Pride & Prejudice

Formally it’s absolutely great, but, unfortunately, in every other shot or dialogue I felt like I've seen exactly this countless times before and executed better. Pride and Prejudice did not offend me in any way, it has unusually sharp and witty dialogues for the period it is set in. Similarly, I liked Keira Knightley’s frankness and honesty. However, as a story about love and relationships, this piece didn’t resonate with me deeply, which is quite a mystery considering my taste and feelings. Perhaps it is too artificial – that's how I would characterize the whole thing in one short and telling sentence. There is emotion, yes, but everything somehow drags on, it creeps... concealment, true love, artificial love, the customs of the aristocracy... I've seen it all elsewhere... nothing new under the sun. (15/10/2006)

One would think that a guy wouldn't enjoy this, but the opposite is true. Magical performances, as well as a timeless love story that almost didn't come true just because people are idiots, simply captivate even today's men. True, at times it can be a bit boring, but this time it's not such a high price to pay. However, those two hours still go by quite quickly, thanks to Wright's confident direction. (26/02/2014)

The deep and stunning eyes of Miss Keira took me to a place where no road is long enough or too muddy, and where no game is good enough not to have a better one. When, in addition, the enchanting music reaches its strongest twist, you want to be Mr. Darcy, who gets a chance to show himself in the right light, or be Elizabeth and suggest the truth to everyone with her straightforwardness. But what fascinates me the most is that even though Jane Austen's original is charming in its verbosity and lushness, director Wright managed to reduce it so excellently that it clearly surpasses it. (19/02/2006)

A simple glance at the thickness of the book suggests that the task of cramming a sprawling plot into two hours of film was a daunting one for the director. Wright opts for a rather unfortunate method of occasional abbreviation, which produces a terrible stew of names and family-social ties right from the get-go. This hesitation is unfortunate because if the runtime had been extended by 20 minutes, the beautifully staged emotions would have stood out a hell of a lot better. Thus, all we have left is a promising hint of how catchy of a story the director can tell: the cinematography is charming, the set design is settling, the actors are decent - as befits the English - and the overall composition smacks of the sweetest kitsch. However, this merry-go-round of engagements and weddings is so sensitively, humorously, pleasantly, and above all sincerely filmed that much can be forgiven. At present, the boundaries of the genre could not be better. (11/03/2007)

I still can’t believe I loved this movie so much. A sprawling and unimaginative plot stretched out over two hours, peppered with Keira Knightley's sweet smile, romantic sets and a perfect happy ending... am I really supposed to like that? Well yes. Perhaps I forgot to mention what a huge charm that sweet smile has, how apt and captivating the romantic and history-laden production design is, how skilled a director Joe Wright is and that the story under his baton is brimming with weddings, engagements and carefully spaced out emotions so unobtrusively, and of course, you just can't resist. It's a pity that the director sometimes visibly skipped ahead a few pages and tried to shorten and simplify the very rich plot of the book, and it took me a while to sort out everything in my head. Otherwise, however, a refined and brilliantly executed spectacle with all the trimmings... (16/07/2012)