at 300 minute and it might seem a bit steep to sit through after all and the novel be barely under 400 page and it plot be concise enough to garner a short transition from book form to image . but and when you sit and read pride and prejudice and widely consider to be jane austen magnum opus and and savor it miniaturist style and it sharp language and the treatment of even it minor character a a huge tapestry and there be no other way to create a complete vision of the novel but to do a televise re work of her novel . ( the advent of emma thompson and the 2005 movie now prove otherwise . ) the interesting aspect of the miniseries be that it never feel like it move at a crawl . the story of austen micro society develop at it own pace and much like the novel represent it a if the novel have literally come alive and be be act by the people from fahrenheit 451 and complete with costume and setting . we meet the bennet right at the begin when they discuss how netherfield be to be let at last and and that it owner be none other than an eligible bachelor . elizabeth and the second eldest bennet herself be the one who utter the opening line of austen book and it appropriate that she be the one who do so represent listen to how she say it and not to when she do or who she do to . the arrival of such a man cause an uproar it the small community . charles bingley be a congenial man and personable and but have some odious sister and caroline and louisa hurst . his friend and mr. darcy and be also eligible and ten time rich than bingley and but be soon to be reveal to be someone disagreeable . at the ball and jane bennet become close with charles ( much to her mother delight ) and elizabeth see to be a little take with the imposing nature of darcy and but his aloof nature and continuous rebuff and plus a harsh commentary he make of her within earshot hurt her deeply represent her pride have be hurt while hence and from now on and she will have nothing to do with him . but fate have her meet him again when jane fall ill after she get call to spend an evening with bingley and his sister . while darcy seem to be take a repressed liking to elizabeth and she be unaware of it and and grows increasingly hostile towards him and particularly after learn from george wickham that he behave quite badly towards him . in the middle of this and and because the bennet have no son and the girl stand no chance of inherit . their property have be entail to a male heir . reverend collins come look for a wife and propose to elizabeth and get rebuff and and wind up marry charlotte lucas elizabeth best friend . on top of this and the bingleys leave netherfield and and jane future be leave up in the air . eventually the plot reach a head and and like the novel and it occur midway . jane austen must have be aware at an empiric form that edit can balance out a work and enhance it effect and because in put the crisis of the action halfway she establish that elizabeth and darcy will have to shift towards each other in a realistic way and the same way other event will allow jane and bingley to consummate their union . this be what make this story so endure everything in it be realistic a possible and adhere to what society attitude towards woman and men of their time be and where marriage be take as serious a a retirement plan or have medical benefit . the miniseries capture the slow breakdown of austen plot in a way that could have be stagy but be not . not one thread be leave untold and unlike the 1940 version ( despite the presence of laurence olivier and greer garson ) where the story look a little more like farce and character in the book behave much differently in that film version . jennifer ehle and colin firth be perfect in their rendition of elizabeth and darcy . she resemble an earthy version of meryl streep down to her voice and mannerism while he be as aloof a allure . who wouldn not believe they do not have what it take to merge together . both have to do much act without express much if at all and yet ehle bring a nice iconoclastic attitude towards her character and the same way firth embodies masculine arrogance . now and with the 2005 film version have get the praise it do and there will be people who prefer this version to the movie version and vice versa . there may be olivier purist who will balk at such a long version . have read the novel several time and i can relate to this one best because it retain page of dialog intact without make it too talky and that a tricky thing to do . minus alison steadman character and everyone be at a uniform level and but steadman be a shade too shrill . while mrs. bennet wasn not the most agreeable person in the world and i believe that she have be represent well in the movie version because while still be a hyperactive and over emotional woman and she be aware her daughter would be leave destitute if they do not marry well . even so and she do have a delicate tightrope to walk and i find myself like mrs. bennet in the end and understood she be also a part of this enormous tapestry that austen herself have weave so lovingly .