Pride and Prejudice

Joe Wright, UK/France, 2005, 127 minutes

Dirty hem lines and (almost) make up free young ladies set Joe Wright’s feature film debut apart from all those rose tinted period dramas that are so frequently churned out by the good old BBC. As someone who normally wants to slap the screen when Keira Knightley is on it, I was amazed to actually, well, like her in Pride and Prejudice. Although far too vogue cover girl to be dismissed as 'only tolerable’ by the brooding Darcy, Knightley is joyfully playful and witty and manages to restrain her pout in the majority of scenes. Other perks of the film include being able to spot such actresses as the girl out of 'Donnie Darko' (Jena Malone) and of course BAFTA’s favourite dahling, Judi Dench.

Jane Austen’s fabulous book adapted for screen by the equally fabulous Deborah Moggach continues to be relevant to even the most modern Edinburgh student due to the fact that you can recognise most of the women you know in at least one of the characters. Your slapper best friend may be on the similar side to silly sister Lydia or your mother may nag you to marry a lord just as Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) berates Lizzie. You will have to try your absolute hardest not to get lost in this touching, high-waisted world as, aided by the seductive score, P and P will surely manage to reel in even the most proud Darcy wannabe.

True, Matthew Macfadyen may not make you crave Mr. Darcy as much as Colin Firth did, but the revelation that Keira Knightley can be more than just a big pair of pouty lips will (almost) make up for it.

Review by Katherine Sellar
Written for EUFS Programme Spring 2006