Pride and Prejudice [Blu-ray]
Jane Austen’s classic is finally available on Blu-ray!
The timeless themes of love and marriage in Jane Austen’s superb romantic comedy Pride and Prejudice have captured readers for generations–the novel has sold more than 20 million copies and has never been out of print. Now, A&E and the BBC have brought this beloved classic to life in a compelling production directed by Upstairs, Downstairs’ Simon Langton. This stunning production captures all the celebrated beauty of the English countryside and its glorious, stately manors. It features lavish costumes and an exquisite soundtrack from noted composer Carl Davis.
Pride and Prejudice is the story of the lively and rebellious Elizabeth Bennet, one of five unmarried daughters living in the countryside of 19th-century England. In a world where obtaining an advantageous marriage is a woman’s sole occupation, Elizabeth’s independent manner threatens her family’s future. Will her romantic sparring with the mysterious and arrogant Darcy end in misfortune–or will love’s true nature prevail?
Blu-ray features brand new bonus materials including a fascinating short film about the technical restoration process.
Stills from Pride and Prejudice [Blu-ray] (Click for larger image)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pride and Prejudice (Click for larger image): Blu-ray versus 16mm
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Jane Austen’s classic novel of 1813, Pride and Prejudice, still wins the hearts of countless schoolgirls with its romantic story of Elizabeth Bennet and her Mr. Darcy. Now, the 1996 BBC miniseries is winning over adults, with its faithful adaptation, gorgeous scenery, and superb acting.
The essence of the story is the antagonism between Mr. Darcy, a wealthy single man who believes Elizabeth to be beneath him, and Elizabeth, who upon being insulted at a dance by the aloof Darcy refuses to associate with him in any manner. Austen evokes incredible tension with the wit and flirtation of the two characters, and director Simon Langton (who also directed Upstairs Downstairs) successfully translates the repartee and conflict in this six-hour miniseries. Dialogue, for the most part, is painstakingly replicated, except when fleshing out and smoothing for modern sensibilities was necessary. Darcy, for instance, is drawn out, giving his personality significantly more depth. The acting sweeps you away to Regency England: Jennifer Ehle (of Wilde) is convincing as the obstinate Elizabeth, who, despite her mother’s attempts to marry her off, spurs the attentions of Darcy. And Colin Firth (of The English Patient) will have women everywhere longing for a Mr. Darcy of their own.
For those who have been on an Austen binge–enjoying such excellent adaptations as Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion–this miniseries will round out the ultimate Austen video library. For those new to these romantic period pieces, this version of Pride and Prejudice will have you hooked and longing for more. One caveat, however: plan to watch it in an entire day, because very few have the self-control to not watch all six hours in a single sitting. –Jenny BrownJane Austen’s classic novel of 1813, Pride and Prejudice, still wins the hearts of countless schoolgirls with its romantic story of Elizabeth Bennet and her Mr. Darcy. Now, the 1996 BBC miniseries is winning over adults, with its faithful adaptation, gorgeous scenery, and superb acting.The essence of the story is the antagonism between Mr. Darcy, a wealthy single man who believes Elizabeth to be beneath him, and Elizabeth, who upon being insulted at a dance by the aloof Darcy refuses to associate with him in any manner. Austen evokes incredible tension with the wit and flirtation of the two characters, and director Simon Langton (who also directed Upstairs Downstairs) successfully translates the repartee and conflict in this six-hour miniseries. Dialogue, for the most part, is painstakingly replicated, except when fleshing out and smoothing for modern sensibilities was necessary. Darcy, for instance, is drawn out, giving his personality significantly more depth. The acting sweeps you away to Regency England: Jennifer Ehle (of Wilde) is convincing as the obstinate Elizabeth, who, despite her mother’s attempts to marry her off, spurs the attentions of Darcy. And Colin Firth (of The English Patient) will have women everywhere longing for a Mr. Darcy of their own.
For those who enjoy excellent Austen adaptations such as Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion–this miniseries will round out the ultimate Austen library. For those new to these romantic period pieces, this version of Pride and Prejudice will have you hooked and longing for more. One caveat, however: plan to watch it in an entire day, because very few have the self-control to not watch all six hours in a single sitting. –Jenny Brown
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars The Best Pride and Prejudice Yet
This is so much better than the Keira Knightley version. The series is true to the book. It is very well done. Austen fans should love it.
