Pride and Prejudice (1995)

The 1995 BBC version, six episodes long, which is exactly enough room for Jane Austen's novel. Andrew Davies kept the wit and the slow-burning misunderstandings intact, and Jennifer Ehle's Elizabeth is sharp and amused rather than merely spirited. Colin Firth's Darcy made him a star, but the real case for it is the supporting cast: Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine get time to be as ridiculous as Austen wrote them. Anyone who rereads the book every few years will find nothing to forgive, which is high praise from that crowd.