sorry, but the acting is horrible!

1980'sGirl, DO watch it over again. After awhile you'll really be able to see all the subtle reactions in Elizabeth's demeanor. She does a very good job at bringing my idea of Lizzie to life. I thought Jen Ehle was a bit over-the-top, though I liked her. I'll have to see the Keira version again. I don't remember it enough to compare.

Barks g, haha! I fullt agree. I found the acting completely wooden in this version. The collinses were ok as was the Lady C d B. Apart from that, Ugh, terrible and robotic. I like both the never versions.

There are many things that are good and bad about this adaptation but all in all, as I'm in the process of seeing it for the first time, I have to say I like it much more than I thought I would.

For the bad parts: yes, it is very stagey and cold in places. There's a lot of just waiting for the moment to come to say your line and than get out of the way. People stating their lines as opposed to saying them. A perfect example of this is the ball dance between Elizabeth and Darcy. It's so cold, there's nothing there. No attraction, no indifference, nothing ... It might as well not have been put it for all the good it does to advance Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship. Thinking back to the dance in '95 and 2005 (this was I think one of the best scenes in that adaptation), this scene is sooo bad ... I was very disappointed.
The costumes also seem a bit off ... But that might be just my perception, altered as it is by later adaptations. They might actually be more accurate (I'm referring in particular to the men's wardrobe that seems more 18th century than the beginning of the 19th century)so please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm not all that keen on Rintoul's Darcy either. He's just too robotic as the other poster on this thread said. There's very little emotion in his acting. I know Mr. Darcy is repressed but if he was so cold, so aloof as Rintoul portrays him I doubt he'd fall in love with anyone, let alone Elizabeth and even less that he would offer marriage to her. Darcy's problem was not that he was cold hearted but that his pride and reserved personality, aided by some shyness I suspect, did not allow him to "easily converse with strangers". As we find out later he is "perfectly aimable" and has a kind heart. It's just the first impression of him that makes you think he's hateful and overly proud. Rintoul, however, does improve once at Rosings, especially in appearance. He seems much more warm, young and vulnerable which garners him some sympathy from the viewer. He doesn't however manage to emote much in the proposal scene which is a pity since his Elizabeth shines in this scene.

That being said there are also a lot of good things:

For one, it's nice to have more of Jane Austen's dialogue and also scenes that did not make it in the other adaptations.

Also I really like this Elisabeth much more than Ehle's. She's witty but not offensive; proud, immature and prejudiced without being disliked for it. Also you're not always on her side as you were in the 95 adaptation. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with Ehle's Lizzy's judgement throughout, only Firth's Darcy which is certainly not as Austen wrote the story. It's supposed to be a journey of maturity for both characters, not just Darcy. Also I liked her reaction after Darcy proposed. She was angry at him, but also affected by his proposal and finding out that he loved her. It clearly showed that she was not as indifferent to him as she made it appear. Ehle only seemed to like Darcy after she sees his house which annoyed me for many years but I always thought that's how the book presented it. I know better now and so does this adaptation.

Then there is the matter of Mr. Collins. I really like him in this version. Not like like him, I mean but you know ... He just seems more real, not a caricature ... I, even on occasion, called him sweet because he does try so hard and is so hypocritical but he can't help it. It's not a malicious portrayal but a sympathetic one. As the audience you're allowed to laugh at Mr. Collins but as the actor playing him you should at least attempt to play him as a human being. Also, Charlotte Lucas comes off very well in this adaptation.

Also I like the portrayal of Mr. Bennet. In all the adaptations you can't help but feel for him because his wife is so pushy and over the top. But in this version you realize that there's a reason why she's like this. He's no better then her. Where she's pushy, he's sarcastic and passive aggressive. Where she tries to do something, he tries his hardest not to do anything. That's his problem really: that he doesn't want to do anything, ever. You understand why they're in the financial situation they're in, and it's not all Mrs. Bennet's fault.

Lastly, there's Mr. Bingley. It's the first time I really liked him. In the 95 adaptation he just "smiled too much", lol. He didn't seem to be affected by anything. I didn't believe he was that in love with Jane. In the 2005 version, he's a fumbling teenager which is sweet but not really in tune with the character in the book.

I didn't much mind the voice overs either. I think they helped since the acting was so wooden. It gave some clarity to the scenes.

All in all, I'm glad I got a hold of this adaptation and I recommend it to anyone that wants to better their understanding of the Pride and Prejudice story.

Sorry for the long rant but once I get started there's no stopping me ...

ask the spokesperson, I don't have a brain