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Pride and Prejudice Blu-ray
A&E Home Video | 1995 | 323 mins | Not rated | Apr 14, 2009
highdeffer
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Jun 06, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 5
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Audio: 4.5
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Extras: 4.5
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Overall: 5
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Pride and Prejudice
I think Borg13 must have a different set of Blu-ray discs to me. The ones I have are superb. This is one of the best things I have seen on Blu-ray yet. In fact it is my favorite Blu-ray release. I have given it 5 for PQ not because it is perfect picture-wise, but because of the incredible work that's been done on the transfer. The transfer has transformed this series from one of the worst DVD PQs to an excellent Blu-ray PQ.
What Bog13 fails to acknowledge is that this production was originally made for television in the '90s. I'm not sure if it was shot on videotape or film, but when it was transferred to DVD some years later it lost an incredible amount of detail and the color was washed out and woeful. The DVD version was a shadow of the version that was broadcast on tape and a great disappoint to me.
When you watch the standard DVD (and I've watched the series on DVD more than 12 times) and then watch the Blu-ray disc, you know much hard work has been done on the Blu-ray transfer and how brilliantly well it has come up. It's nothing short of a miracle really, what with the detail in most scenes and the rich, true-to-life colors. I'm still seeing new things every time I watch this. Seeing it on a 52-inch full HD Samsung series 6 screen is like seeing it for the first time. It is awesome and I can't thank the production company enough for the work they've done on this transfer.
Let's talk about how good the transfer is. Take the scene, for instance, where the sisters and Mr Collins are walking across the bridge: on the standard DVD there is no detail in the bridge stonework nor the river - it's a miserable, bleak scene if ever there was one; in the Blu-ray version, however, there is good detail in the bridge stonework and the river, and the scene is rich and vibrant and interesting - so much so that you wouldn't believe it was the same film.
The differences in the two versions is best seen in the Meriton village scene that follows the bridge scene: in the DVD version you see the actors' faces okay but there is almost no depth of field in the background shots of the village street and buildings - anything could be happening at the end of the street and you wouldn't have much of an idea what it was. In the Blu-ray version, however, you can see the detail in the entire length of the village street, you can see the shingles and the signs on the shops, you can see the detail of the people walking down the street; you can see the small barrows and goods outside the shops; and you can see the rich colors and detail of the soldier's uniform. I saw things in the village that you can't possibly see in the DVD version. it's taken me lots of viewings to take it all in, and I'm still seeing new things. This one scene alone blew me away - it's like being there.
The interior scenes and the costumes throughout the series have gorgeous detail and sheen. You can easily see the differences between the expensive clothes worn by the Bingham sisters and the modest clothes worn by the Bennett sisters. Then there's the wallpaper detail in many scenes, and the furniture detail. I couldn't help looking at all the things in Mr Bennet's study - I'd never noticed them before. And the first scene at Lady Catherine DeBurgh's - where she is sitting on her "throne" with the painting behind her - the detail in that scene is stunning.
After I bought the standard DVD I loved watching the series for the story and the characters - I never thought much of the picture quality and I just accepted that that was as it good as it was going to get. Now I have the Blu-ray discs I am seeing P&P the way it should be seen, and it is stunning! If you love this series you will be in raptures over the Blu-ray version. |
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hrs2403
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Apr 16, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 5
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Audio: 4
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Extras: 4
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Overall: 5
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Perhaps the best film transfer to Blu-ray yet
I have not seen one single flaw in this release...not one speck, piece of dirt...nothing. I don't buy many BDs, rentals being a lot cheaper for movies I'll probably view only once, but this one is worthy of purchase if only to have a reference disk on hand to show how good a proper transfer can be, especially if you have the original negative to work from.
Black levels, color density and highlight control are absolutely perfect.
The audio is perfectly good but ordinary, given the two-channel source.
