‘ Pride’do es Austen proud

Who would have guessed that the world needed another remake of Pride and Prejudice? Yet despite multiple previous incarnations and the cries of protest from diehard Colin Firth fans, the latest Pride & Prejudice is a stellar adaptation, bewitching the viewer completely and incandescently with an exquisite blend of emotion and wit.

Though some threads of Jane Austen’s intricate 1813 novel had to be excised to winnow the story down to a two- hour movie, director Joe Wright and screenwriter Deborah Moggach extract the essence of Austen’s clever dialogue, fashioning a supremely entertaining saga of amorous adventures.

What emerges on screen feels somewhat contemporary, while preserving the nature of the character study.

Lushly romantic, the ; lm is gorgeously shot, with some of England’s most dazzling estates doubling for the novel’s Pemberley and Nether;eld Park manses. The sumptuous musical score intensi; es the ; lm’s vitality.

Keira Knightley’s spirited Lizzie Bennet is a delight, but the movie belongs to dark- haired, blue-eyed Matthew Macfadyen, who plays Mr. Darcy, one of literature’s great romantic heroes.

Taking on a role thatwas powerfully played by Laurence Olivier in 1940 and indelibly re-enacted by Firth a decade ago had to be daunting. But Macfadyen manages to make us swoon with his more boyish, vulnerable version of Darcy. Unlike Firth’s supremely con ; dent portrayal, Macfadyen seems endearingly awkward. And Knightley and Macfadyen have chemistry.

Donald Sutherland as the remote and sardonic Mr. Bennet and Brenda Blethyn as the nattering, marriageobsessed Mrs. Bennet are both superb as the beleaguered parents of ; ve daughters. Knightley imbues Austen’s beloved heroine with just the right blend of humor, intensity and intelligence.

This production avoids any suggestion of pretension or stodginess. Rather, it’s subtly sexy. The climactic scene in which a disheveled Macfadyen emerges from the misty dawn, desperately seeking Lizzie, is rich with sexual yearning. A PG romance rarely feels this satisfying.

By Alex Bailey, Focus Features 18th-century romance: Keira Knightley stars as Lizzie, who disdains then desires Mr. Darcy.