Pride and Prejudice (Restored Edition)

Updated 4/22: I should completely change my review. I love this movie, now. . . love it! I have watched this twice more since I wrote this review and also watched the Keira Knightley version again. Keira Knightley lacked all the cleverness that Jennifer Ehle brought to the role. Keira was angry all the time and almost unlikeable at all times. Jennifer was charming and likeable at all times. This is really one of my favorite films of all time and I'm stunned that I originally thought this. Did I have too much wine that night? I don't know-- this was such a perfect movie. I don't think I've ever changed my mind so much about a film EVER. ******************************** This was my old pathetic review: I realize that this version is more authentic than the Keira Knightly version. But, that version was much more entertaining. And, even though I don't usually really like Keira Knightly, she was incredibly charming in this particular film. That said, I so wanted to like this! And, based on the reviews, I purchased it. I'm glad I have it, I guess, but I just now purchased the 1980s version and am looking forward to receiving that. The casting was the big surprise. Mrs. Bennett was the worst of all. She is supposed to be a bit of a boor, but she is so incredibly shrill, it is fathomable that one will have a headache if the film is viewed in its entirety. I certainly did. As a matter of fact, it's been a few hours after I've finished the movie and I've had several ibuprofin. My head is still aching. She was so loud! Her voice was an octave higher than this reviewer's ears could comfortably take and I'm truly surprised that the surrounding glass objects survived in one piece rather than shattering. Jane just was not pretty. I first saw the actress that played Jane play the reporter in House of Cards-- a first rate British drama starring Ian Richardson. My husband and I remarked her likeness to Princess Diana. Yet, she isn't that pretty. She's attractive, but not pretty and definitely not the beauty Jane is supposed to be. Her neck is freakishly thick and she lacks grace. In this film, she can't even pass as prettier than average. At the risk of being just a bit too picayune, had they done something a bit better with her hair-- maybe pulled it less tightly from the back, have the front hang a bit lower, she may have passed as more attractive, but there was nothing about her in the least attractive and I'm more than surprised at the choice of casting here. Lizzie was far prettier if a bit zaftig. Strangely enough, during the last scene of the first dvd, she was markedly thinner and her collarbones actually protruded a bit. I bet that was the final scene filmed. However, during the rest of both the first dvd and the entire second dvd, she must have weighed 20 pounds more than she probably should have and it showed. Still, she was very pretty and grew prettier by the time the film was over. But, she seemed a bit older than she should have been and she seemed a bit matronly for the role. Here, I'm not criticizing her weight at all-- by 'matronly', I mean her demeanor. She didn't appear charming or childlike when playing with the dogs or running in the fields. She didn't seem like a young and single woman at almost any time-- she seemed older in demeanor and appearance. Bingley's sister wore WAY too much makeup for her role and looked like a French courtesan. I'm shocked at this choice, too. She was the only woman in the entire film to be made up this way and it was a very poor choice. Lydia was absolutely appalling. She lacked even an iota of charm. She is physically unattractive and so entirely annoying to watch. To get away with what she got away with in the story, there has to be SOMETHING appealing about her and there wasn't anything appealing about her here. She did not have to be pretty, but she should have been a little cute-- something. She was just a disgusting character from beginning to end. Had the actress that played Kitty actually played Lydia, that would have been more successful. Collins was a joke. The Collins in the Keira Knightly version was wonderful. His pretension actually had a bit of charm-- not enough to want to spend any time with him, mind you. Still, if one is to see these characters in a real light, they have to have some dimension to them. The Collins in this film did not. The Collins in the other film did. The rest of the casting was superb. Crispin Bonham-Carter was perfect as was Colin Firth. When he lost some of his reserve one could truly see the charm under there. His take on the role was very good. I wonder if I should have waited to review this until after I watch the 80s version I just ordered, but reviewing this one without the benefit of comparison has merit, too, I believe. The newer and less faithful version with Keira Knightly was much more enjoyable, even if liberties were taken. Both Lizzie and Jane were perfectly cast, as were all the sisters. The mother, as annoying as Mrs. Bennet could possibly be, was at least not repulsive. One didn't absolutely hate her as they did in this version, even if one couldn't find too much likeable about her. Donald Sutherland did not seem too old for this part as I saw mentioned in other reviews. He always appears youthful to me-- even as his hair turns completely gray. He was very good and likeable as was the father in this version, as well. And, what can I say about Matthew Macfadyen who played Mr. Darcy? He was completely wonderful. Fabulous, really. Colin Firth was good, too, mind you, but Matthew Macfadyen portrayed Mr. Darcy perfectly. The ending in this film was almost superb. Not so in the Keira Knightly version, which seemed completely overdone. Here, we got a quick view of everyone else in the film before the final scenes with Lizzie, Jane, Darcy and Bingley. That was perfect as those scenes played out over the sermon given by the pastor. Perfect ending.

