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Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition

Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition

List Price: $39.95
Your Price: $29.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thoroughly Enjoyed
Review: I love this DVD - Would be nice if a sequel comes out. Want to see more. I would love to see how everybody turned out, especially Mr. Darcey. Do wish there had been a little more interaction between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcey though - it went a little too fast between their love and hate relationship. It is a great series - still wish there was more time for more acquaintance for everyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "It Is A Truth Universally Acknowledged,...
Review: "That a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." So commences what is very likely the purest and most marvelous work of fiction in the English speaking world - And thus, as would be well fitting, ventures to introduce Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet, our undaunted heroine, in this brilliant A&E production of the same.

Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is undoubtedly the most beloved work of literature contained in the whole of my vast library. I should therefore find myself hard pressed to ever discover a movie adaptation even approaching the magic of that flawless story. Yet - low and behold - in this wonderful movie I'm sure I've actually found something coming close...quite close indeed!

Miss Ehle and Colin Firth are simply lovely as Miss Bennet and Mr. Darcy. The pair have a wonderful chemistry, and this is definitely the best work that either have performed in the whole of their careers. Truly, they seem to have been born to play these roles! Supporting them is a cast amazingly well chosen for this so daintily woven tale of romance and self-discovery evolving within the intricacies of civilized manners and politics of the gentry in Regency England.

Alison Steadman and Benjamin Whitrow are perfect as the famously mismatched pair, Mr. And Mrs. Bennet, the parents of five daughters - Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. Mr. Bennet is a country gentleman with a modest estate, which is unfortunately to be entailed away upon a distant cousin, Mr. Collins, in default of heirs male. His wife therefore spends much of her time preoccupied with trying to get her daughters married and obsessing over the state of her nerves. Mr. Bennet, on the other hand, spends much of his time in his study reading and sipping brandy.

When a neighboring estate is let to Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, Mrs. Bennet is simply beside herself with the rapturous anticipation of his being introduced to her daughters and, in good turn, marrying one of them. Mr. Bingley arrives with his two sisters and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who it is soon discovered has a fortune and estate of over twice Mr. Bingley's worth. Mr. Darcy, however, is aloof and somewhat haughty - characteristics that quickly make him unpopular. Bingley, on the other hand, is friendly and outgoing, and is almost immediately taken by the charms of Jane, the eldest Miss Bennet. Jane and Mr. Bingley quickly fall in love. Yet with the differences in status and fortune, as well as the rather frequent improprieties exhibited by Jane's mother and three youngest sisters, the couple's road to happiness is to be a rocky one at best.

At the heart of this movie is Elizabeth, whose graceful charm, sharp wit, and intelligence catch the eyes of Mr. Darcy, who gradually comes to feel a passion for her against his own will. Elizabeth, who is for quite some time oblivious to this, is meanwhile aware of the attentions of two other suitors: Mr. Collins, the heir to her father's estate, and Mr. Wickham, a soldier in a regiment stationed nearby. Mr. Collins is a fawning, silly man, quite ill favored for such a pretty, clever heroine, and Mr. Wickham, though attractive and good-natured, doesn't quite make the sparks fly for Lizzy.

The sparks do fly, however, in every single scene of interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth. His "pride" and her "prejudice" go down the dance in perfect eloquence. Every phrase, every look or expression, every manner of movement between them speaks volumes.

I only have a couple criticisms to this movie, and they are minor, indeed: first, I would like to have seen Lizzy exhibit a little more softness of feeling and understanding toward her mother and younger sisters, especially her mother, whose first priority is to see her children well settled and secure in life - a valid concern which, to all appearances, her husband does not seem to share. In the novel, Lizzy understood this, and though those precious little offerings were very subtle, they were always there beneath the admonitions and sighs of frustration. Ehle's Lizzy appears most of the time to rather disdain their existence. Yet I see this as a flaw with the script and not with the actress. Another little problem I had with this film was how Mr. Wickham was presented. In the novel, he was more physically attractive than Mr. Darcy, and his personality was very open and warm. From the moment Adrian Lukis' Wickham first appears, one can see he's just a little bit shady. I don't think he hid his true nature well enough to attract someone as sharp as our Elizabeth Bennet. My final criticism applies to the dvd version only: for some reason, the soft, warm coloring is gone. Everyone looks quite pallid and washed up. Though it's inconvenient to change tapes six different times, I still very much prefer my vhs to the dvd.

