A fairly fit film

Joe Wright's "Pride and Prejudice" is a gorgeous film, but it fails to do justice to Jane Austen's classic novel. It is a well-crafted and sunlit love story, however. Sadly, it reduces Austen's layered and witty work to a merely pretty and rather empty story. \nI am upset when I think of all the people who may watch this film and think they have experienced the depths of Austen's work, when really they are only wading in the shallows, barely being exposed to her excellence.\n"Pride and Prejudice" is about a young gentlewoman of relatively humble means, navigating through a maze of social conventions, daring to reach for more than what is practical or expected, to take a shot at being truly happy. The book is a sarcastic and judgmental look at the society of the time. Unfortunately, the script leaves out many of the best lines of the text, often summarizing important exchanges and events with straight foreword screen dialogue. \nWhile this was surely done in order to trim the running time of the two hour film, it is to the detriment of the story, which is hinged upon double entendres and the characters' inability to be plain in their actions and pursuits even when their own future happiness is at stake. \nKeira Knightly as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy are both strongly cast and pull off their roles quite well. Going into the film I had no strong feelings about Knightly as an actress, but in this role she managed to win me over, playing Bennet as smart, stubborn and strong, yet vulnerable, just as she ought to be. \nConsidering that here at IU there is a facebook group entitled "Mr. Darcy, Dismount Thy Noble Steed and Ride Me Instead!" and that the popular character "Bridget Jones" is so obsessed with Mr. Darcy that when "Bridget Jones' Diary" (loosely based on "Pride") was adapted to the screen, Colin Firth was cast as Bridget Jones's love interest, Mark Darcy, because of his previous role as Mr. Darcy on the well loved "Pride and Prejudice" BBC mini series. Macfadyen had a lot to live up to, and he succeeds. \nThe film's DVD includes some interesting features, including a behind the scenes featurette and a commentary track by Wright. If you want to watch a film for beauty alone, and are indifferent toward a good, yet weak, love story, I recommend renting "Pride and Prejudice"