The extras are fine, with the five-minute feature on the BD transfer especially interesting. |
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Mark Alan Thomas
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Apr 22, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 4.5
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Audio: 4
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Extras: 4
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Overall: 4.5
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Fantastic, but.…
I noticed two problems. First, the movie fills the frame on a 16:9 display, and yet this aspect ratio, so far as I know, did not exist when the movie was shot, which makes me think that some minor cropping is being done to the top and/or bottom of the frame.
Second, near the end, the scene in which Darcy says "My dearest, loveliest Elizabeth," appears to have been taken from a print rather than the original negative and lacks the detail and clarity of every other scene in the movie. Anybody know what's up with that? |
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DMB1991
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May 10, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 5
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Audio: 4.5
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Extras: 3.5
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Overall: 5
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If you ever need a demo to woo a woman...
All I can say is that the women in my family were never big fans of blu ray. For some very strange reason, they never wanted to watch Transformers or the Bourne movies. However, when Mother's day rolled around, I picked up P&P on blu ray at my local Best Buy. Initially, no one understood why I would buy yet another copy of the Colin Firth version when my mom already owned it on VHS and DVD.
Wow was it worth it.
Through the whole movie, my family sat and raved about all the details they never saw on other formats. Everything from the texture of the clothes to the improved color left them amazed. Other reviews on this site complain about film grain, and all I can say is that the level of grain is such that it enhances the picture and does not distract from the rest of the film.
If you're considering buying this film you're probably already a fan of P&P. Definitively, this is the best version available, and well worth a "double dip". It turned my family into blu ray fans and made for a great mother's day present. |
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surfdude12
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Jul 23, 2009
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Movie: 4.5
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Video: 4.5
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Audio: 4
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Extras: 4
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Overall: 4.5
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Great TV series, great PQ/AQ restoration
Great TV series, I've never read the book so that worked out well as I never knew what woudl happen with Lizzy, Darcy, etc. I loved the story itself, how it really shows how a woman's job was to find a rich husband (kind of like going on a hunt) and wrestling with the notion of marrying for money v. marrying for love (lizzy's struggle).
PQ: I see everyone including the reviewer gave it a 5/5, and I guess part of that is the transfer, as I heard the DVD or original VHS looked just awful. There is an extra feature on the restoration which is great. However, there was occasional moments of pixelation/static/etc, that was obvious and i don't think part of stylistic intent. Other than that, the clarity and detail was great, and colors very resolved. Overall, fantastic PQ. I just docked 0.5 for the infrequent but obvious static noise.
NOTE: I will say that the pixelation/noise is less noticeable is you turn off DNR/and put in Movie mode. I usually have DNR on/Dynamic mode.
AQ: since its a 2 channel PCM, you obviously don't get surround, but the good news is: its not very necessary as you really only care about the dialogue. this isn't transformers. however, i will say that there are several great scenes without dialogue, such as lizzy going for walks on her own, or frequently you'd see scenes of 2 people walking outside in nature with long silence between conversation. In those moments, the lack of surround did hurt, as the english countryside wanted to leap around my surround system but couldn't. hence i'll give it a 4/5. but dialogue was very clear and not mixed in with music or other sounds, so could be easily heard. |
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wylikiote
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Aug 13, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 5
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Audio: 3.5
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Extras: 4.5
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Overall: 4.5
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Brilliant Transfer to Blu-ray
WOW!