Finally, all I can say is that this A&E presentation is not only the very best film adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ever made, it is the finest movie I own!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Movie Ever!
Review: This is my favorite movie of all time! It is the best adaptation of Jane Austen's book, which I also recommend! Though this movie is 5 hours long, it doesnt feel that way! The actors do a wonderful job and really bring the story to life, and after it is over you still want more! I have watched this movie over 20 times and I know it by heart! This movie will make you laugh and maybe shed a tear or two.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Stunning Masterpiece!
Review: If you are a fan of Jane Austen you should have no complaints with this beautiful adaption of Pride and Prejudice. The movie follows the book to the letter and allows Jane Austen's sense of humor and rich characters shine through. Partly this is due to the casting of Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, as the main characters, who have wonderful chemistry. You will want to own this one to watch over and over again. Plan for a weekend as you won't want to stop in all six tapes as the suspense grows. I applaud the BBC for a polished piece of what entertainment should be.

I recommend Emma Thompson's adaption of Sense and Sensibility. And for those who prefer realistic tragedy I recommend Tess of the D'urbervilles starring Justine Waddel. Also high on my list is Wives & Daughters starring Justine Waddel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely wonderful!
Review: If you are an Austen fan you will watch this movie over and over. Colin Firth's best role! He is Darcy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Five-star adaptation with two-star audio
Review: I agree that this is an outstanding adaptation that you will someday want to own and watch repeatedly, but maybe not in its current transfer to DVD, for the audio mix is topsy turvy. Which is to say, the background music is mixed up too high in some of the scenes (especially at the balls), making the dialogue a little bit hard to understand for those of us who may have attended one too many Rolling Stones concerts.

The bad mix wouldn't be an issue except that there are no subtitles provided with this edition. I'm surprised to discover that A&E and the English media companies aren't sensible enough to routinely supply subtitles for their cache of chickflic gems (Brideshead Revisited doesn't have them either) so that those of us in the Estados Unidos can make sense of that special brand of the King's English spoken on the emerald isle.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: wonderful adaptation!!
Review: I loved the book and loved the movie. The quality is great my friend that owns the VHS copy was amazed at how wonderful the picture was. I sit in suspense til that last moment to see if Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth will really get together. I am a die hard fan of the book and this movie. The only reason the movie is five plus hours long is that it grasps the whole essance of the movie every detail and line is not left out. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy was exellent all my friends are in love with him! You won't be able to stop.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent adaptation!
Review: This is a great movie to watch if you liked the book. I have seen many movies because I liked the book and have been disappointed. This is one movie where I have been very satisfied. The characters Elizabeth Bennet and Mr.Darcy played by Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth have made the movie a real treat to watch! I have watched this movie about 15-20 times since I got the DVD. Each time I watch it, it seems as though I am watching it for the first time. A DVD that you should definitely own in your movie collection if you like Jane Austen.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Forty-something housewife loves Pride and Prejudice
Review: By all means buy A&Es exceptionally delightful production of "Pride and Prejudice" but do NOT get this Special Edition DVD. As others have rightfully pointed out the image quality is so poor that it's difficult to watch. Washed out colors, grainy resolution, blurriness, contrast problems, and uneven sound quality all contributed to a disappointing and, in all honesty, annoying experience.

I watched "Pride and Prejudice" on television when it was originally aired. I immediately bought the VHS set and enjoyed it immensely. Then I purchased the Laserdisc version (so that I'd have a copy of P&P that would hold up given how many times I like to watch it) and again saw no degradation of quality, in fact the Laserdisc format provided better picture quality than the VHS format. Therefore, I'm comparing this DVD edition to those I've already seen and it definitely lacks! As much as I would like to have the series in the widescreen format I'll be returning my copy for a refund, and I'm going to wait and see if a better edition is produced. This one does not offer the high quality visuals that this high quality production deserves.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the BEST
Review: Just like the book, this movie never stops surprising and making me smile at the end. The character of Mr. Darcy is one of the best written and portrayed on screen. You will finish this and want to watch it again and again...


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