Comments on: Pride and Prejudice (2005) – A 10th Anniversary Review

By: Amber Topping

Amber Topping — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:11:50 +0000

In reply to Y. Adaptations will not always speak to each individual, and that's okay. :)

By: Y

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 14:58:31 +0000

I’m sorry to disagree! Maybe it is because my love of period dramas started with the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, but I just couldn’t warm to the characters in this adaptation.
I could have lived with this version of Lizzy, although throughout the whole movie I was waiting on her to be witty and outspoken, which is her main characteristic in the book and which was so evident in the 1995 adaptation with Jennifer Ehle. Worse for me was this version of Darcy. Macfadyen looked mostly whiny even when he was attempting to stare smoulderingly. Maybe it is just me… I guess I’m not a big fan. The hairdressers in this movie didn’t help with this terrible wig! I don’t believe any gentleman in that period would have let himself been seen with shaggy hair like this.
The other characters were comparably flat. The father for instance. There was hardly any wit. He seemed sleepy to me. The sisters were ok, I guess, but nobody can come near David Bamber and Allison Steadman as Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet.
While I liked the moody camerawork, the sets were so so. First you see for example Lady Catherines House and then Pemberly. While Lady Catherine is rich and pompous, Mr. Darcy is rich, but has style. When Lizzy toured his house I thought the whole time, that this doesn’t fit. It was overloaded with shiny things and artwork. Maybe they wanted to project with all the naked statues that he was a liberal artisty kind of guy? Not so stiff and arrogant? Maybe they have “slightly” overdone it?
I could pick it apart further, but will stop now. As I said in the beginning: I fell in love with the BBC miniseries with Jennifer Ehle and Collin Firth, which I have watched countless times. It is difficult for me not to compare. If you liked this version, disregard my rant, please 😉 and forgive the possibly weird English full of mistakes. It is not my native language.

Thank you to the authors of this site. It is a good inspiration to watch my favorite period dramas again and discover new ones.

By: Kim c

Kim c — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 02:25:44 +0000

In reply to M. Thanks! I was going to point that out!

By: RJ Sophia

RJ Sophia — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 21:46:37 +0000

My daughter and I have watched this movie no less than 100 times. We are completely in love with this movie. Elizabeth is so fiercely independent and so amazing to watch.

By: Tanis Dennis

Tanis Dennis — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 20:10:12 +0000

i love this movie so much. The casting, the costumes, the cinematography… WOW. Maybe I love it so much because I’m not a Jane Austen fan, maybe I wouldn’t like it if I were, but I can watch and rewatch this movie again and again.

By: M

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 03:40:46 +0000

This is real late, but you that wasn’t Orlando Bloom who played Mr Wickham right?

By: Tina Liu

Tina Liu — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 14:59:00 +0000

I love this adaption, too! It’s always a pleasure to watch it again and again(for about 10 times at least), and the filmmaker did a really great job to put the whole story into a 2 hour movie! (ps. the background music was awesome, too.)

By: Willow and Thatch

Willow and Thatch — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 13:18:00 +0000

I’m with you! It’s true this version isn’t as epic and classic as the 1995 series, but it is not a fair comparison and as you say Knightley was well able to capture the independent nature of Elizabeth. For me the film is a delight to watch and re-watch. The time constraints of the film almost work to amplify the emotion and beauty of the story, instantly transporting me to JA bliss.

By: Amber Topping

Amber Topping — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 05:20:00 +0000

In reply to Rissi. Yes, I agree. The filmmakers really did a wonderful job with only two hours to pull off such a long novel!

By: Rissi

Rissi — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 05:13:00 +0000

I LOVE this adaptation! It’s gorgeous, romantic (that first proposal… *swoon*) and I so admire the changes the production took to make it its own story. Plus, given it had only two hours to tell it in, the story is told beautifully in that limited boxy space, and very well at that. 🙂