Pride & Prejudice BBC vs. Keira Knightley

Okay, let me just say that when the new version of P&P came out in 2007, I LOVED it. That being said, you should know that I had not read the book at that point. I then finally saw the BBC version that was done 10+ years prior to the 2007 version starring Keira Knightley!

BCC nailed it, shouldn't they have though, I mean, hello, they represent the land that Austen grew up in! I mean Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle NAILED the characters of Lizzy and Mr. Darcy! Where Keira Knightley was too obtuse in her rendition of Elizabeth Bennett! Austen would have been livid had she heard Elizabeth Bennett reply to her mother:"but she may very well perish with same of having such a mother."

However my main issues with the newer version, besides a lot of story and dialogue being left out or said by different characters, is that the men in the new version have been emasculated. Charles Bingley was a wuss in this version. Matthew Macfayden did a fairly decent job of being Mr. Darcy! Donald Sutherland's portrayal of Mr. Bennett was SHAMEFUL!!! In the book as well as the BBC version, Mr. Bennett had a quick wit, was very observant, and very critical of his youngest daughters, where in the newer version, nothing of the sort ever happened, he appeared aloof in this rendition. Mr. Collins, he was done remarkably well in both versions, however I do like the rendition of said character by Tom Hollander than the BBC version. Mr. Hollander was not quite as annoying and pardon the expression "gay", as the guy in the BBC version. All the men were apathetic instead of masculine and steady like they were in the book and the BBC version. BBC captured the characters precisely. The new version I found to be very feminist. Wile Rosamund Pike was stunningly beautiful, she was not as naive as she should have been. There was too much of something in her manner that made her less sweet and innocent than she should have been.

I adore Brenda Blethyn, but she was not as annoying as she should have been! Anyone who has ready Austen knows that BBC nailed Pride & Prejudice in their version, essentially anything of Austen that is portrayed on film is done better by the BBC, as they tend to stay true to Austens novels.