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I have a friend
at work that is just about as movie nuts
as I am. The only things he and I disagree
on are horror movies as he's not into them
at all. But his first love is the British
mini-series. And of those, his absolute
favorite… and I mean hands down the
best ever… was 1995's "Pride
and Prejudice." He's a huge Jane Austin
fan, and to tell you the truth, I can't
blame him. One of my favorites is still
Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility."
Anyhow, I hadn't ever seen the 1995 BBC
version of "Pride and Prejudice",
so when it was announced that Arts &
Entertainment was going to be releasing
a 10th Anniversary edition of the 5 hour
mini-series, he and I were both stoked.
When it came in, he must have asked me every
day for two weeks "Have you watched
it yet? Have you watched it yet?" It
wasn't until a few days ago I was finally
able to tell him I had and could see why
he thought it was so great.
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Admittedly the hardest thing about reviewing
any set that encompasses such a rich story is
boiling down the plot into a short enough summary
to give you the highlights without giving away
any spoilers. But I'll give it a try. The film
introduces us to the Bennet family, which is primarily
made up of Mr. & Mrs. Bennet (Benjamin Whitrow
and Alison Steadman) and their five daughters,
Jane (Susannah Harker), Elizabeth (Jennifer Ehle),
Mary (Lucy Briers), Kitty (Polly Maberly) and
Lydia (Julia Sawalha). The Bennets live in a time
where women could not inherit their father's estate,
so it was ever important to make sure if you only
had daughters that they married well.
That being the case, when Mrs. Bennet learns of
a wealthy young man is moving into a mansion near
their home she begins plotting to get her eldest
daughter, Jane, married off to him. If she succeeds,
she hopes to continue to marry each daughter off
to his friends until all are settled down. As
the determined Mrs. Bennet sets her plan in motion,
Elizabeth (who is really the central character
to the story) meets Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Colin
Firth). Needless to say it is not love at first
sight, as Darcy is extremely rude and arrogant.
Instead she finds herself attracted to Darcy's
rival, Mr. Wickham (Adrian Lukis). But Elizabeth
eventually realizes that everyone is not always
what they seem and love is often found where you
least expect it.
The BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice"
has to be one of the finest versions of any of
Austin's books. The lengthy running time allows
the story to unfold in a slow and deliberate manner,
eschewing any need to rush it along. It allows
the story to be savored, and if you are a lover
of the English language and how well it can be
used in the art of sarcasm as I am, then you will
find yourself giddy with glee over the verbal
battles thrown about. The performances are astonishingly
good, most notably from the leads, Colin Firth
and Jennifer Ehle. The way their underlying feelings
simmer just below the surface of their constant
aggravation of each other's company is as well
played better than I have ever seen in any other
film.
The production is also graced with gorgeous costumes
(people really knew how to dress back then as
opposed to the appalling apparel you see nowadays)
and breathtaking locations. I lost count of the
houses I would love to live in. My friend mentioned
to me that the first time he ever saw this version
on DVD, he watched it twice in one night. I'm
not that obsessed, but even I have to admit that
the length of the mini-series was never an issue.
Though it moved slowly, it did not drag. It felt
like it went by much faster than it did, that's
how lost in the story I was.
A&E went all out with this new 10th Anniversary
release. I was first stricken by the sheer size
of the set. While it only holds three discs, they
opted to create a case that looked like an old
fashioned ledger. The case holds the discs and
a 120 page "Making of" booklet. The
book is full of information and photographs detailing
the production, but so much as to make it impossible
to read in one sitting. My only complaint about
the case was that the discs were held in slots
cut into the cardboard. This would have been enough
to hold them, but they also placed center hubs
to further hold the discs in place. When you pull
a disc out, it is very difficult not to run the
surface across the hub. Personally I would have
left the hub off.
There is no commentary or extras on the discs
with the mini-series itself, but the third disc
holds quite a few. There is an our long documentary
that serves as a companion piece to the book and
offers a multitude of interviews with most of
the cast and crew, though I thought it was odd
that there were no video interviews with Firth
or Ehle. There is also an episode of "Biography"
which features the life of Jane Austin. Finally,
you'll find a short featurette where actors Adrian
Lukis and Lucy Briers ang out and reminisce about
the production in one of the house that was used.
It's quite informal and funny.
"Pride and Prejudice" is an outstanding
piece of work, but it will only appeal to those
who appreciate dialogue over explosions and great
acting over car chases. This set belongs in any
collection that has any style at all.
Directed by: Simon Langton
Starring: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Benamin
Whitrow, Alison Steadman, Susannah Harker
Extras: Jane Austin Episode of "Biography",
Retrospective 'Making of' Documentary, The Making
of Pride and Prejudice Companion Book
Specifications: Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: A&E Home Entertainment
Release Date: 9/26/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Pride and Prejudice: 10th Anniversary
Edition an A.
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