|
 Pride and Prejudice (Special Edition) :: 0767038266
Description
| Product Description |
|
| 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 Brown Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
Reviews
Customer feedback
|
|
Voting |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author: Guest
This version of Pride and Prejudice is the finest adaptation of a novel to film - no joke. It is a favorite of my entire family and whenever we have shown it to other friends and relatives, they always fall in love with this superb masterpiece. The acting and settings can not be surpassed. The five hour length is perfect to convey the nuance and subtle character and plot development. I have watched it three times and every time I am tempted to watch the entire film all the way through. After viewing it three times, I would like to comment on three aspects of the film: the character of Elizabeth Bennett, the character development of Mr. Darcy, and the benevolent and compassionate world view that undergrids Austin's work.
First, Elizabeth Bennett is surely one of the most likeable heroines in literature. Jennifer Ehle plays Elizabeth Bennett with exceptional skill - it just can't be done better than Ehle's performance. Yet it is Harold Bloom's commentary on Elizabeth Bennett that I found most refreshing and in line with my own assessment. Bloom aserts that the representation of women, especially young women, in novels prior to Pride and Prejudice, were somewhat empty headed and required direction from more worldly males, some of whom turned out to be scoundrels. Thus the innocent, flower-like young woman does not have within her head common sense and good judgement and must be guided by a man. She must rely on her elders to help her select such a man. However with Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin creates a young woman character with as much judgement as Henry Kissinger, as much of a moral compass as Billy Graham, and all the social graces of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Austin blows to bits the prejudicial and demeaning view of young women as weak wisps requiring guidance. Even when Elizabeth Bennett makes a misjudgement, she is introspective and insightful enough to make a courageous mid-course correction. Her bitter rejection of Darcy's first proposal of marriage burned her rejecting words into his soul and yet through continued exposure to Darcy and the opportunity to see his true multifaceted character, she changes her perception and grows to love him. Witness her wisdom as she confronts her withdrawn father, as he hides in his study, as the youngest daughter almost brings the family to ruin through her outlandish folly and lack of maturity. Elizabeth Bennett exhibits considerable psychological strength of character and judgement. Sometimes she makes mistakes, but she is fluid enough to change her mind, to reassess, and in the end she loves a man that has grown to love her more with each passing day. Austin wrote in a time when upperclass women had to plot and scheme to marry well, since this was their entire financial and social future. Elizabeth Bennett, through her independent thinking, is above this demeaning chaos, and ends up with a man that can be her equal life partner. Elizabeth Bennett is one of my favorite people!
Second, the character development of Mr. Darcy is strategic, realistic, and honors the fact that as multifaceted individuals we sometimes don't look or act our best but we can all be redeemed, we can all improve. Colin Firth plays Darcy to the letter. He captures Darcy in his arrogance and pride as he undermines Jane Bennett's love interest. Firth does a wonderful job in which Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth against his own best judgement. He is shocked and dismayed and then hurt as Elizabeth rightfully puts him in his place for his insulting proposal of marriage. Darcy is also a wonderful character. A man who falls in love with a beautiful, charming and wise woman but a woman for which he must strive to become all that he can be to obtain. In the character of Darcy Jane Austin has captured the ability of love of another person to propel someone to develope into and become the absolute most they can achieve. She captures the truth that character developes not only through hardship and perseverance but that our character develops through our loving relationships.
Third, in her treatment of the vast army of outrageous characters Jane Austin unfolds a moral universe. As Mr. Bennett says: "God has placed us on the earth to laugh at our neighbor's folly and for our neighbor to laugh at ours." Jane Austin shows compassion and justice to every character, no matter how idiotic and silly, for she realizes that much in human life is idiotic, silly, and folly but also, much in human life is precious and loving and sublime.
I noticed that 753 people had reviewed this film before me. That alone should give you a clue that this is a classic masterpiece of drama and filmaking.
|
Author: Guest
I love the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice.
I bought this on DVD a couple of months ago and I really enjoyed watching it and I stayed up til about 2:00 AM to finish watching it and it was a superb production!
Colin Firth is not only gorgeous but he is a superb actor and he was a magnificent Mr.Darcy and I liked the rest of the cast too and I think Jennifer Ehele SP?) was very good as Elizabeth (Eliza/Lizzy) Bennett!