I have seen the TV broadcast, VHS, DVD multiple times. I expected improvement in Blu-ray, but assumed the original mid-1990s source material would limit HD quality especially compared to recent material. I instantly recognized the quantum leap in quality over all prior formats. The Blu-ray release is fantastic! For us who have practically memorized this production, the added realism and brilliance adds wholly new intimacy and life to all of the characters and settings. |
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btiltman
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Jan 05, 2010
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Movie: 5
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Video: 3.5
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Audio: 3.5
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Extras: 3.5
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Overall: 4
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Outstanding production with inconsistant video quality
Some scenes are stunningly clear, some are slightly blurry, some have so much grain as to be distracting, some frames seem to warp slightly, and there are occasions of audio sync. So basically, while this is generally a good upgrade to the DVD, many reviews here are over the top in regards to the video quality. (Including the main review!) I find the review by bog13 to be completely accurate. Still, its a great production and much nicer looking than the dvd. Just lower your expections of the video quality slightly compared to modern blu-ray feature films and you are sure to be very pleased with this upgrade to the DVD. It was a TV production on 16mm after all so one should not expect the usual amazing blu-ray picture consistant quality, although some scenes do look amazing. Other scenes such as near the end, the scene in which Darcy says "My dearest, loveliest Elizabeth," appears to be not much better than DVD quality for some reason. |
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Migeluch
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Jan 07, 2010
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Movie: 5
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Video: 4
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Audio: 4
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Extras: 4.5
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Overall: 4.5
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Good picture but not great
I tend to agree with bog 13. The blu-ray is definitely an upgrade from the previous dvd, particularly in regard to the brightness of the colors. However, it's just a little fuzzy and it is certainly not a demo blu-ray. I think the reason is that this was filmed in Super 16 and not 35 mm. I have no idea why they did this, although it is common in Europe to save money. However, when you are going all out on the casting, costumes, sets, etc., it seems to make no sense to scrimp on the film quality. Regardless, it is still an excellent production, and we should probably not complain too much and be happy with what we have. |
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pro-bassoonist
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Jan 15, 2010
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Movie: 5
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Video: 5
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Audio: 5
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Extras: 3.5
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Overall: 5
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A few words...
I would like to clarify a couple of things:
1. The image inconsistencies some of the members have noted above are indeed natural, and film grain, in particular, varies from frame to frame for a good reason - in film, no two frames are alike.
2. The point of restoring an audio or video file is to ensure that it reflects as best as possible the technical integrity of the original source. With other words, it is simply illogical to speculate, or expect, that with old(er) films "the quality will be comparable with other high-quality films."
Pro-B |
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Blu-delight
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Apr 15, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 5
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Audio: 5
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Extras: 4.5
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Overall: 5
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Class act: through and through!
Very good for 16mm, great to see such detail in costumes and table settings. I managed to make certain scenes even sharper with a little tweaking ( Philips 9703). It's as though the planets were in line for this production, the casting was perfect, the soundtrack great, costumes, settings, direction. No doubt if the BBC had of known what a masterpiece they were going to create, they would have shot it in 35mm. But 16mm still looks 'damn good! ' |
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lilcamper1
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Apr 15, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 5
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Audio: 5
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Extras: 5
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Overall: 5
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This version looks awesome!
I love this movie, and this is a perfect representation, of what it would be like to me if it was released this year. I can't believe they made it look so clear and vibrant, and Mr. Darcy looks hotter than ever  |
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penguin
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Jul 17, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 4
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Audio: 1.5
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Extras: 4
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Overall: 4
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Good picture but sound was odd
Watched this last night and so much better than the DVD. The restoration is brilliant when one considers where they had to come from. The sound however was not as pleasing. I found it tended to echo a bit and was too bright. Lowering the volume made a big difference but the UK release with a different sound spec might be better. |
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bog13
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Apr 29, 2009
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Movie: 5
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Video: 3.5
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Audio: 4
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Extras: 3.5
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Overall: 4
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Hmm... I must have a different copy
I just bought the blu-ray release and don't find any of the reviews to be valid... particularly the main one by Dr. Atanasov. The video quality may be good compared to previous versions, but it's far from HD quality. Unless I have a bizarre copy, there is PLENTY of grain. There are also occasional frames that are warped... making it look like someone pinched the picture. At times, this happens every few minutes! The sound is also out of sync in some places. As for the extras, they don't add much to the previously created extras in other editions. To sum up, this is an improved version of the miniseries, but that doesn't excuse its flaws. If someone does an amazing job restoring a monotrack, black-and-white Chaplin film, that still doesn't mean the quality will be comparable with other high-quality films... and the reviews should acknowledge this first and foremost (as others have for different films). |
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