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Summary: Pride & Prejudice - The BEST movie ever made!
Review: I think everyone should see this movie at least once in their lifetime because there is no better movie, ANYWHERE!...Jane Austen is the best novelist since Shakespear, and has written the best books I've ever read. I don't care what anyone says, being 5 hours long does not take anything away from the quality of this story!
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Summary: That Wickham is a scallywag!
Review: Jane Austin tends to fare well when translated to the screen. There must be a nice respect for the author, that people tend to be both careful and faithful. Costume dramas are always nice to look at, but preserving the essential Austin dialog gives it that extra bite. "Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (1996)" is a lovely, funny, romantic presentation of a classic English novel. In terms of eye candy, the estates are grand, both inside and out, and the costumes are appropriately beautiful. The BBC definitely delivers when it comes to presenting England's splendors. The actors are all perfectly cast, and each delivers and outstanding performance. Collin Firth is excellent as the brooding Mr. Darcy. Alison Steadman and Benjamin Whitrow are a constant source of amusement and wit as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Julia Sawalha as Lydia plays the exact opposite of her Absolutely Fabulous character Saffron. Jennifer Ehle is really the perfect Elizabeth Bennet. There is a lot to be said for "a pair of fine eyes." The DVD presentation is really superior for these types of shows. With such fantastic scenery, a widescreen presentation is necessary. The Special Edition fixes many errors present in previous offerings. Just try to put in the first disk, and not watch all six hours straight through!
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Summary: Perfect adaptation of book
Review: This is the most perfect adaptation of a novel I have seen and a wonderful movie. The characters from the novel come to life, just as Jane Austen wrote them. I greatly admire Jane Austen's novels--she is a really terrific writer and Pride & Prejudice is tied with Emma for my favorite. Trying to read a modern-day romance novel after reading Jane Austen is impossible, as the writing and characterizations are so horrid in comparison. The Austen movies I had seen previously, such as Emma (with Gwyneth Paltrow), are good but due to their shortness, can't totally follow the book. This movie faithfully displays almost every scene in the book and uses a lot of dialog directly from the book. That makes it really delightful because Jane Austen wrote such witty dialogue. And it means that the movie has the same high quality as the novel. There are a few scenes added that are not in the book but they are a minor part of the movie. The scenery is lush and gorgeous--makes one want to travel to England. The DVD makes the colors look wonderful in the scenery. The casting was great. Colin Firth is wonderful as Darcy--brooding, haughty and incredibly sexy. I saw him first in Bridget Jone's Diary (which was inspired by this) and that made me want to see this. Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth is also very good, though occasionally it's hard to tell her emotions. For instance, she doesn't look astonished by Darcy's proposal, which is how she is described in the book. But otherwise she is excellent--she conveys the wit, strength and sweetness of Elizabeth. Mr. Collins is just as disgusting, obsequious and funny as in the book.
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Summary: A sublime adaption of a magnificent novel!
Review: What can be said that no one else has? Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle both shine as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. The chemistry cannot be beat, and Ms. Ehle portrays Elizabeth as the fiery young woman I believe Jane Austen had envisioned. There are no words to describe the magnificent portrayal of Mr. Darcy by Colin Firth. This Mr. Darcy is no "one-trick pony". Yes, Mr. Darcy first comes across as almost boorish. But thanks to Firth's polished nuance, we see the inevitable evolution from cold prideful aristocrat to a kindhearted man in love without the evolution becoming corny or contrived. Mr. Darcy is fully fleshed out. It's evident just what his sister, Georgianna, means to him. The same applies to his growing respect, admiration, and love for Elizabeth. Firth can say tons with his eyes than most can with pages and pages of dialogue. (OK, OK, so it doesn't hurt that Mr. Firth is also gorgeous. Lake scene, anyone? He makes six hours fly by in a rush, making you wish there was more to watch.) Jennifer Ehle impressed me greatly with her interpretation of Elizabeth. She had the aura of kindness that Elizabeth was supposed to possess, but that kindness did not make her too soft. She had keen wit, intelligence, and passion under the surface. It is these characteristics that makes Firth/Ehle sparkle. Firth's Darcy meets Ehle's Elizabeth comment for comment. (The dance at the Netherfield Ball, and the ensuing barbed exchange, is a particularly favorite scene of mine.) That chemistry absorbs you and leaves you impatient for more. The movie may be 300 minutes long, but it feels far less. Add in a first-rate supporting cast, vibrant outdoor location scenes, beautiful musical score, and wonderful (and time appropriate!) costumes, and this edition of "Pride and Prejudice" does not miss a step. I could not begin to recommend it enough.
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Summary: Can't stop watching this movie
Review: I have owned the original DVD for two years, and the VHS before it, and my husband and I watch it about every 6 months or so. It is always just as fresh as when we first watched it. It can definitely be enjoyed by everyone. It is action-packed - not like in a Stallone movie, but something does happen in every scene, and although this movie is in excess of 4 hours, it ends much too quickly.
