DVD : Pride & Prejudice

Rating: - pride and prejudice
Always a favorite, Keira Knightly is perfect for the part and although no one can (in my opinion) surpass Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy, Matthew McFayden runs a close second!

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Rating: - Excellent take on Pride and Prejudice
Fast paced and youthful representation of Pride and Prejudice. The interaction between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy is exciting and sensual. Very enjoyable.

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Rating: - Best love story & movie on the planet
Quite simply put, this is the most amazing love story on the planet. Complex, deep character personalities dissolve with purity of affection.

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Rating: - I Started Out Prejudiced...
I was wary of watching this edition of "Pride and Prejudice" because I was absolutely convinced that it was going to be horrible, either because of the acting, or because it wouldn't stay true to the story as it is presented in the novel. But I definitely ate some humble pie after watching this film because it turned out to be absolutely wonderful, and did Jane Austen's novel adequate justice.

While the movie is not as detailed as the novel - or the original BBC series - due to time constraints, the creators of the movie did a good job of choosing the important points of the story to focus on. While you don't want the movie to end when it does, you can at least feel like you've been given a complete and well rounded story before placing the DVD back in its case.

The actors selected to portray such timeless literary characters were also well chosen; while I doubted Keira Knightley's ability to pull off the role of Elizabeth, I came away with a new respect for her acting ability after watching this film. The choice of Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy was also a good one; he played the brooding, but genuinely kind-hearted Mr. Darcy very convincingly. The online chemistry between Knightley and MacFadyen was also evident, enhancing the believability of Elizabeth and Darcy's romance when it was portrayed onscreen.

While the cinematography in this movie varied greatly from the original BBC series, it was for the better. Some of the most crucial moments in the book - when Darcy professes his feelings for Elizabeth, and the ending where they meet in the early morning - were beautifully filmed. For those who are not interested in romantic movies, but appreciate good cinematography, watch this movie for that reason alone; you will not be disappointed.

Though this film was wonderful, if you are comparing it to the book, or are a diehard fan of the original BBC series, you might come away disappointed. But for those who have never read the book, or ever seen the original BBC series, this is definitely a film that you need to add to your must-watch list.

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Rating: - Good movie; poor adaptation
On the one hand, the music, the costumes, the hair, and the scenery are all very well done; and the movie does have a good fast pace to it. The designers showed great perception in having different levels of up-to-dateness and fashion among the various characters; the visuals are almost without fault, and the soundtrack is not bad at all.

On the other hand, Jane Austen should never seem fast-paced, even within the limitations of cutting a novel down to fit within 2 hours or so (there's a reason why there's a mystery series where the detective is Jane Austen herself) and there is also lacking in the movie a sense of Jane Austen's ineffable good humor. People are all to willing to tell their secrets, and constantly saying "Oh, didn't you know? . . ." and, for example, when Charlotte announces that she is to marry Mr. Collins, she exclaims, "Don't you dare judge me, Lizzie!" when there was no question of Elizabeth judging Charlotte in the book at all, only questioning her future happiness.

So you'll probably enjoy the movie more if you're not a Jane Austen fan to begin with than if you are.