You can't help but feel sorry for poor old "Mr. Bennet" (Donald Sutherland) in this drama. He is married to a domineering wife (Brenda Blethyn) and has five, yes - five daughters! They are upper-middle class, gentile and well-to-do but have a problem. The laws of inheritance insist that upon his death, their home shall pass to a distance cousin so it's important that the girls make as best a way in life for themselves as they can. That might be simpler for the beautiful "Jane" (Rosamund Pike) but for the others. Well there's the girlish "Kitty" (Carey Mulligan); the tomboyish "Lydia" (Jena malone); the studious "Mary' (Talulah Riley) and the independently minded "Elizabeth" (Keira Knightley). It's the last who is likely to prove the most problematic as she has no intention of just marrying the local cleric "Collins" (Tom Hollander) or some drippy soldier like "Mr. Wickham" (Rupert Friend). Indeed, she only just manages to stay on the right side of good manners at a supper with the imperious "Lady Catherine" (Dame Judi Dench) who is surprised by her youthful fortitude of character. As ever, though, with Jane Austin there is a degree of inevitability about the denouement and when we are introduced to the equally strong willed "Darcy" (Matthew Macfadyen) we know that for all of their dancing around each other, their sparring, strops and tantrums there will be a spark, and whether or not that spark manifests itself into true love is the purpose of this story. Along the way, the production designer and the costumers have filled their boots. The film oozes stately homes and fine costumes, the writing enlivens almost everyone - especially the on-form Blethyn whilst Dames Judi and Penelope (Wilton) bring some gravitas to offset the engaging effort from Knightley in a role the could almost have been written for her engaging performance here. The Darcy role is amiably enough played, but that role isn't really so important in substance - it's more about his dashing eye-candiness factor that is supposed to have the hearts a-fluttering. Dario Marianelli has written a score that complements the story almost perfectly and though I did think it just a bit too long, this is classily constructed assessment of the vagaries of human nature, snobbery, aspiration and sheer bloody-mindedness and is well worth a gander.
