Tamzin Merchant Movies
Jane Austen's perennially popular story of the game of love among the British upper classes returns to the screen in this polished film adaptation. The Bennets (Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland) are the parents of five daughters near the close of the 18th century. Comfortable within their means but well short of rich, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are looking for suitable husbands for their girls, and they are encouraged to learn that an eligible young bachelor from a wealthy family, Charles Bingley (Simon Woods), has moved into a nearby estate. Eager to see if a match can be made, the Bennetts bring their daughters Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Jane (Rosamund Pike) to a ball thrown by their new neighbor to see if sparks will fly. Jane seems to like Charles, and he appears to feel the same, but Elizabeth takes an immediate dislike to Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), Charles's egocentric best friend. While Elizabeth is infatuated with military man Lt. Wickham (Rupert Friend) and finds herself courted by William Collins (Tom Hollander), a well-meaning but drab man of the cloth, fate causes Elizabeth and Darcy to frequently cross paths, and while they don't care for one another, they can't stop thinking about each other, either. Pride & Prejudice also stars Jena Malone, Judi Dench, and Penelope Wilton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, (more)
Author Gerald Durrell's childhood memoir comes to life in this Masterpiece Theater presentation starring Academy Award-nominee Imelda Staunton and detailing the journey of an eccentric family who seeks to escape the dreary English weather by making way to the sun-soaked Greek island of Corfu. Mrs. Durcell is a middle aged widow whose inability to lay down the law with her four adventuresome children has found her embarking on a series of strange adventures. Whether watching patiently as wild, avant-garde writer Larry rabble rouses with his unruly friends, ducking the buckshot of gun-obsessed Leslie, attempting to keep track of teen beauty Margot's bevy of boyfriends, or wondering at youngest son Gerald's amazing ability to bond with animals and insects, Mrs. Durcell is constantly playing catch-up with her energetic children in a household where "normal" is purely subjective and each new day brings a strange and wonderful adventure. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
