DVD Corner

Pride and Prejudice (Restored Edition) (DVD Review)

Content Grade: A
Extras Grade: B

Specs:
US Release Date: 27 April 2010
Not Rated

Picture & Sound:
Working directly from original negatives, cutting edge technology has been used to create a picture that has been color-enhanced and completely digitally restored.  The result is a hi-def picture that is cleaner and richer than ever before. 

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice remains one of the most enduring classics of English literature.  BBC’s 1995 miniseries brought a faithfully told, beautifully shot, and finely acted version of that novel to the television screens of millions.  Steering away from the previous “stagey” versions of period literature on the screen, this adaptation opted for a more cinematic pace that acknowledged a life for the novel’s characters outside of the drawing rooms.  The miniseries was also on the vanguard of Austen adaptations on film and television that led to Jane Austen being named one of the Entertainers of the Year in a December 1995 Entertainment Weekly.

Witty, energetic Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle) and brooding, aloof Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) are a pair of star-crossed lovers separated by the subtleties of social classes in Regency England.  When Darcy slights Elizabeth upon his arrival in her town, declaring her beneath him, she vows to dislike him forever.  What follows is a series of misunderstandings that forms one of the best “will they, won’t they” stories.

If you haven’t yet discovered “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE”, this restored edition is as good a place as any to start.  If you’re looking to upgrade your video or DVD collection, the $40.00 MSRP is a decision that every Austenite will have to make for themselves.  For my part, as someone who owns the 2001 Special Edition on DVD, I might not have rushed out to purchase this edition, but probably would have relented eventually, given the new extras and sharper picture quality.  (Even though both versions claim to be “Completely Digitally Remastered for the Ultimate in Picture Quality”.)

Below are screen captures from the Restored Edition (top) compared to captures from the Special Edition (bottom).

The results are apparent in a side-by-side comparison, but frankly would have escaped my notice otherwise.  (Unless I owned an HD television, in which case I probably would have been doing backflips over this Restored Edition.)  What the world actually needs at this point, as far as this production is concerned, is a DVD with the option to watch all six episodes as one continuous film, with credits only at the very end.  But perhaps that’s just my own wishful thinking.

Extras:
* Lasting Impressions.  Filmed in 2006, this featurette includes interviews with cast and crew members as they look back at the incredible success of “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE” that changed the appeal and reach of costume dramas.  Includes interviews with Sue Birtwistle (Producer), Benjamin Whitrow (Mr. Bennet), Crispin Bonham Carter (Mr. Bingley), Alison Steadman (Mrs. Bennet), David Bamber (Mr. Collins), Lucy Briers (Mary Bennet), Adrian Lukis (Wickham), and Carl Davis (Composer).
* An Impromptu Walkabout with Adrian Lukis and Lucy Briers.  For some reason, a camera follows Lukis (Wickham) and Briers (Mary Bennet) as they wander around the grounds of Luckington Court, also known as the Bennets’ home of Longbourn.
* Pride and Prejudice: A Turning Point for Period Drama.  Andrew Davies (Screenwriter), Alan Ayres (Drama Publicist), Baz Bamigboye (TV Critic), and Dinah Collin (Costume Designer) discuss the incredible critical and cultural success of the program.
* Technical Restoration.  An in-depth look at the restoration process.

April 24, 2010 - Posted by Ranielle | DVD review | Andrew Davies, BBC, Colin Firth, Crispin Bonham Carter, DVD review, Jane Austen, Jennifer Ehle