Pride and Prejudice Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Pride and Prejudice Blu-ray Movie Review

Austen 3:16.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 2, 2020

Robert Z. Leonard's production of Pride and Prejudice is the first big-screen adaptation of Jane Austen's seminal 1813 novel, or at least the first notable one. Regardless of position, the source story -- as well as playwright Helen Jerome's well-known stage dramatization, which this film borrows from liberally -- has been remade literally dozens of times in a variety of media, including the semi-recent Keira Knightley version, the hugely popular 1995 BBC mini-series and, of course, that stupid one with the zombies. Leornard's 1940 black-and-white adaptation is as stately and durable as its deep roster of talent suggests, with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier leading the pack in this witty, dramatic tale of unmarried women, wealthy young bachelors, and the complications that grow with each pairing.

Among other behind-the-scenes tidbits, Pride and Prejudice represented an early case of "stuck in development hell". The film was originally slated for filming in October 1936 under the direction of wunderkind producer Irving G. Thalberg (Grand Hotel, Mutiny on the Bounty) and starring roles for Clark Gable and Norma Shearer. Unfortunately Thalberg died of pneumonia that year at the age of 37, shortly after passing on a film development stake in the as-yet-unreleased novel Gone With the Wind. Norma Shearer stayed on as production duties later shifted to George Cukor with direction by Robert Donat, a leading role for Errol Flynn, and a switch in location shooting to England...but the start of World War II put those planes on hold as well. Eventually Robert Z. Leonard was brought in to replace George Cukor, Laurence Olivier signed on as Mr. Darcy (after a brief attempt to re-pair Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable after the success of Gone With the Wind), Vivan Leigh was pulled from the film after a real-life affair with Olivier (they later married), and Greer Garson was tapped to be Elizabeth after her well-received performance in 1939's Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

It's a fittingly soapy and dramatic production history for this film adaptation...which also famously shifts the setting some four decades ahead of Austen's novel, a change reportedly made to allow for its more ornate costume designs. This shift doesn't affect the central story all that much -- or at least the more dramatized stage version as penned by Helen Jerome -- and the film's strong cast, excellent production design, and beautiful cinematography make this as much a visually captivating product as an engaging human drama. I'll admit that the more leisurely-paced adaptations of Pride and Prejudice (read: those presented in a mini-series format) feel like a better overall fit for any version of the story and the leads, while certainly up to the challenge, have been better cast elsewhere. But this is still a very capable effort that's aged better than expected during the last 80 years and still has the capacity to entertain.

Established fans of the film itself or any other version of its source material will be very pleased with Warner Archive Collection's brand-new Blu-ray package, which follows suit with another robust restoration and lossless audio that offer a great deal of support for the film's strongest and most immediately impressive elements.

Pride and Prejudice Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive's beautiful 1080p transfer is advertised as "a new 4K restoration from the best surviving elements", and the end result is as stunning as just about everything else they've produced in recent memory. The ornate sets and costume design absolutely sparkle with detail and texture, while a natural layer of film grain preserves the feel of a true cinematic presentation. The silvery grayscales showcase rich shadow detail with no signs of black crush or blooming, while the image as a whole is very clean thanks to a lot of meticulous manual cleanup -- only a few fluctuations and bits of debris could be spotted during dissolves and other scene transitions. It's yet another top-tier effort from the reliable team at Warner Archive, who continue to outdo themselves with each and every catalog title.

Pride and Prejudice Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio is likewise aimed at purists, as it features a strong dynamic range during music cues and very clear dialogue with no obvious damage including pops and hisses. Crowded conversations overlap nicely with good placement that almost simulates true separation while retaining its original one-channel roots. Like the audio, this Blu-ray's optional English (SDH) subtitles -- which are cleanly formatted and very legible -- show no sync issues either. It's a faithful and exceedingly clean presentation that rarely calls attention to itself but impresses nonetheless.

Pride and Prejudice Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Eyes of the Navy (20:19) - This recruitment film was produced by MGM in 1940.

• The Fishing Bear (8:00) - A 1940 Barney Bear cartoon directed by an uncredited Rudolf Ising.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:40) - This vintage promotional piece is also available on Warner Archive's YouTube channel here, as well the opening scene in HD and another HD clip too. Subscribe already!

Pride and Prejudice Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jane Austen's landmark novel Pride and Prejudice has been adapted countless times in a variety of media, but this 1940 production by Robert Z. Leonard is a respectable first big-screen effort. The casting is uniformly good with a solid screenplay by Aldous Huxley and Jane Murfin, who were also working from a stage adaptation written by Helen Jerome. It feels like the genuine article through and through despite a few cusory changes, though other versions -- such as the highly-regarded 1995 BBC mini-series -- enjoy a richer and more refined pace. This is a decently condensed version that fans of the source material should enjoy, and Warner Archive's Blu-ray is a great way to get (re)acquainted: with a strong A/V presentation and a few DVD-era bonus features, it's a solid package with no real weak points.