quite a mystery considering my taste and feelings. Perhaps it is too artificial – that's how I would characterize the whole thing in one short and telling sentence. There is emotion, yes, but everything somehow drags on, it creeps... concealment, true love, artificial love, the customs of the aristocracy... I've seen it all elsewhere... nothing new under the sun. (10/15/2006)

I cannot review this film completely objectively - the problem is not that I consider the subject matter to be too "feminine" or that there is no trace of romance in me. However, I am a descendant of the plebeian society and plebeian ancestors, so instead of being moved by noble manners and witty sparkling dialogues, I feel like grabbing a pitchfork, poking Mr. Bingley in the backside, and shouting: "To the Bastille!" Besides, I get the feeling that the creators did not capture Jane Austen's essence very well. In reality, she was more like an English Chekhov of the late 18th century. She had her own thoughts about the manners and conventions of the confined aristocratic society, and her novels can be read more as a gentle social satire on contemporary morality. However, the humor in the film shifted more toward romantic comedy than satire. Keira Knightley is perfect for her role - delicate, fragile, romantic, and charming. However, her male counterpart lacks the charisma that Colin Firth showed ten years earlier. The cinematography and the selection of exteriors are very good, and the period music accompaniment is pleasant as well. Overall impression: 70%. (07/18/2006)

The folly of the powerful in a British form from the pen of Jane Austen couldn’t have been better. Her world is very far from what I imagine as an ideal bedtime story. Reading her books would be make me totally desperate. The movie is a different case, however. Joe Wright honors the source material and so there is a number of higher-class conceited characters that you would like to shoot with a cannon from a Soviet T-100 tank. But the film is lucky because the dialogues are brilliantly written so there is always somebody to shut them up with a polite, cynical word. That and the very pretty shots prove that it would be a shame to overlook this film. (09/21/2018)

One would think that a guy wouldn't enjoy this, but the opposite is true. Magical performances, as well as a timeless love story that almost didn't come true just because people are idiots, simply captivate even today's men. True, at times it can be a bit boring, but this time it's not such a high price to pay. However, those two hours still go by quite quickly, thanks to Wright's confident direction. (02/26/2014)