3 Stars blu ray version
This review is specifically related to the blu ray version. If you’re looking for an always crystal clear and sharp version of this classic on blu-ray, akin to a new release movie in blu ray, you will find this wanting. I don’t normally buy multiple versions of movies, and I happen to also have this on VHS and regular DVD. But I have always been frustrated by the grainy, poor resolution of this otherwise great movie, a problem that seems typical of many BBC productions. I so wanted to see this in good resolution that I bought the blu ray to play on my 42″ LG 1080p TV and LG blu ray player in LG’s top of the line home theater system. The results, for me, were mixed.
The resolution is better than it was. But there’s still noticible graininess in the transfer, and fuzziness in most scenes. I don’t know whether it is the lenses they used to shoot, the lighting, or the camera, or perhaps just a choice to deliberately shoot scenes slightly out of focus. But the hoped for jump to always sharp 1080p HD resolution just isn’t there. Outdoor scenes seemed noticibly better to me than indoor ones — perhaps it was lighting in many of those historic sites or they used different camera there. Or perhaps there was a deliberate design to shoot scenes slightly out of focus. But I still felt frustrated. Take the simplest example — the opening credits, shot over scenes of embroidery and clothing. These have always been in soft focus. You could never really see the detail of the threadwork or workmanship because the items were fuzzy, and for no good reason. Why shoot them in close up but in soft focus? I had thought the poor resolution was the transfer from film to VHS or DVD. But they are still not in focus in blu ray, so it can’t be the transfer.
If you can’t get focus on a still shot it doesn’t bode well for the actual filming. And unfortunately you can see visible graininess in many indoor and some outdoor scenes. However, some outdoor scenes actually do look startlingly sharp and clear. You get to those scenes and think perhaps the transfer was better than you had thought, and wonder if your perceptions before were wrong. But then the focus goes out again in the next scene change. I realized the focus is just uneven. You can actually see the focus jump from sharp to fuzzy as scenes change. I even thought there was also some shakiness at times in the film, where the focus seems to go in and out in the same scene, either from camerawork or I don’t know what. This is not a scenario that I’ve experienced on any other blu ray disc, so I think it is just a factor of how this move was shot or transferred. It’s just not consistent. Some scenes have clearly visible graininess. Some seem to have terrible focus. Some are sharp and clear. It’s a mix.
There is a little featurette on the transfer process to HD that describes the problems they experienced and how they overcame them — at least in part. Certainly this blu ray transfer is better than the standard definition. But I can’t say it is great or comparable to a blu ray release of a current movie. Probably it is as good as they can do with an old film shot for TV and the current technology.
As for the other attributes with this edition, there are a few new featurettes, including a location “walkabout” with the actors who played Wickam and Mary that gave you a chance to see the “Longbourne” location set as it is now. I haven’t watched all the new featurettes, but there are some new ones to add to the value of the blu ray edition.
The audio to me did not seem markedly improved.
So is this worth purchasing? The price is certainly reasonable, and the transfer is a bit better, so I’d say yes. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you come into it with limited expectations, which is the point of this review. I was really hoping for a finally sharp, clear, non grainy, high definition version of this movie to marvel at, akin to a typical blu ray release of a current movie. You just aren’t going to see that, so it is better not to expect it. I don’t know what the problem is — again if not the transfer, it may just be the film or the lenses or lighting used or a deliberate decision to shoot some scenes in soft focus. So for this blu ray edition, expect something better — because it is better — but it’s not great. Then you won’t be too disappointed.
5 Stars Blu-ray Review
This has been my favorite movie ever since the first time I saw it back in ‘96. I just received the Blu-ray version yesterday and I have to say…BEAUTIFUL! I compared the picture quality of the DVD and Blu-ray side by side and I am abundantly pleased with the Blu-ray. The colors just pop and if it’s possible, I actually love this movie even more now that it’s not all washed out in beige! If the paleness of the movie has ever been an issue, you will not be disappointed with the Blu-ray and for $20 it’s worth every penny!
5 Stars The Best pride and Prejudice version EVER!!
Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice is lovingly portrayed in this 6 hour mini-series brought to you by BBC.
Each actor portray’s his or her characters flawlessly. Other movies made are good but making this a lenglthy series lets us dig deeper into the lives of the Bennets. A must for anyone who enjoy’s Jane Austin.
And PS.. Colind Firth as Mr. Darcy .. enough said.
1 Stars IF YOU LOVE THIS VERSION OF P&P, DON’T BUY THE DVD
This dramatization with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle is my favorite of all the dramatizations of Pride and Prejudice, but the DVD is a huge disappointment. They cut out major portions (how can they do that without letting you know it’s abridged?), and the the color and sound are absolutely awful. Stick with the VHS version. It’s much better. What a huge waste of money this was. I am very disappointed. I wish I had read the other reviews of the DVD before buying it.
Filed under: Blu Ray Movie Reviews