DVD Review: Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in Pride and Prejudice

In a nineteenth century world in which women's roles in society were quite restricted, Jane Austen was a feminist. Her personal letters, biographies, and novels illustrate her belief in a woman's independence, equality, and the right to pursue personal happiness and fulfillment.

This theme of feminism comes shining through in the latest film adaptation of her 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Fitzwilliam Darcy.

The newest version of Austen's novel is a less restrained, gutsier take on this classic tale. As a testament to her enduring popularity, the public hungers for more Austen; new film adaptations of her life and work are still being created to satisfy her followers. In the summer of 2007, Anne Hathaway stars as Jane Austen herself in Becoming Jane, which shows how Jane's own life was the greatest inspiration for her novels.

I'll admit I'm something of a purist when it comes to Jane Austen. A sentimental favorite of mine is the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul. The A & E miniseries is considered by many to be the most faithful version of the novel, and Colin Firth has become synonymous with Mr. Darcy (Jennifer Ehle played Elizabeth in A & E's production.) Firth is so identified with Darcy that he even inspired his own "spin off": the character of Darcy in the much loved novel Bridget Jones's Diary.