A rare situation where I HAVE to own something is found right here... after repeatedly checking this out at my thankfully massive library system, I figured I should kill my OWN discs that I had full control over the scratched up condition of (meaning it won't be IN that state, let alone have grease from some other movie watcher's popcorn buttery fingers, requiring many things to get washed carefully before being put in my machinery!) and watch whichever parts at any time... I'm so glad I looked at reviews before I chose this version. It's beautifully restored and looks gorgeous, far moreso than what I first watched so many years ago on PBS, grateful partner of the BBC for so very long... Firth&Ehle are astounding in this. The fellow I'm forgetting who plays Wickham is also incredible. I can't say I adore the mother--they threw her hysteria into overdrive a bit with the crow-like screeches she made and hypochondria in full gear, but the father, Mary (poor girl who played her did it almost TOO well), icky Mr. Collins and Lady Catheterinmyheart of DerPompousshire and, while there is always a lot of debate on the "beauty" of Jane in this adaptation... I liked the Jane&Mr. Bingley characters, too. They were flawed, but their flaws were very wonderfully shown by excellent acting. Granted, I can't tell regional accents in England apart, so I can't say if it was entirely true to the book, but I really don't care about that... Frankly, this took a book that I cringed through in school (somehow Wuthering Heights and my 7th or 8th grade honors English self got along fine, but Austen and I had issues!) and made it beautiful... It took away the things I didn't care for ABOUT the book and kept lovely dialogue with expressions that I fully admit put stupid little stars in my eyes in key moments, moments I binged and saw a good hundred times after 4-6 complete viewings of every episode... click back to that moment in #4 and play through... ahhhhh *swoon*... pretty sure, even though I DID return to life and put it away many months (egads!), 4&5 are the ones that will break first... Anyway, watch on your own (heck I shouldn't advertise it, but I think it's probably still on youtube albeit in lower quality!) and if you bookmark/repeatedly go back to parts, this is worth the $7-12 (camelcamelcamel is super for price tracking and telling you when things drop in price!!) FWIW, this is always going to be MY P&P--book is still in my collection for some reason, but it won't likely be read again as I've already done the comparison between it and this--but particularly for youngish audiences (teens, 20somethings, or young at heart), I also recommend watching the modern day adaptation called Lizzie Bennet Diaries--they're all free, and it is incredibly clever and at the time it was released, wow, it had a transmedia adventure like no other (the website lets you follow it ALL or you can just do the videos... though some off-screen things DID happen in Tweets and such--like an adventure game, adaptation style). Just watching the videos, though, is quite worthwhile so long as you don't expect it to be the same era or exact circumstances. Still, well done and worth watching while you wait for this to arrive at your door!

