Pride and Prejudice

Bonnets-a-plenty

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife’. Thus wrote Jane Austen about two hundred years ago, and today, Pride and Prejudice is still one of the most loved classics ever written.
This latest remake, directed by Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2 & 3) as the strong-willed yet charming Elizabeth Bennet, is the first time the story has been on the big screen since the 1940’s.
Now for those of you who think that this kind of movie is just full of girls staring wistfully, wearing bonnets and doing cross-stitch, you are oh, so very wrong. This is the story that Bridget Jones’ Diary was based on! OK, so it does have bonnets, wistful stares but only a little bit of cross-stitching – and so much more!
Set in England, 1797, it’s the story of the Bennet family. Mrs Bennet (Brenda Blethyn – Saving Grace) has five daughters and high hopes (as all respectable mothers do) that they will all be happily married to up-standing gentlemen who earn handsome amounts of pounds each year. So, when news hits Longbourn that an extremely eligible bachelor by the name of Mr Bingley (Simon Woods) is about to take residence nearby, Mrs Bennet is determined to pass off one of her daughters to him. But, accompanying Mr Bingley is his friend Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen – Enigma), an overtly conceited, arrogant man, with a penchant for brooding.

While Mr Bingley has his heart set on the eldest of the daughters, Jane Bennet (Rosamund Pike – Die Another Day), Darcy takes a fancy to Elizabeth, but is too proud to show the slightest bit of affection.
Tempers flare, words are said (in the politest possible way) leaving the air between Darcy & Elizabeth so thick with friction you couldn’t navigate a coach through it. Back at Longbourn, the other Bennet sisters are having their brush with the hope of matrimonial bliss, their tediously dreary cousin Mr Collins (Tom Hollander - Gosford Park) visits the house and tries to marry Elizabeth, while a very patient (and very well played) Mr Bennet (Donald Sutherland – Cold Mountain), says to Elizabeth, ‘Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins... And I will never see you again if you do.’
I was slightly apprehensive when going to see this remake. I am such a fan of the 1995 BBC TV version with Jennifer Ehle and the scorching good looks of Colin Firth, I didn’t think anyone could do it justice. Gladly I was wrong! MacFadyen measures up to Firth with his portrayal of Darcy and Keira Knightley was surprisingly good as Elizabeth, adding a more ‘tom-boy’ feeling to her character.
Austen’s sharpness of wit still carries its weight even two hundred years after the book was written. My friend’s and I (and someone’s Mum) couldn’t stop laughing throughout the film (except for the weepy bits) it was simply brilliant. A must see for absolutely everyone who wants to go and see a great film (and those who just want a peep at the new Darcy!)