Pride and Prejudice (2005)

There have been several very popular television versions of this story, so it is hard to remember that this is only the second big screen version, the first being the charming 1940 black and white classic (if you ignore the recent "Bride and Prejudice" which is nothing to do with things).  I was pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of this outing -- well conceived, well acted and nicely photographed.  I have not seen the Colin Firth in a wet shirt and breeches TV effort, so I can't make any comparisons, except to note that being longer, it was probably more inclusive and more faithful to the novel.   Keira Knightley comes into her own as the most sensible of the five unmarried Bennet sisters; it's the first time I really felt that she was a talent to watch.  Her Darcy, Matthew Macfadyen, was previously a television actor, but deserves to break out to bigger things.  All of the cast were enchanting, with the possible exception of Brenda Blethyn as the girls' hysterical mother, but special praise must be reserved for two of the smaller roles: Donald Sutherland as the girls' father and Judi Dench as Lady Catherine.  All in all, something to restore one's faith in British films and talent.