I bought the special edition, becuase of the extra "making of" and biographies of the cast it included. The digital imagery is pretty good; some cutting off of scenes, but still a very enjoyable film. The "making of" was very good to see, and did add to my experience, but it was not long enough... wish there was more. The biographies were written: you read them as well as you can read them with the literature included with the DVD case. The only problem - there are no other options on the DVD. No sub-titles, that I could find, in any language.
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Summary: Delightful adaptation
Review: I could watch this movie again and again. The acting is superb! It really brings Jane Austen's story to life. My favorite scene is where Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are in Mrs. Collins' sitting room and Mr. Darcy blunders royally his marraige proposal! If you love romance, there is simply no better movie.
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Summary: Pride Prejudice *Special Edition* DVD review
Review: Comparing the original DVD with the Special Edition, we see 1) That the show was originally shot for the BBC at about 1.78, NOT the 2.35 that the box says. As a result, those of us in the U.S. who watched it on A&E, and who bought the first DVD release (OR: original release) saw a Pan and Scan version of it. Not by much, grant you, but enough. By flipping back and forth between both versions of the DVD, you can see that the frame on the OR is a little crowded, parts of people are cropped off, etc. You get the full image, as intended to be seen, with the SE. 2)The image quality of the OR was lousy! Artifacts everywhere ... looked like a bad video tape. The SE produces a much higher resolution image. Still not as good as we would like, but better than any other incarnation of P&P on home video. But... 3) That image is a little washed out. Luckily, all you have to do is turn up the color (on my Panasonic, the color is usually set at 18. Doubling that brought nice, rich colors), and you get a very nice image. I love the SE.
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Summary: A terrific DVD
Review: This is an excellent adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It stays true to the novel while bringing the characters alive. The casting was very well done. I love Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth-they are similar to the way I pictured them when I was reading the book. Also, Mr. and Mrs Bennet and Mr. Collins are hilarious. Although the miniseries is very long, it does not move slowly-there is always something happening. I did not find myself bored at all throughout the entire six hours. In addition, I enjoyed the extra features-specifically the behind the scenes featurette. The only problem I have with the DVD is that the video and sound quality are not the greatest. At several points the timing of the sound is way off. Also, the video quality has occasional lapses. However, these flaws are minor and they are not enough to make me regret buying this DVD. It is one of my favorites-great actors, scenery, and costumes, and it tells the story in a way that Jane Austen herself would be proud of. I recommend this to all people who like the novels of Jane Austen and to anyone else who enjoys romantic and entertaining movies.
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Summary: A Comparative Review of the three Video Editions of P & P
Review: A & E has so far released P & P on video three times beginning in 1996. The first release was a six volume VHS set, the next release was on DVD in 1998 and most recently the DVD was re-released as a 'special edition'. The latter two DVD releases have had the legion of P & P enthusiasts, myself included, wringing their hands at A & E's short sighted handling of them. The 1998 DVD release was marred by poor picture quality that at times was even worse than the VHS edition. Fans were also stunned by the complete absence of any supplementary program material. Material that exists in great quantity at BBC and has been published in a beautiful book entitled "The Making of Pride & Prejudice". Last year I was delighted to learn of the special edition release on DVD and was looking to purchase it with eager anticipation. However, as I read the reviews on Amazon.com I realized that something was again amiss with this release. There were numerous complaints of pale, washed out colors. These reviews held me back until recently when I took the plunge and purchased the special DVD edition. I first began viewing with the "Making of Pride & Prejudice" featurette and found it interesting but disappointingly short. One hopes that someday the more in-depth material available at BBC becomes available. Then I viewed the entire program and right away noticed seriously washed out pale colors that did no justice to the lavish production. I also noticed stunning resolution where every detail, such as a wisp of smoke or a strand of hair, was clearly visible. As I have a large screen TV (32") with controls for color, brightness and picture I started playing with different settings. I found that by simply increasing the color a lot, much of the grandeur and appeal of this delightful program was restored. I do recommend this DVD strongly to other buyers if they are able to control the color setting on their TV sets. The stunning resolution makes this the highest quality release yet. Buying the VHS set makes sense if you cannot control the color settings (I recommend the six tape version rather than the two tape one). One hopes that some day A & E will get it all right and gift us fans with an 'extra special' edition of Pride & Prejudice.
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Summary: Mr. Darcy Mr Darcy!
Review: The whole genre of chick lit has been around for awhile, but the grand dames of chick lit is non-other than Jane Austen herself. For anyone how has read "Bridget Jones' Diary" and their counterparts, rent this dvd on the story that started it all -- such as Helen Fielding readily admits how she got the idea for BJD in the first place was from this particular book. The miniseries was, simply incredible. The settings, the costumes everything seemed complete down to the littlest detail. The series stayed fairly true to the book, and the ending was enhanced more so than the book which made the story seem even more wonderful. Anyone who has seen BJD, will note that the Mr. Darcy in BJD is the same gentlemen (Colin Firth) who plays Mr. Darcy in 'Pride & Prejudice'. This was, by no means, a coincidence as interviews with Fielding stated that Firth was choosen for the BJD role because he was Mr. Darcy in PP. At any rate, anyone who has read/seen BJD or any related books will adore this movie.
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