Rating: 
Summary: Terrible DVD version
Review: I decided to go to a local seller and after discussing the matter with a manager, bought a copy to try out, knowing I could return it if I was unhappy with the quality. The colours are far to bright and washed out, characters are literally glowing white so that you cannot even make out their features and none of the lovely rich tapestry colours in the video came across on this DVD. It is a pity, too, because A&E's Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful film and deserves to be presented with class, not failure. The sound was wonderful, but because of the washed-out colour I returned it to the store and received a full refund. (...)It is faulty (...). Hopefully A&E will fix this error soon and put out a new edition, once more!! In the meantime, do not hesitate to buy their DVD's of Victoria and Albert, Emma, Jane Eyre, Lorna Doone and Wives& Daughters. I have those and they came out fine.
Rating: 
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this
Review: I confess, I hate series. I usually find them sadly lacking compared to (good) movies. Well, not this time. This series surpasses everything you have ever seen on TV and probably ever will see! Regardless of the genre. Most movies (I'm talking good historical films) also pale in comparison. This is an incredible piece. Not only is it sublimely acted (at all levels since there isn't a single bad actor, but particularly Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle who are both extremely convincing), but the costumes, the music, the exteriors and set designs are absolutely perfect. The sharp eye will notice a few (but oh so minor) technical errors, but they take nothing from the enjoyment. Beware though, it is addictive! You may need your Darcy/Lizzy daily fix afterwards. And you'll love every minute of it I promise!
Rating:
Summary: Pride and Prejudice
Review: I read the reviews about poor quality but I went ahead and bought the DVD anyway. I have the VHS and love it...never had a problem with darkness at all, and the DVD is even better, in fact some of the scenes in the Bennett's house are even brighter on the DVD and the colors in the homes of other characters stand out more. The story itself is the best adaptation of a book I have ever seen. It is worth every penny.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: This is the way to see this film. The composition of the shots is a feast for the eyes! As for the complaints about the actor's faces looking "bleached," duh, it's called England. It is famous for being cold, and not having a lot of sunny tanned faces. If it's tans you want, watch Bay Watch! I suspect that the Standard version might have been colorized. But that hardly ruins the film one way or the other.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, indeed!
Review: What can I say? Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle capture the lovely characters of Darcy and Elizabeth brilliantly. The whole ensemble is superb in this retelling of Jane Austen's most famous novel. I can't urge you enough to purchase this. It follows the book exceedingly well, with a few additions, but nothing that harms the overall tone of the novel or the characters. I have watched this at least 100 times (I'm not kidding), and each time I find something new that reveals the inner thoughts of the characters, or sheds light on the motivations of Darcy, Elizabeth and the rest of the cast. I think what I like most about this version of P&P is that it follows so closely to the book, and lets the book carry the plot rather than the screenwriter's interpretation of the novel. So much of Jane Austen is there and it makes for a smashing miniseries! BUY IT NOW!
Rating:
Summary: What is the problem??
Review: Perhaps other buyers purchased sets of poor quality but I can't say such about mine. I read the reviews from other amazon customers about the poor quality of this adaption but decided to risk it and buy it anyway. The set is supurb and I found nothing in it of questionable quality to merit such criticism. I have watched this production several times and am more enchanted with it every time. The performances, costumes, sets and script are fantastic, highly entertaining and the production has an over all charm that never seems to fade. Buy this set for yourself and discover this marvelous production. It is well worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: 100% pure magic condensed for your enjoyment
Review: Wow. I've been a fan of this miniseries for a few years now and it never fails to blow me away. The plot, the acting, the costumes, the perfect blend of satire and drama are enough to make a romantic of anyone. This is the movie that made and anglophile of me. The tale is a familiar one, the tempestuous romance between Miss Prejudice and Mr. Pride personified. Darcy and Elizabeth are a marvelous pair, likable but by no means perfect. The whole thing is handled with such taste and elegance that many modern movie makers should be ashamed of themselves by comparison. I cannot think of a single weak point in the movie except for this: It is addictive. I was sadly unable to watch the entire series in one gulp but I stayed up late many a night until I had watched every tape. The fourth one is the killer, it will literally mesmerize. In case you haven't noticed, i only liked this movie a little. ;-) Give yourself a treat and watch this smart, funny romance and fall in love with it yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Artistic Triumph, Technology Disaster: buy the other edition
