Top Films of '05: #4 Pride & Prejudice

Who’da thunk that cross-breeding the mannerly world of Jane Austen with the sweeping romanticisim of Emily Bronte would create just the right tone for yet another J. A. adaptation? I’ll admit I’ve never seen the mid-90’s BBC adaptation, but it’s hard to imagine that it quite lives up the grand romance of this somewhat unfaithful version. The filmmakers and actors wisely grasp the need to make Austen more “cinematic” and condense the interplay of manners and gestures into broader and bolder actions. Yet this version never betrays the spirit of Austen. It does, however, create its own unique world, one with more grit than we’ve seen in many period films. Easily ranks alongside Ang Lee’s Sense & Sensibility as one of the best Austen adaptations.

And Kiera Knightley as Lizzie? Oh yeah!