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Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition Customer Reviews (217 - 219 of 229 Reviews)

Pure delight
This is quite simply a wonderful film adaptation of a wonderful book. While I agree with other reviewers that sometimes the sound quality in particular is not great (don't try to run the sound through your home theatre sound system-the volume has to go so high to hear the dialogue that the music will blast you from your chair)I personally don't care that much because of all the great things about the movie-Colin Firth, to name one!
What I like best here-besides the terrific casting (I particularly enjoyed Julia Sawalha, Absolutely Fabulous' stuffy Saffy, flouncing about and flirting outrageously) is that it manages to keep you in suspense, just as the book does, even after repeated readings and viewings. Intellectually we know that Elizabeth will get her Mr. Darcy, but we still wait with bated breath for the final proposal.
Add that to breathtaking scenery, witty dialogue, and characters who leap from the screen, and you have one lovely afternoon's viewing, even if it didn't include a wet-shirted Colin (which it gratifyingly does.)
I can watch this one over and over and never get tired of it.

Great mini-series; lousy DVD
My family has a rule that, if we rent a movie 3 times, we might as well buy it. I had gone far beyond my limit with the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I could watch this series at least once a month, maybe even once a week, and still love it. The adaptation isn't 100% faithful to the book, but, cinematically, it's by far the best version ever made. On a scale of 5 stars for content, I would give this DVD 100.

However, I have both of the DVD editions and I don't like the DVD transfer for either one of them. If I could, each version would rate at nearly -100 stars.

For the first set, the one with the cardboard keepcases:

1) The sound quality isn't what I've come to expect from a DVD, and parts of the dialogue bottom out on occasion.

2) My local Blockbuster had the two-tape VHS version, with all the credits taken out except at the beginning and end of the set. This made the series flow like one movie, save for the natural break at the climax of the story when Darcy 1st proposes to Eliza, which was wonderful--perfect timing! Since I didn't see the series when it aired on A & E, it was often difficult for me to tell where the series breaks had taken place. I was quite surprised when I learned where some of them were, and this attests to the skill of the editors of the two-tape VHS version. I find the constant credits on the DVD distracting, repetitious and boring; pressing the Next button is inconvenient. As for these credits providing a break, as suggested by another reviewer--come on! DVDs are fantastic at picking up exactly where one left off, without missing a beat. They're far better at it than VHS tapes. If I need to go to the bathroom or get another tub of popcorn that badly, I'd rather stop a DVD wherever I please, rather than waiting for the appearance of credits I don't want to see anyway. That's as bad as watching the prison known as TV (UGH).

3) I also find this a very chintzy DVD--no language selections, no subtitles, no "goodies," such as cast bios. It didn't even have closed-captioning! Very, very cheap. As much as my husband paid for this DVD as a Hanukkah present to me, I expected much more for his money. So now I'll search for the VHS version I prefer. Maybe I'll buy two, in case one wears out.

For the second set, the one with the plastic keepcases:

A&E finally gets their head outta their youknowwhattee and gives us non-stop storytelling along with some cool goodies like cast bios, widescreen and subtitles/captioning. Then they RUIN it all with the most hideous color transfer I've ever seen on a DVD. I had to spend over half an hour getting the picture even remotely bearable to my eyes, and I'm still not satisfied with it. The entire DVD is now unwatchable for this alone. Will someone at A&E please please PLEASE fix this?

As I stated in my original review, perhaps the producers of this series will heed the many complaints they've received about the DVD transfers and re-issue a much better version in the future.

Superb, true to Jane Austen adaption
This version of Pride & Predjudice is my absolute favorite. I have owned the tapes and the original DVD. As far as the movie itself goes, the characters are all perfectly cast. From the embarassingly annoying Mrs. Bennet, the sweet oldest sister Jane, the condescending and IQ challenged Mr. Collins, to the feisty Elizabeth and the Proud Mr. Darcy, you will find yourself engrossed in every character's story. The script was written to stay true to the original novel. The scenery in breathtaking, and you will find yourself paying as much attention to the beautiful countryside as you will the drama.
As for technical details, the biographies that are included on this special version are simply printed words on the screen. Interesting information, but each bio is only one or two paragraphs long with a complete list of credits for only a few of the characters. The mini featurette is okay.
My bottom line: if you love romance, drama, and history then this is the movie for you. If you already own it on tape or have the original dvd, save your money and enjoy the version you have.

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