Product Description

One of the greatest love stories of all time, Pride & Prejudice, comes to the screen in a glorious new adaptation starring Keira Knightley. When Elizabeth Bennett (Knightley) meets the handsome Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), she believes he is the last man on earth she could ever marry. But as their lives become intertwined in an unexpected adventure, she finds herself captivated by the very person she swore to loathe for all eternity. Based on the beloved masterpiece by Jane Austen, it is the classic tale of love and misunderstanding that sparkles with romance, wit and emotional force. Critics are calling it "Exhilarating. A joy from start to finish" (Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140 in DVD
• Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
• Released on: 2006-02-28
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 129 minutes

Amazon.com
Literary adaptations just don't get any better than director Joe Wright's 2005 version of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. The key word here is adaptation, because Wright and gifted screenwriter Deborah Moggach have taken liberties with Austen's classic novel that purists may find objectionable, but in this exquisite film their artistic decisions are entirely justified and exceptionally well executed. It's a more rural England that we see here, circa 1790 (as opposed to Austen's early 19th century), in which Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) is one of several sisters primed for marriage, with an anxious mother (Brenda Blethyn) only too desperate to see her daughters paired off with the finest, richest husbands available. Elizabeth is strong-willed and opinionated, but her head (not to mention her pride and prejudice) lead her heart astray when she meets the wealthy Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), whose own sense of decency and discretion (not to mention his pride and prejudice) prevent him from expressing his mutual affection. They're clearly meant for each other, and as Knightley's performance lights up the screen (still young enough to be girlishly impertinent, yet wise beyond her 20 years), Austen's timeless romance yields yet another timeless adaptation, easily on par with the beloved BBC miniseries that has been embraced by millions since originally broadcast in 1995. Individual tastes will vary as to which version should be considered "definitive," but with a stellar supporting cast including Judi Dench and Donald Sutherland, this impeccable production achieves its own kind of perfection. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

clash of cultures/modern versus regency
Just for fun, I watched the Director's commentary with the film and now understand why watching this film is like looking through a broken kaleidoscope. It starts with birds chirping on a beautiful landscape, moves to an odd close up, over the shoulder, of a book Lizzie is reading, but you can't see the title of, then has her walking over a FILTHY duck pond into a working farm house, eavesdropping on her parents.
The whole movie goes back and forth between modern use of cameras against a backdrop of regency styles. The family, the costumes, the houses, are all regency, while the camera work fractures the story-telling with its movement from harshly lit close ups to single hand held shots. In the commentary, even the director admits Dame Judy Dench looks awful in her close ups when she comes to visit Lizzie in the middle of the night to confront her about Darcy's proposal. He talks about getting ideas on the way to filming different scenes - like the sunlit close up of Lizzie when she travels to Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle came to him when he put his head out the car door in the sunlight when he was going to a film location.
This story seems filmed a bit off the hip, or off the cuff - improvised!

I still love it. The unspoiled landscapes are gorgeous. From the Longbourne house with its moat and surrounding wildlife and even the farm life to the gorgeous grecian temple in Wiltshire - I will try to go there now that I know where it is - where Darcy proposes makes me melt to the cadence of Matthew MacFadyen's voice. I want to go there just to listen to the echoes of the scene - in the rain, of course. He is a revelation as Darcy, although I can also picture him in modern terms as a spy in his series Spooks. But he is fun and sexy. The close up of his hand after he touches Elizabeth helping her into the carriage is glorious.
I would recommend listening to the directors comments about ALL his casting choices, what he feels about their performances, the design of the sets, and how he made his decisions in telling the story. (the ribbon dyeing scene is wonderful).

So I would recommend this film to anyone. But I would caution them that it is a clash of sensibilities - modern and regency.
Thanks for making it.
Emily Linden, RN, BA.

Pride and Prejudice
The product came in excellent condition and arrived even more quickly than I expected. The price certainly was better than I have seen anywhere else, too. I have not had any problems with Amazon previously, so this just reaffirms my trust. Thanks

Very Pretty -- but Disappointing
Being an annual reader of Pride and Prejudice and a lover of Jane Austen's humor and insight, I found this film to be at best disappointing. Austen's humor was lost in translation to say the least. Elizabeth Bennet was morphed into a dreamy eyed, slightly naughty, tousled haired temptress. Her father, Mr. Bennet, was, despite the acting talents of Donald Sutherland, transformed into a frousled, woolly, bumbling father who simply didn't know how to be a parent. All that aside, the photography is lovely, the costumes are beautiful, and the soundtrack is delightful, but this simply isn't Jane Austen. For a proper film version of this wonderful book try the A&E version starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle or the BBC. The A&E version may six one-hour episodes, but, with minor alterations, it's magnificently produced, witty, beautifully acted, and absolutely true to the book and entirely in keeping with Austen's writing.