Customer Reviews
Ideal for the romantic - By: Graziella Ciaffarafa, 09 Mar 2010 
I have had this film three weeks & it is never out of my DVD player. Who said that romance was dead.
A real classic - By: Patricia White, 07 Mar 2010 This is as good as the book & I can watch it again & again. Beware of imitations (Keira Knightly & co in particular).
The benchmark where all others are judged. - By: Mr. P. J. R. LEWIS, 06 Dec 2009 Few can argue that this BBc adaptation now ten years old is setting the standard that alll other productions are judged by.
The recent 2005 film was under constraint in attempting to cram an entire novel that has a systematic series of events leading up to Elizabeth & Darcy agreeing to marriage into two hours,an almost impossibility.
Likewise the 1944 production was made in an era where films had that Ealing studios influence & has lost it's sparkle over the years.It almost appears silly in the way the characters are treated,it has the Scarlet Ohara feeling to it totallly alien to the Jennifer Elle character.
It made an excellent attempt at the job of telling the narrative of the famous novel but unfortunately had to miss out important characters due to the time frame of the film.
This BBc adaptation was under no such constraint & was so successful in it's ability to develop the principal characters that it maybe impossible to better this production.
The Georgian sets are simply stunning with incredible eye for detail & the entire adaptation which was made into a separate mini series runs along at the perfect pace.
A few minutes of extras available on the dvd show us the immense time & effort that went into making the period sets so realistic.
I think this is the principal reason this production is so memorable.
Agreed the acting is superb but the casting of the comparisson of aristocracy & middle upper classes is dealt with incredibly well.
Jane Austins novel is set in a particular part of society, even the Bennet family have a carriage so they are certainly not poor but Mr Bingley has an annual income of £5000 a year & Darcy double that.
The Bennet girls are certainly mixing in high society but Elizabeth marries Darcy for love & not his emense fortune.
One feels that even if she had not seen his incredible country estate she would have agreed to his hand in marriage once she realised the kind of man he reallly was.
Obviously being finaciallly secure did play a part but this was a match made out of love not financial neccessity.
Colin Firth is incredible as Mr Darcy as is Jennifer Elle as the quiet sensible Elizabeth.
Mr Colins the Bennets cousin almost steals the production as being cringeworthy & bringing incredible realism to the story.
The handling of the Wickham saga & everything to do with this production make it an incredible drama ,possibly the finest the BBc have produced.
I know the now famous pond scene flouts the complete accuracy of the narrative but it was highly successful in that it set that perfect atmosphere between Darcy & Elizabeth.
She has already made up her mind about Darcy's hidden character & was curious to see the mighty Pemberley.
As she says " I could have been mistress of alll this" but to see Darcy half undressed & ill at ease, both were caught off guard & justly so the sexual chemistry between them is so magical.
This scene alone has captured the peoples imagination to such an extent for the principal reason it adds the cherry on the cake to such a magnificent production.
We were alll waiting for the magic between Elizabeth & Darcy to show itself & for the BBc to provide us with a totallly made up plot that worked so well is a stroke of genius.
To find any fault with this magnificent production is difficult indeed,acting,scenery & location sets make it a masterpiece without compare.
It's a dvd set that will stand the test of time & will provide many years of pleasure for those who have yet to see it.
Pride an Prejudice - By: Elena Sartori, 01 Dec 2009 I'm from Italy so I haven't seen this BBC series, but I've read the novel twice & I've reallly loved the story.
This adaptation is great: locations, costumes, dialogues are alll absolutely perfect. The cast seems to have been chosen directly by Jane Austen: everybody is quite as you can imagine by reading the book.
Infectiously joyful: tears of joy! - By: Aquinas, 01 Dec 2009 Returning to this production 14 years after it first came out, one can only say: such a wonderful story of love humour & intrigue. For me, the greatest episode is the fourth one when Lizzy begins to realise that the pomposity of the outer DArcy does not convey the immense graciousness of the man. To see how love changes Darcy (i.e. overcoming the real pompositiy & pride) - he becomes humble, he melts before our eyes & his real greatness comes to the fore - alll because of the extraordinary power of love to make the lover & loved one shine & sparkle. This is a trully glorious production conveying, as alll classics do, some of the great truths about human life. And then, of course, the sycophantic vicar: he too is wonderful but in a completely differnt way. Bravo!!!
