A week or two ago, when I mentioned on my personal blog that I was usurping the top spots in my Netflix queue with all chick flicks, Heather and the Wiz almost came to blows over which film version of Pride and Prejudice was superior. I had no idea this was such a weighty subject, having never *gasp!* read the book nor seen either film.

Both the 2005 Keira Knightly movie, and the 1995 A&E miniseries arrived in my mailbox the same day; I sat myself down, took advantage of David being laid-off, and endured 429 combined minutes of Pride and Prejudice.

First: Great story. I love the subtlety and nuances of their society. I want dresses like theirs, and I wish we still had ballroom dances. I also wish men still wore strapping knee-high boots, flowing wool coats and marched over the moors to woo me, but that’s really about other things.

Hands down, I preferred the 2005 Keira Knightly version. And I’m no fan of Ms. Knightly- but the movie on a whole was simply lovely. The cinematography, the costumes, the set designs, the expressions, the casting- was all superior in this version. The lighting, oh the lighting- it was spectacular- if you know anything about romanticism in painting, you would have noticed many scenes that were lit precisely like old paintings. It was lovely.

Now, I do know the KK version strayed from the true pen of Ms. Austen, and if you’re a purist, maybe the A&E version is more for you. I however, was simply looking to be entertained.

The A&E version was too long. It was also too clean and sanitized. The costumes were clean and neat and new looking, not at all like linens and cottons that had been hand washed and line dried for years. It was rather like watching Mary Poppins- everything clean and bright and neat. In a day and age when so much was handmade and hands-on, and neither flat nor curling irons were yet the rage, how could one always be so neatly coiffed? The casting was a stretch, and I firmly believe both Elizabeth and Jane were miscast. Jane was too plain, Elizabeth too old.

This version, while loooong, did stay away from the few modern snippets I caught dropped in the KK film- but then, what do I know about how a young Regency woman would speak?

Overall, unless you, too, want to spend 429 minutes watching and comparing, just opt for the Cliff’s Notes KK version and enjoy your popcorn.

*let the comment wars begin*