Rating: 
Summary: A marvelous adaptation of one of the great novels.
Review: This A&E/BBC miniseries is a true masterpiece, bringing Jane Austen's most popular novel to life in a near perfect production. It has everything: authentic Regency Period atmosphere, costumes, settings, a beautiful musical score, excellent performances by a well-chosen cast. Andrew Davis's script does full justice to Austen's original. Colin Firth is excellent as Mr. Darcy, but Jennifer Ehle just takes my breath away with her magnificent performance, which catches every nuance of Elizabeth Bennet's character exactly right in every scene. It is a pleasure to watch all 4 1/2 hours straight through again and again. As a longtime devoted admirer of Jane Austen's works, I am very critical of any movies based upon her novels, but this has to be one of the very best adaptations of any major literary work.
Rating:
Summary: Convenience outweighs loss in color
Review: I am a huge lover of Pride and Prejudice. I lost track of how many times I've seen the VHS version (I taped it off of A&E and then bought the tape set). It is a superb production; the acting, production, screen play and scenery are fantastic.The problem with the VHS versions is that the one taped from A&E has a lot of the scenes cut out, and the box set keeps you switching tapes and fastforwarding through the commercials every 50 minutes. The DVD is much more convenient and even includes extra scenes (more like extra lines to a few scenes, something only a huge fan would notice). It is true that the DVD contains no subtitles, which is a big disappointment, because there is a line or two where I never could figure out what is being said. I didn't notice the sound difficulties pointed out in other reviews, but the color is washed out. I had to adjust the "picture mode" on my television and it's still faded somehow. The DVD extras are nothing special, and I was disappointed not to find any interviews with the main characters (I wanted to see how they look "normally.") In spite of these small problems with the DVD, I highly recommend it for all P&P lovers. The convenience of only having to get up once (and you probably don't watch the whole thing in one sitting anyway) plus the 5 minutes or so of extra footage make this DVD a must. Factor in that it is actually cheaper than the VHS set, and there's no question. Simply adjust the settings on your television before watching, and settle in to 2 hours and fifty minutes of continuous Jane Austen.
Rating:
Summary: What's not to love?
Review: Jennifer Ehle is beautiful, intelligent, and talented. Colin Firth is phenomenal (the advantage of DVD is that in the scene when he's watching Elizabeth play piano, you can freeze it and the frame doesn't waver). The set, the costumes, and the supporting cast are wonderful, and the directing takes P+P light years beyond the stereotypical British minimal camera movement and long takes. A period piece with editing and close-ups!
The Austen faithful will see few deviations from the book (yes, Darcy becomes more of a sex object, no, it's not something to complain about!). It's hard to convey in film form the ironic commentary of Austen's narration that's a trademark of her books, but the miniseries manages to compensate. The dance scene, where Elizabeth and Darcy engage in debate whenever the choreography brings them close enough to talk, always makes me laugh, and you'll especially love the supporting cast. Jane, Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Lady Catherine are among my favorites. There's a definite acting challenge but a certain appeal to love story set in a more conservative time- the cast does a wonderful job creating characters you want to hug, cheer on, slap, or just marry yourself!
The DVD extras aren't anything extraordinary, but the size, price, and picture/sound quality in contrast to six tapes makes it worthwhile. You can skip around to your favorite scenes much more efficiently without constantly changing tapes, and if you're like me, it's a vast relief not to have to worry about wearing out your favorite spots.
If you like Jane Austen. If you like romance. If you like good acting, snappy and intelligent dialogue, and a story you can sink your teeth into, watch this miniseries. If you've never seen it before, watch it NOW. Get the girls together for a P+P fest, picking your favorite dresses, estates, and shots of Colin Firth. I guarantee you won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait for Extra Special Edition
Review: This BBC/A&E production is one of the most well made films my wife and I have ever seen - superb acting, costumes, sets and location, music, directing, editing!! Like others here, we have watched the A&E VHS edition over and over. (It is a 'chick flick', but I enjoy romantic movies, too.) Our excitement over getting the DVD faded upon loading both the VHS tape and DVD and comparing the images and sound. The widescreen image on the DVD is definitely more clear on our 50" high res screen, and it is a pleasure to see the full images framed as the Director intended. HOWEVER, the colors are not just washed out. The digital remastering has changed the color tone of the film as if someone used a Photoshop/Premier digital filter without knowing what they were doing. The VHS and original not only had rich color saturation, but also had a warm tone that felt 'right' with the period film. The DVD is not only washed out, but has a strong blue-white tone to it that gives a cold modern feel to the scenes. To get the image to look close to decent on our TV, I had to turn the color saturation up as far as it would go, bring the contrast down and the brightness up. It then almost matched the VHS images except for the blue-ish rather than warm overall cast. The sound is tinny, much of the lower frequencies that are on the VHS sound track being chopped off. There are no subtitles at all (we frequently turn them on for other DVDs when we cannot quite make out the dialog) - much less alternative language tracks. So, why is this edition 'Special'? The only additions, other than the abysmal digital remastering (digital destruction) are:
(1) an 8-page booklet (that mentions only 3 of the actors)
(2) some text-only biography screens, that mention only 2 of the actors
(3) a 20-some minute 'making of' feature that gives the producer most of the credit (and she did of course put the team together, but the director/editor/actors/choreographer/costumers/etc produced the art) - and which still only visits with 4 of the actors - out of this tremendously talented cast. What was supposed to be a 'special' Christmas gift, ended up being a tremendous disappointment. We can only hope that A&E and BBC will produce an 'Extra Special' edition that gets the color and sound back to the director's intention (did he even get to review this DVD?). That, and a rebate for all of us who bought this defective edition, would make us happy enough. Adding subtitles, profiles of everyone else involved in the production, and stills of the various homes, heritage buildings and towns used would be (delicious, but optional) gravy.
