Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1656 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-02-06
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Swedish, Turkish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 121 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Rightly winning wide acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, this latest take on Jane Austen’s classic Pride & Prejudice is a real, all-round triumph. The age-old story still holds real resonance, and it follows the tale of five sisters dealing with love, and the many trials and tribulations that brings.

There are so many delights to director Joe Wright’s take on the story, and his direction is a strong place to start. In spite of having to condense the tale to fit a movie running time, he nonetheless injects a real energy and intelligence to his retelling, and he’s served supremely well by his cast. Backed up by strong support by the likes of Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland, it’s Keira Knightley in the lead turn who’s a real surprise here. Her performance is a real joy, and very much at the core of the film’s success.

The film inevitably draws comparison with the superb 1995 BBC adaptation, and while arguably it doesn’t quite scale the same peaks, it’s to the credit of the filmmakers that their version still holds strong. For this is a tremendously enjoyable drama, and one that should continue to find an audience for a long time to come. An excellent film.--Simon Brew

Synopsis
This version of Jane Austen's fiercely beloved novel has the daunting task of living up not only to the classic book, but also to the excellent 1995 miniseries of the same name. Yet 2005's Pride and Prejudice is up to the task, thanks to lively pacing, a witty script, an excellent cast, and clever direction from British newcomer Joe Wright. The surprisingly still-relevant story follows the five Bennet sisters as they deal with suitors and love, as their mother desperately schemes to marry them off advantageously. Sweet-tempered beauty Jane (Rosamund Pike) develops feelings for the equally amiable and extremely wealthy Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), but forces conspire to keep them apart while Lizzie (Keira Knightley) finds herself first appalled by, but gradually drawn to, Bingley's aloof, intelligent, and socially awkward friend, Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFayden). The movie, at just over two hours, is forced to cut and condense a number of the book's subplots, and at times it tries to heighten the drama of certain scenes. But, for the most part, it's as faithful to the spirit of the original as time and cinematic convention allow. The tremendous supporting cast includes Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet and Donald Sutherland as her wry, withdrawn husband; Jena Malone as teenage twit Lydia; Judi Dench, effortlessly haughty and imperious, as Lady Catherine de Bourg; and Tom Hollander, who steals every scene he's in as the ludicrously pompous and awkward Mr. Collins. The movie's script, adapted by Deborah Moggach, manages to be proto-feminist without becoming anachronistic and, like the novel, it is incisive about the class politics and gender inequalities of the day.

Customer Reviews

Suprisingly beautiful and engaging
First of all, I should say that like a previous reviewer, I was determined to find fault with this film, given that I am a huge fan of the seminal BBC version, and didn't think anything could come close. However, I rather grudgingly went to see it, and, suprise, suprise, loved it. The whole film has a much more earthy, organic feel to previous adaptions, which allows us to see the divide between the 2 families involved even more sharply. Given that the story has to be shortened to fit in with the time, this actually works to the films advantage, focusing almost exclusively on the main relationship; Elizabeth and Darcy.
One of the main reasons that I didn't want to like this film was Keira Knighley, as she usually irritates me and I don't like her acting that much! However, putting my prejudices aside, and sitting down to watch this film, she truly is the star, and puts on a wonderful performance as Lizzy; funny and engaging, and she deserves much credit for this.
The music is quite simply, glorious, and worth buying the DVD just to see/listen to it as intended, on screen.

I came out of the cinema feeling as though all was well in the world, and loved it so much I had to go back and see it the next week. A wonderful adaption, and will certainly be in equal standing with my BBC version in my DVD collection. (And I never thought I would write that!)

without prejudice
At the beginning of my review I'd like to state that I am a die-hard Jane Austen fan. P&P is my favourite JA book. Naturally, I've seen all possible film versions and although the 2005 version is not the best, it's not the worst either.

Almost everybody considers the '95 BBC version as the best, as the most authentic, so I would like to defend this version in comparison with the latter.

Nobody in their right mind should expect a movie to cover everything in a book, I mean, 2 hours is not 6 hours, right? I am not saying that the script could not have been better, because that would be carrying things a bit too far. Maybe they should've given more opportunity to Emma Thompson who turned the novel S&S into an amazingly good script.

The scenery was very dramatic and beautiful, it could really express how the characters felt and what they were like. I liked the director's down-to-earth approach to the people, costumes and surroundings - ok, maybe the pig wandering through the house was not an indispensable accessory - versus the bit sterile and almost-too-groomed average appearance in the '95 series. Although I must say that the dark brown (YUK!) dress they made Keira wear while visiting Pemberley was ghastly.

Concerning the "most important" character ... Mr Darcy, nobody can beat Colin Firth, that's for sure. However, I found Mathew MacFadyen's awkward and shy Darcy-figure humane and endearing. And I was positively surprised by Keira Knightley's performance as Elizabeth. She was convincingly lively, vivid and fresh. The chemistry between them was obvious (one of the most mouth-wateringly delicious scenes was the first proposal in the rain!) which is a welcome difference compared to BBC's P&P where Jennifer Ehle sadly failed - not intellectually, but sensually - to respond to Firth's wonderful, sexy presence. I always felt it was a terrible waste. So a stronger attraction on both sides was a welcome change.
I liked Rosamund Pike's Jane, Tom Hollander's Mr Collins (David Bamber's performance was not simply bordering grotesque, it was grotesque!) and Brenda Blethyn's Mrs Bennet. Judi Dench as Lady Catherine was too aggressive for me and the younger girls too wild.

The most disturbing thing was really the lack of time. When I first saw the film - used as I was to the detailing in the series - I was disturbed by how the events seemed to race by, but on the second show it did not bother me any more.

All in all, I think the latest P&P fresh, delicious and enjoyable despite its shortcomings and worth watching twice.

Dizzy Miss Lizzy
How do you fit into 127mins what has previously been fitted into 330 mins? With difficulty, the storyline has to be reduced without losing the basic premise, and for me, this was managed. What was produced was delightful even with what had to minimised.
I wasn't sure about how Keira was going to fare, but it was with delight that I realised that she was a wonderful Elizabeth, feisty and outspoken.
Matthew Macfadyen's dour Mr Darcy gradually opens up. The sadness and pain in his expression at Elizabeths refusal and summation of his character is evident. The final acceptance is a delight.
Matthew's Mr Darcy is shown to be a vulnerable man who appears to be finding his way in life with difficulty, but is trying to do it with honour and integrity.
Donald Sutherland is adorable as Mr Bennett. Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennett is still silly (as she is written) but not as over the top as some portrayals I have seen.
Judi Dench is formidable as Lady Catherine. I would have expected nothing less.
Claudie Blakely as Charlotte Collins nee Lucas was a really good casting, as was Tom Hollander as the obsequious Mr Collins.
I felt there were some hiccups with the dialogue as Deborah Moggach moved away somewhat from Jane Austens prose, but the overall effect was delightful - from the full benefit of the English countryside by shooting on location, to the reasonably fast moving script. It was a very short two hours, I didn't look at my watch once. I thoroughly enjoyed it.