Search - Pride and Prejudice [Special Edition] on DVD

David Bamber - Mr. Collins
Alison Steadman - Mrs. Bennet
Benjamin Whitrow - Mr. Bennet
Anna Chancellor - Miss Bingley
Julia Sawalha - Lydia Bennet
Barbara Leigh Hunt - Catherine de Bourgh
David Bark-Jones - Lt. Denny

This is one of my favorite movies! It's a great drama but it also had some funny moments as well. I highly recomend it.

I absolutely loved this version, it is the only one I watch!! I cannot find a better match between character/actor than the ones the directors picked out! I love this film best of all, and it is so close to the book, and so well done that I can't watch just half of it!! I HIGHLY recommend this version of Pride and Prejudice! Every character matched exactly with the character in the book!!! I loved EVERY moment of it! All the discreet little nuances, and charms make it wholly worthwhile!

I realize that this version is more authentic than the Keira Knightly version. But, that version was much more entertaining. And, even though I don't usually really like Keira Knightly, she was incredibly charming in this particular film.

That said, I so wanted to like this! And, based on other reviews, I purchased it. I'm glad I have it, I guess, but I just now purchased the 1980s version and am looking forward to receiving that.

The casting was the big surprise. Mrs. Bennett was the worst of all. She is supposed to be a bit of a boor, but she is so incredibly shrill, it is fathomable that one will have a headache if the film is viewed in its entirety. I certainly did. As a matter of fact, it's been a few hours after I've finished the movie and I've had several ibuprofin. My head is still aching. She was so loud! Her voice was an octave higher than this reviewer's ears could comfortably take and I'm truly surprised that the surrounding glass objects survived in one piece rather than shattering.

Jane just was not pretty. I first saw the actress that played Jane play the reporter in House of Cards-- a first rate British drama starring Ian Richardson. My husband and I remarked her likeness to Princess Diana. Yet, she isn't as pretty as Jane is supposed to be. Her neck is freakishly thick and she lacks grace. In this film, she can't even pass as prettier than average. At the risk of being just a bit too picayune, had they done something a bit better with her hair-- maybe pulled it less tightly from the back, have the front hang a bit lower, she may have passed as more attractive, but there was nothing about her in the least attractive and I'm more than surprised at the choice of casting here.

Lizzie was far prettier if a bit heavy. Strangely enough, during the last scene of the first dvd, she was markedly thinner and her collarbones actually protruded a bit. I bet that was the final scene filmed. However, during the rest of both the first dvd and the entire second dvd, she must have weighed 20 pounds more than she probably should have and it showed. Still, she was very pretty and grew prettier by the time the film was over. But, she seemed a bit older than she should have been and she seemed a bit matronly for the role. Here, I'm not criticizing her weight at all-- by 'matronly', I mean her demeanor. She didn't appear charming or childlike when playing with the dogs or running in the fields. She didn't seem like a young and single woman at almost any time-- she seemed older in demeanor and appearance.

Bingley's sister wore WAY too much makeup for her role and looked like a French courtesan. I'm shocked at this choice, too. She was the only woman in the entire film to be made up this way and it was a very poor choice.

Lydia was absolutely appalling. She lacked even an iota of charm. She is physically unattractive and so entirely annoying to watch. To get away with what she got away with in the story, there has to be SOMETHING appealing about her and there wasn't anything appealing about her here. She did not have to be pretty, but she should have been a little cute-- something. She was just a disgusting character from beginning to end. Had the actress that played Kitty actually played Lydia, that would have been more successful.

Collins was terrible. The Collins in the Keira Knightly version was wonderful. His pretension actually had a bit of charm-- not enough to want to spend any time with him, mind you. Still, if one is to see these characters in a real light, they have to have some dimension to them. The Collins in this film did not. The Collins in the other film did.

The rest of the casting was superb. Crispin Bonham-Carter was perfect Bingley as was Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. When he lost some of his reserve one could truly see the charm under there. His take on the role was very good.

The newer and less faithful version with Keira Knightly was much more enjoyable, even if liberties were taken. Both Lizzie and Jane were perfectly cast, as were all the sisters. The mother, as annoying as Mrs. Bennet could possibly be, was at least not repulsive. One didn't absolutely hate her as they did in this version, even if one couldn't find too much likeable about her.

And, what can I say about Matthew Macfadyen who played Mr. Darcy in the other version? Matthew Macfayden was completely wonderful. Fabulous, really. Colin Firth was good, too, mind you, but Matthew Macfadyen portrayed Mr. Darcy perfectly.

The ending in this film was almost superb. Not so in the Keira Knightly version, which seemed completely overdone. Here, we got a quick view of everyone else in the film before the final scenes with Lizzie, Jane, Darcy and Bingley. That was perfect as those scenes played out over the sermon given by the pastor. Perfect ending.