Rating:
Summary: Austen's Work Brought to Life
Review: I adore Jane Austen's writing. This version is really fantastic. I've read this book several times and this adaptation is very true to the written word. The costumes, scenery, all come to life in this classic tale of misunderstanding and finally, ture love triumphing over all. Elizabeth's likable character is brought to life, as are all of Austen's wonderful characters, all with their own particular foibles. Some of my particular favorites are the Bennett's clerical cousin, an odd-looking fellow, who, in his spare time, composes those little compliments that ladies so love to hear, the Bingly sisters, the eldest, whose angular features are almost as sharp as her tounge, Mrs. Bennett, who is comically annoying and there are many more who make this an engaging telling of Jane Austen's story.
I guess I can't overlook Mr. Darcy, played by Colin Firth, who while not my particular cup of tea, does such an excellent job playing the details of Mr. Darcy's pent up feelings of love for Elizabeth and his sheer and utter discomfort during disquieting social situations.
Set in the English country side, you'll want to brew a pot of tea for this movie. Turn off the phone and escape to the gentile world of English society.
Rating:
Summary: Convenience outweighs loss in color
Review: I am a huge lover of Pride and Prejudice. I lost track of how many times I've seen the VHS version (I taped it off of A&E and then bought the tape set). It is a superb production; the acting, production, screen play and scenery are fantastic. The problem with the VHS versions is that the one taped from A&E has a lot of the scenes cut out, and the box set keeps you switching tapes and fastforwarding through the commercials every 50 minutes. The DVD is much more convenient and even includes extra scenes (more like extra lines to a few scenes, something only a huge fan would notice). It is true that the DVD contains no subtitles, which is a big disappointment, because there is a line or two where I never could figure out what is being said. I didn't notice the sound difficulties pointed out in other reviews, but the color is washed out. I had to adjust the "picture mode" on my television and it's still faded somehow. The DVD extras are nothing special, and I was disappointed not to find any interviews with the main characters (I wanted to see how they look "normally.") In spite of these small problems with the DVD, I highly recommend it for all P&P lovers. The convenience of only having to get up once (and you probably don't watch the whole thing in one sitting anyway) plus the 5 minutes or so of extra footage make this DVD a must. Factor in that it is actually cheaper than the VHS set, and there's no question. Simply adjust the settings on your television before watching, and settle in to 2 hours and fifty minutes of continuous Jane Austen.
Rating:
Summary: A marvelous adaptation of one of the great novels.
Review: This A&E/BBC miniseries is a true masterpiece, bringing Jane Austen's most popular novel to life in a near perfect production. It has everything: authentic Regency Period atmosphere, costumes, settings, a beautiful musical score, excellent performances by a well-chosen cast. Andrew Davis's script does full justice to Austen's original. Colin Firth is excellent as Mr. Darcy, but Jennifer Ehle just takes my breath away with her magnificent performance, which catches every nuance of Elizabeth Bennet's character exactly right in every scene. It is a pleasure to watch all 4 1/2 hours straight through again and again. As a longtime devoted admirer of Jane Austen's works, I am very critical of any movies based upon her novels, but this has to be one of the very best adaptations of any major literary work.
