7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
In Georgian-era England, the five daughters of a family of landed gentry in rural England must contend with misconception, morality, and social division as they come of age and search for romantic partners. Among them is the headstrong and independent Elizabeth, whose harsh opinion of the introverted gentleman Darcy is complicated and softened as she learns more of his history and true nature.
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Tom HollanderRomance | 100% |
Family | 64% |
Period | 35% |
Drama | 32% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
In college, I was one of three guys in my Victorian Women’s Lit class. We huddled together for safety in one corner of the room, surrounded by a specific breed of mousy female English majors that we referred to, in our particularly callous vernacular, as Plain Janes and Brontë-sauruses. Which may sound cruel, but we were just trying to hold our own in a mock-serious, semester- long battle of the sexes in which we were vastly outnumbered. Actually, all three of us were relatively feminist-y guys—at least, the kind of guys who would take a Victorian Women’s Lit elective for fun, and not just to meet girls—but our status as males of the species meant we were just as scorned and misunderstood as Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy, even if most of it was in jest. Anyway, over the course of the semester, I found that I’m simply not hardwired to enjoy Jane Austen’s tales of independent young women in dire need of wedding and bedding (though, that last aspect is always repressed into sub-text). And this apathy extends to film adaptations as well. Though I do like period dramas—particularly turn of the twentieth century fare like Merchant Ivory’s Howard’s End—I’ve generally been bored by all things Austen, especially Emma and Mansfield Park. Even Ang Lee’s beautiful take on Sense and Sensibility left me appreciative but emotionally unattached. So, I remember feeling slightly suspicious of myself as I sat in a theater in November 2005, completely enraptured with director Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice.
Oh Mr. Darcy, so misunderstood...
Pride & Prejudice comes the debutante ball on Blu-ray with a beautifully warm and cinematic 1080p/VC-1 transfer in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. If you've seen the film before, you'll know the color palette is both subtle and extremely rich, with utmost attention paid to harmony in both costumes and set design. Thankfully, this carefulness caries over into the Blu-ray release. See the frilly pastel dresses of the Bennet daughters, the primary red of British infantry coats, gathering storm clouds of ominous blues, soft yellow candlelit conversations, verdant forest tableaus, and the creamy whites inside Mr. Darcy's hall of marble sculptures. There are two or three darker indoor shots that do seem a bit wishy-washy—mostly because light is so low that brightness has to be pushed up a bit—but black levels are suitably deep, and contrast, especially during the daytime scenes, is perfectly attuned. Likewise, there are a handful of soft shots, but the image is predominately crisp, with lots of detail in, say, Donald Sutherland's whiskers, stems of wild wheat, and the cloth of an expertly tied cravat. Grain-haters beware though: there has been no digital scrubbing here, so the structure of the image is inherently natural, filmic, and exactly as intended. I was initially concerned about some possible telecine wobble, as the opening shot of a morning field looks somewhat shaky, but it quickly becomes apparent that the jitteriness is due to small camera movements during the time-lapse sunrise shot—for which nothing can be done—and not some transfer oversight. The sumptuous cinematography has definitely been done justice here, so husbands, if you're looking for a film to sway your wife on the upgrade in color and clarity that Blu-ray affords, Pride & Prejudice could very well be the one to win her over.
You might not be expecting a period drama like Pride & Prejudice to feature bold and immersive sound design—Jane Austen often seems fit for a fusty monaural mix—but the film comes to Blu- ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that's surprisingly potent. From the opening pianoforte tones of the film's main theme, the music establishes itself as lush and detailed. At the community dance, string arrangements ache with resonate bass and the startlingly clear timbre of violins. The rear channels are almost always occupied with some sonic task, whether it's wrapping the score around us like a blanket or filling in the soundfield with mood-setting environmental ambience. Thunder rumbles while rain pours down all around us, soldiers march through town in a chaotic audio jumble of clanks and chatter, partygoers mill about, and out in the fields you'll hear birdcalls from all directions. In fact, if the film's audio track has one fault, it's that it's sometimes too potent. For instance, in the big introductory ballroom scene, the music and sound effects are so prevalent in the surround speakers that the dialogue in the center channel is somewhat difficult to hear. Granted, this is partly intentional—it is hard to hear people during a loud party— but it's doubly difficult when you're trying to make out literary language at a brisk English clip. That said, aside from a few of these extra loud sequences, the dialogue sounds natural and is easy to hear.
Commentary by Director Joe Wright
Owners of the Pride Prejudice DVD will be familiar with all of the features included
here, starting with this rather unenthusiastic commentary track by director Joe Wright, who
spends an inordinate amount of time talking about shots he wished he had gotten, lighting he
wished he had had, and weather that simply didn't cooperate. Not exactly essential
listening.
Conversations with the Cast (SD, 6:17)
This is one of those features where each cast member says something kind about everyone else,
and while I usually roll my overly cynical eyes at stuff like this, the actors are all so genuine about
having such a great experience on the film that these conversations are difficult not to
enjoy.
Jane Austen: Ahead of Her Time (SD, 8:03)
A brief featurette that looks at the universality of Austen's legacy and examines some of the
progressive social themes in her work.
A Bennet Family Portrait (SD, 6:02)
Similarly, here we look at the importance of family and marriage in Austen's novel and dissect the
Bennet's family dynamic.
HBO First Look: Pride & Prejudice (SD, 13:08)
"Three months skipping around the English countryside with a load of girls? It was heaven," says
director Joe Wright. This is a typical HBO promo, with EPK interviews, behind-the-scenes footage,
and an overview of the story, but it's definitely worth watching if you're a fan of the
film.
The Politics of 18th Century Dating (SD, 4:24)
A brief look at the codes of conduct of relationships in Victorian England. We also get to see some
on-set footage of the dance rehearsals.
The Stately Homes of Pride & Prejudice (SD, 15:58 total)
Here we get histories and tours for all of the houses featured in the film, including Chatsworth
House, Burghley, Wilton House, Basildon Park, and Groomsbridge Place.
BD-Live Functionality
The menu also includes a BD-Live powered feature called What's New! This is a kind of
news ticker at the top of the menu that gives you up to date information on Universal releases. I
found that it actually slowed down the performance of the menu, but thankfully you can turn it
off if you'd like.
The best romantic films, I think, are those where you fall in love with the lovers themselves, where their sorrows make the bottom of your heart drop out and their joys echo some intense emotion from your own life. It's a completely personal experience—and I apologize if this review has seemed too subjective—but that's basically what Pride & Prejudice does for me. It's one of those the films that I enjoy almost irrationally. Not in a guilty pleasure way—the film is much too good for that—but simply because I'm surprised by how much I like it. It also gives my wife no small satisfaction to see her husband reduced to a weepy, overjoyed wreck by a Victorian period piece. Husbands/boyfriends/lovers take note: Pride & Prejudice would make an excellent Valentine's Day gift. Even if you don't go all weak in the knees like I do, you can at least see the two hours that you spend watching it together as one small step in getting your significant other to support your frankly out-of-control Blu-ray habit. Highly recommended.
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