WOW! what can I say. This film is absolutely wonderful. I first discovered this DVD 4 years ago and have been obsessed with it ever since. I have read the book so many times and the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice is absolutely the best! I continuously watched this series on a loop when I first encountered it and I think that it may have annoyed my family slightly as I never wanted to watch anything else. It is a story of ELizabeth Bennet, the second eldest daughter of five daughters, and how the appearence of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy changes her and her family's lives forever. She first encounters Mr. Darcy at a ball where he snubs her and refuses to dance with her. Elizabeth decides that he is a horrible person and promises herself never to dance with him. However, she breaks her promise as she ends up dancing with him at the Netherfield ball. Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet, the oldest and prettiest daughter, fall in love with eachother only to have Mr. Darcy break them up with the help of Bingley's sisters. They remove Mr. Bingley from Netherfield Hall, which he has been renting, and they all go to stay in London instead to try and make Mr. Bingley forget about Jane. Since the Bennet family are below the Bingleys and Mr. Darcy, both Mr. Darcy and the sisters feel that Bingley shouldn't marry Jane. Elizabeth finds out about this and is furious with Mr. Darcy for ruining her sister's happiness. Her opinion of Mr. Darcy worsens when Mr. Wickham, a fine soldier from the regiment,tells Elizabeth about his dealings with Mr. Darcy. Darcy ends up proposing to Elizabeth which she refuses because of the way he has treated her and her family and because she finds him a distainful person. The refusal is much to Mr. Darcy's sadness as he has grown to really care for Elizabeth and is extremely hurt when she refuses to marry him. It is later on that Elizabeth finds out that Mr. Wickham is a bad and untrustworthy person and that actually Mr. Darcy is a very good man. Her good opinion of him is greatened when she visits his home in Pemberley. However, something greatly worrying and bad happens which forces her to return home immediately.... I shall not ruin the rest of the film as it is so special and wonderful that I would feel a traitor to spill all of it to people who have not seen the film. All I can say is that you have not lived if you haven't seen this film. I consider Pride & Prejudice to be one of the best books ever written and this DVD certainly lives up to the standards!

Mycket bra remaster av originalet, bild och ljud är mycket bra och formatet är nu 16:9. Extra materialet är bra och intressant. OBS, Endast engelskt ljud och text.

A family favourite and a gift for my Mum. It arrived on time for Mother’s Day

No batallen con los DVD que vienen de regiones que quizá no corresponden a la suya. La versión Keepsake en BluRay está maravillosamente digitalizada y trae además casi dos horas de material extra. La pausa horrible que se ve en la escena donde Darcy mira a Elizabeth mientras Georgiana toca el piano en su casa, ya no se ve. La voy a ver hasta que queden los discos delgaditos, jeje. Y lo mejor es que pagué menos de $100 pesos, yey! Solo que tomen en cuenta que no trae subtitulos en español y obvio no viene doblada. Pero trae subtítulos en inglés si necesitan algo de apoyo.