I also saw the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice which starred David Rintoul (SP?) and Elizabeth Garvie and I loved that version too and I'm looking forward to seeing the new Keira Knightley version which is suspoded to start playing in theaters tomorrow, Friday, November 11, 2005. I just hope that the movie theaters in my area will show it!
BTW: I doo agree that the picture quality of this DVD could have been better, it really doesn't look any better then what you would see on TV or on a VHS video tape but the this mini-series movie was still enjoyable to watch!
|
Author: Guest
This series is entrancing, entertaining and enjoyable. All of the characters are wonderfully portrayed to elicit a variety of emotions from the viewer, admiration and affection for Ms. Bennett, exasperation with her mother and younger sisters, scorn for Ms. Bingley, annoyance at Mr. Collins etc. etc. However, it is the brooding, smoldering, intoxicating Mr. Darcy, played majestically by Colin Firth (there can never be any other actor in this role) that sets this 'film' apart from any and all others. His performance is exceptional and he dominates every scene he appears in and pervades those he does not. The evolution of the love affair between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth Bennett is among the greatest love stories ever told. Both actors exceed all expectations in conveying their growing passion for each other, despite their initial objections.
The "long and longing looks" scene in the music room at Pemberly has got to be one of the most romantic scenes ever caught on film.....enough to melt your heart and flame your own passions. The only disappointment is the truncated last scene when Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth Bennett finally kiss.......alas it must be left to our imaginations, just as Ms. Austen intended.
|
Author: Guest
This film is a brilliant and dynamic adaptation of Jane Austen's P&P. Andrew Davies dreamt up a fantastic script, faithful to the plot and period, yet it is fresh and modern at the same time. I very much enjoyed the "show it rather than tell" scenes and all the extra scenes Davies came up with, like the introductory scene with Bingley & Darcy or the fencing scene telling a lot of things about their status, characters and feelings. The dramatisation of all the letters was also very enjoyable: showing events rather than the actors' having to read them endlessly without any actions. I also liked the way the Bennet girls were presented, how even the most everyday activities highlighted their characters.
I also liked the way Darcy - played superbly by Colin Firth by the way! - was given more attention than just appearing occasionally at the scene. This way we were more familiar with his character, actions and his feelings for Elizabeth. As a result the surprise element is not so significant of course, but it did not lessen the merits of the production.
Costumes, music, buildings and scenery were absolutely fantastic. They were not simply objects and background, they also disclosed a lot of useful information about the characters (e.g.: Darcy is wealthy, but has taste, lady Catherine is wealthy and pompous, Elizabeth is not very rich, but is natural and unpretentious...).
The actors were also very good, although I have to admit that I thought Jennifer Ehle miscast as Elizabeth Bennet: she seemed too experienced, too knowing for a twenty-odd something-year-old girl. At times she was simply impertinent instead of daring and she just SMIRKED instead of smiling playfully. Thus Darcy appeared a far more positive character to me right from the start despite his aloof behaviour. Elizabeth Garvie in the '79 version was absolutely fantastic.
And there was another miscast character: Wickham. He was just too slimy. I mean, he IS slimy all right, but in the beginning Elizabeth and the audience shouldn't know that. He should appear as a much more attractive person compared to Darcy. Adrian Lukis couldn't do that, he was a bit repulsive right from the start. So I was left with the feeling "how could Lizzy fall for this guy's charm even for a second?!" You aren't supposed to feel that from the start, you shouldn't be thinking, even as a spectator, that Elizabeth must be really foolish to like this guy instead of the charismatic and sexy Darcy!
All in all, if you love the book, you are going to like this adaptation very much.
|
Author: Guest
[...]. However, I assume they all come from the same warehouses, so I'm posting my comment here. My version is missing the vital scene describing Mr. Wickham's dealings with Darcy's sister! I love this show, and have watched it many many times, and I can tell you that this was NOT the scene to edit out! I also concur with others about the poor quality of the color and sound. Interestingly, the featurette at the end has the original excellent color and sound. Quite a contrast to the rest of the DVD! Needless to say, this DVD is going back to PBS.
|
Send to Friend
Send to friend
|
|