Rating:
Summary: Sumptuous, The Best Period Piece Ever Produced
Review: All of Jane Austen's six novels have now been made into films and all, with the exception of MANSFIELD PARK, are wonderful, but none, I think, can come close to equaling the sumptuous extravagance of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. In fact, I think this BBC/A&E production, is probably the most gorgeous period piece ever produced, although I think the cinematography in MANSFIELD PARK (the best thing about that film) was definitely more luscious. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was originally a miniseries, so, at a little more than 270 minutes, it's long. On lazy days, I've watched it all the way through, and, this is actually how I prefer to watch it since I don't like breaks in the continuity. If you don't have that much time, however, the film is almost as enjoyable when you break it up into six separate viewings, just as the miniseries did. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is considered Jane Austen's "sunniest" novel, although opinion is greatly divided on whether it is or is not her best. It is my personal "Austen favorite" and there's no doubt that it's one of the most beloved of all the English classics. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE centers on the Bennet family, a father (Benjamin Whitrow), mother (Alison Steadman) and their five daughters, who reside at Longbourne in Hertfordshire. The eldest daughter, Jane (Susannah Harker), is the prettiest, though Elizabeth (Jennifer Ehle), the second eldest is the most independent and headstrong. Of course, anyone who's ever read Jane Austen will know Elizabeth will be the heroine of the story since Austen loved independent and headstrong women. Mary, one of the younger daughters might be modeled on Austen, herself, as she is a lover of literature and a would-be writer. The youngest daughters, Lydia and Kitty are as frivolous and silly as is their mother. Poor, long-suffering Mr. Bennet never stood a chance in this household and his chief occupation, at least while he's at home, is bickering with his wife. The women of Longbourne, with the exception of the writerly Mary, do little but concern themselves with how and where they are going to find suitable husbands. When Charles Bingley (Crispin Bonham-Carter) arrives at nearby Netherfield Park, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters are overjoyed. They hope Bingley will soon make it "one down, four to go." A dance is arranged by Mr. Bennet, at the urging of Mrs. Bennet, of course, and it is, predictably, the lovely Jane, who catches Bingley's eye. But with Bingley, however, is a mysterious man, a Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth), who seems very uncomfortable and bored at the dance. When encouraged to dance with Elizabeth, Darcy makes no bones about the fact that he considers her, and all the Bennet sisters, beneath him. One might think Elizabeth would be angry or upset when she overhears Darcy's disparaging remarks, but Elizabeth is no shrinking violet. She find's Darcy, and his remarks, amusing, and the film then becomes great fun as we watch Darcy and Elizabeth pretend to care little for each other, when, in reality, we can see each is quite attracted to the other. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE contains more plot twists than some of Austen's other novels and one of those twists is the arrival at Longbourne of Reverand Collins (David Bamber), a man looking for a wife, something that, on its surface would seem to be right up the Bennet girls' alley. Another complication is Mr. Wickham (Adrian Lukis), a charming but enigmatic man, who, for a time, manages to win the affections of Elizabeth. But, will he manage to keep the independent Elizabeth's attentions? Or will he turn to another Bennet sister instead? One of the things that makes PRIDE AND PREJUDICE the masterpiece it is, is the fact that the acting is uniformly flawless. Austen's books all contain some very "interior" sections, something MANSFIELD PARK tried to resolve with silly winks and asides to the audience. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, however, is above such shenanigans, and Jennifer Ehle, as Elizabeth, is an actress who can say much with her gestures and facial expressions. Although I've known some people who thought Colin Firth was a bad choice for Mr. Darcy, I think he is wonderful in the part. Like Ehle, he says as much with his body language and facial expressions as he does with his dialogue and he adds a depth and range to the character of Darcy that I think most other actors would have missed. The supporting cast is just as good as are Ehle and Firth and each actor plays off the others perfectly. The cinematography is lovely, but it's not as lush or gorgeous as that in the flawed MANSFIELD PARK. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, however, unlike MANSFIED PARK, remains true to Austen's book, something that "Austen purists" like me really appreciate. This two-disc set contains some wonderful features, chief among which are a biography of Austen and commentary on the film by members of the cast and crew (regrettably Ehle and Firth do not comment). PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is one of the world's best-loved novels. This BBC/A&E production is sumptuous, warm, entertaining, exquisitely acted and, in my opinion, it may be the very best period piece ever filmed. It is certainly one that is not to be missed by any fan of Jane Austen. I couldn't recommend owning it more highly. Despite it's five-hour length, it's definitely a film you are going to want to watch over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: A Special Production
Review: I first learned about this marvelous BBC miniseries while listening to Helen Fielding's commentary on a "Bridget Jones's Diary" DVD. Apparently, Fielding's Bridget Jones books were inspired by her admiration of the BBC "Pride & Prejudice" production. This 5 1/2 hour version, whose script faithfully follows Austin's dialogue, is my favorite movie. Though I have viewed it many times, I never fail to be captivated by the actors' performances. Without exception, the talented actors are perfectly cast, particularly Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth as Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. They are wonderful together! In my opinion, Colin Firth deserves special praise. This excellent actor can say so much with a gesture, a change in facial expression, or merely by a look in his eyes. I have viewed both the VHS and DVD versions. As other reviewers have mentioned, the quality of the DVD is not particularly good. It played reasonably well on my first inexpensive DVD player, but tends to "jump" occasionally on my newly purchased higher quality player. I too, hope that a better DVD edition will be made. If I could, I would award more than five stars to this "Pride & Prejudice" production. It is a masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Adaption
Review: Splendid actors and actresses, and forever great plot originated from Jane Austin's Masterpiece. The best adopted version I've ever seen.
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