"Pride and Prejudice" zu Deutsch "Stolz und Vorurteil" ist die Adaption des gleichnamigem Romans von Jane Austen aus dem Jahr 1813, die die BBC 1995 in Form einer Fernsehverfilmung vornahm. Zunächst ein Überblick zu den verschiedenen Kaufversionen: Die britische Originalversion besteht aus 6 Teilen und insgesamt 300 Minuten. Auf Deutsch gibt es mehrere Versionen zu kaufen: eine um 30 Minuten auf 270 Minuten gekürzte, bestehend aus drei Episoden à 90 Minuten von 2005, dann die gekürzte deutsche Fassung plus englischer Langfassung von 2008 und schließlich die vollständig auf Deutsch synchronisierte Fassung von 2010, wobei die hinzugefügten Passagen nicht von den ursprünglichen Synchronschauspielern gesprochen wurden. Zum Film: Mrs. und Mr. Bennet leben mit ihren fünf Töchtern in Hertfortshire nördlich von London. Als der wohlhabende Mr. Bingley ein Anwesen in ihrer Nachbarschaft bezieht und seinen noch vermögenderen Freund Mr. Darcy mitbringt und sich außerdem ein Garnisonsregiment in der Stadt zum Überwintern ansiedelt, setzt Mrs. Bennet alles daran, diese passende Gelegenheit zu nutzen, eines oder mehrere ihrer ganz unterschiedlichen Mädchen zwischen 15 und 22 Jahren "an den Mann zu bringen". Dem daraufhin stattfindenden Werben, den Ränken, dem Hin und Her der Gefühle zuzusehen, ist einfach wunderbar und berückend. Während der offene, sympathische Mr. Bingley (Crispin Bonham-Carter) schnell Sympathien gewinnt und sich zu Bennets ältester Schwester, der schönen Jane (Susannah Harker), hingezogen fühlt, sorgt das stolze, überhebliche und abweisende Verhalten Mr. Darcys (Colin Firth) allgemein für Unmut und Ablehnung. Insbesondere die zweitälteste der Bennet-Töchter, die intelligente, gebildete und wortgewandte Elizabeth "Lizzy" beginnt damit, gegen ihn zu opponieren. Diese Fernsehserie ist traumhaft schön gemacht. Sie lässt sich (selbst in der gekürzten Fassung) angenehm viel Zeit, die Personen zu entwickeln und in die Zeit Anfang des 19 Jahrhunderts einzutauchen. Die altehrwürdigen Landsitze und Parks als Kulissen sind malerisch, die Ausstattung ist prunk- und geschmackvoll und die Schauspieler wurden passend besetzt. Die lebhafte, leichtfüßige, gefühlvolle und mit Humor versehene Inszenierung, bei der sich ernsthafte und komödiantische Szenen, zum Beispiel mit der überspannten Mutter Bennet (genauso aufgescheucht wie ihre jüngsten "Backfischtöchter": Alison Steadman) oder dem von Austen als "komischer Person" beschriebenen Cousin, Pfarrer Collins (herrlich unangenehm: David Bamber), nicht zu vergessen der trocken-verschmitzte Humor von Benjamin Whitrow als Vater Bennet, ausgewogen ergänzen, macht "Pride und Prejudice" zu einem kurzweiligen Vergnügen und illustriert den Titel und die damit verbundene Frage: "Wer ist nun stolz und wer verurteilt hier wen vor?". Faszinierend sind die Darstellungen von Jennifer Ehle als Lizzy, wofür sie 1996 auch prompt mit dem "Bafta-Award" ausgezeichnet wurde, und Colin Firth als Mr. Darcy. Ehles Lizzy strahlt tatsächlich, ihr keckes Selbstbewusstsein ist nicht aufmüpfig, sondern voller Liebreiz, ihrer spitzen Zunge und ihrer Schlagfertigkeit ist immer die Sehnsucht nach Romantik und ihre Überzeugung, jeder habe einen Anspruch auf individuelles Glück, anzumerken. Und Colin Firth gibt den arroganten, unnahbaren Darcy als ernsten, mimisch zunächst fast eingefrorenen, sauertöpfisch dreinschauenden aufrechten Edelmann, dem deutlich anzumerken ist, wie stark er an der Welt und an sich selbst leidet, aber auch, wie sehr Lizzy ihn gegen seinen Willen anzieht und seine erstaunten und eindringlich forschenden Blicke auf sich zieht. Seine Abscheu und sein Ringen wirken echt und die scheinbar urplötzlich auftretenden freundlichen und menschlichen Regungen ebenfalls. Ich bin begeistert von dieser traumhaften, detailierten Kostümfilm-Romanverfilmung, die ziemlich werkgetreu, aber mit modernisierenden Anpassungen vorgenommen wurde, und möchte sie jedem Interessierten ans Herz legen! PS: Dem Bildmaterial ist das Alter natürlich ein klein wenig anzusehen, es gibt Unschärfen, das Bild ist teilweise grieselig und manche Stellen sind zu hell. Dem Sehgenuss und dem Vergnügen tut das, so finde ich, keinen Abbruch.