Review: Seven stars for artistic content, MINUS ONE for technology: Average = 3. Avoid this ghastly "Special Edition!" Pay the extra bucks for the older DVD edition (if you still can). Accept the lesser of the technological evils, because . . . You MUST own this production of P&P. In some form. With whatever technical flaws. You can't afford to rent it as often as you'll want to watch it. You must own it. You must. It correctly decides to be faithful to this perhaps best of all novels, except where necessary to adapt to video. We must learn that "A young man of large fortune must be in want of a wife," or it wouldn't be P&P, would it? Austen just wrote the words, but on video, somebody must SAY them. The book just lets us read letters, but the video must have people read aloud or visit instead of writing, as when Mr. Collins comes to "condole." I do not object to the few departures from the book, except to wish for ALL of the dialogue when Elizabeth teaches Lady Catherine that everyone in the family is not so obsequious as Mr Collins. The acting (so many star performances, no player less than superb), the direction, the costumes, the settings, the music? Simply the best; nobody ever did a better ARTISTIC job of anything on video. Ehle and Firth deserve all the praise by other reviewers. (Watching Ehle play Elizabeth is like watching a movie of my mother at that age. Could two women like that really be born? Trivia freaks: who's EHLE's mom?) ) Benjamin Withrow is perfect as Mr. Bennet - none could be better. However, I most admire the performances of Steadman as Mrs. Bennet, Bamber as Mr. Collins, and Leigh-Hunt as Lady Catherine. Priceless! It was surely not easy for Firth to make us believe that dearest, loveliest Elizabeth has moderated Darcy's pride (just today came an email came saying that women think they can change the men they love, and men think women won't change, and that both are wrong). However, Steadman, Bamber, and Leigh-Hunt have the far more difficult task of being taken seriously as fools (along the host of Lucas and Bingley fools in smaller roles). They aren't allowed the fun that Sawalha has in her perfect (except for not being the tallest sister, as in the book, hardly her fault) portrayal of the wild thoughtless ditzy Lydia. I'm sorry not to have space to praise all other players in large roles and small (would Susannah Harker be interested in an older man? . . . sigh . . .). HOWEVER . . . ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY . . . After wearing out one VHS set, almost wearing out another, then being disappointed that the first DVD was no better, I really looked forward to this "digitally remastered" edition. At last, the orange cast would be gone, and the murky fuzziness would give way to the crystalline images we expect from DVD's of stuff shot in the mid-90's. I should have wondered why the special edition was (...) cheaper than the earlier DVD. The orange cast is indeed gone -- everything's turquoise now. I'll leave the candle-lit scenes to your imagination. The images are indeed more contrasty - everything lighter than medium gray is fried to a cheesy bluish-white, all shadow detail blends into stygian sameness. What a horrid horrid thing to do to all those lovely juicy blushing young actresses! It looks like A&E, just for this project, brought in the kid who got the worst grades in digital video class at some backwater community college, and didn't check out his finished product. At least he appears to have learned a few things as he went along, because the first disk is the worst. Is this really from the same people who did those lovely DVD editions of "Lillie" and "I Claudius," both shot a quarter-century ago? Even if the source were limited to the older DVD edition, just about ANYbody could have remastered it better. Oh well. I think I'll just fix one frame at a time (from the original DVD edition) on my computer with Adobe Photoshop, then play it from my hard drive when I'm finished in time for the 200th anniversary of JA's death. I've given up on waiting for A&E to fix it. PS - Anybody who thinks this is a "chick flick" just doesn't understand Jane Austen, who like Elizabeth Bennet and her father, considers human weaknesses to be the ultimate entertainment. Austen often makes her thrust with the last word(s) in a sentence or paragraph that may have started innocuously enough. (...) That last word shoves in the dagger and twists it. Ehle gets my favorite line in P&P - "There are few people I love, and even fewer of whom I think well." Anybody who dismisses Austen as a frothy romance novelist just doesn't know how to read.
Rating:
Summary: Stay Away From "Special Edition"
Review: The recently-released "Special Edition" is obviously a quickly-transferred digital dub of the original film for the sole purpose of anamorphic viewing. BUT THE COLOR QUALITY IS ATROCIOUS! The print is completely washed-out in terms of color - nothing compared to the original DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Docked one star for lousy transfer
Review: Some parts are overacted, but this is generally a terrific production. But the color transfer is so poor, pale, and washed out that it looks almost bleached. The story is engrossing enough that after a time, the viewer grows accustomed, but if the company had any sense of honor, they'd reissue a quality edition and allow trade-ins.
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