| | The five Bennet sisters - Elizabeth, or Lizzie (Keira Knightley), Jane (Rosamund
Pike), Lydia (Jena Malone), Mary (Talulah Riley) and Kitty (Carey Mulligan) -
have been raised well aware of their mother's (Brenda Blethyn) fixation on
finding them husbands and securing set futures. The spirited and intelligent
Elizabeth, however, strives to live her life with a broader perspective, as
encouraged by her doting father (Donald Sutherland).
When wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the
Bennets are abuzz. Amongst the man's sophisticated circle of London friends and
the influx of young military officers, surely there will be no shortage of
suitors for the Bennet sisters. Eldest daughter Jane, serene and beautiful,
seems poised to win Mr. Bingley's heart. For her part, Lizzie meets with the
handsome and, it would seem, snobbish Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), and the
battle of the sexes is joined.
Their encounters are frequent and spirited yet far from encouraging. Lizzie
finds herself even less inclined to accept a marriage proposal from a distant
cousin, Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander) and, supported by her father, stuns her
mother and Mr. Collins by declining. When the previously good-natured Mr.
Bingley abruptly departs for London leaving a devastated Jane, Lizzie holds Mr.
Darcy culpable for contributing to the heartbreak. But a crisis involving
youngest sister Lydia soon opens Lizzie's eyes to the true nature of her
relationship with Mr. Darcy... |