Pride & Prejudice Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
In class-conscious England near the close of the 18th century, the five Bennet sisters--Elizabeth, or Lizzie,
Jane, Lydia,
Mary, and Kitty--have been raised well aware of their mother's fixation on finding them husbands and
securing set
futures. The spirited and intelligent Elizabeth, however, strives to live her life with a broader perspective, as
encouraged by her doting father. When wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley takes up residence in a nearby mansion,
the
Bennets are abuzz. Amongst the man's sophisticated circle of London friends and the influx of young militia
officers,
surely there will be no shortage of suitors for the Bennet sisters. Eldest daughter Jane, serene and beautiful,
seems
poised to win Mr. Bingley's heart. For her part, Lizzie meets with the handsome and--it would seem--snobbish
Mr.
Darcy, and the battle of the sexes is joined. Their encounters are frequent and spirited yet far from
encouraging. Lizzie
finds herself even less inclined to accept a marriage proposal from a distant cousin, Mr. Collins, and--
supported by her
father--stuns her mother and Mr. Collins by declining. When the heretofore good-natured Mr. Bingley abruptly
departs
for London, devastating Jane, Lizzie holds Mr. Darcy culpable for contributing to the heartbreak. But a crisis
involving
youngest sister Lydia soon opens Lizzie's eyes to the true nature of her relationship with Mr. Darcy.
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...
Pre-release, the media's collective attitude about the film seemed to predict it would be nothing
more than redundant, a severely trimmed adaptation that would shrivel in the looming shadow of
the widely revered BBC mini-series, which starred Jennifer Ehle and made Colin Firth an unlikely
sex symbol in the U.K. and abroad. And yes, the 1995 TV production—which Janeites love for its
textual accuracy—is remarkably true to the novel, replete with interminable parlor conversations
drawn straight from Austen's pen. It's also five hours long, which is perhaps too much of a time
investment for some would-be viewers. So, the thought was that 2005's Pride &
Prejudice would be the abridged, Reader's Digest version of the story. And in a way—in an
incredibly good way—this is exactly what it is. Like an appendix about to burst, the
extraneous elements of the plot have been surgically removed, leaving a 129-minute story that's
less sluggish, more exuberant, and possessed of a beaming, youthful glow named Keira Knightley,
who gives what is still her best performance to date.
The lovely Ms. Knightley plays Lizzie, the second of five sisters in the estrogen-infused Bennet
family. This being the turn of the 18th century, nothing is more important than getting the girls
married off to eligible landowners who can assure the family's financial security. And so their
match-making mother (Brenda Blethyn) wrings her hands nervously while Mr. Bennet (Donald
Sutherland) putters about the farm, minding his own. Lizzie has no lack of potential suitors, from
the dashing Lieutenant Wickham (Rupert Friend) to the Napoleonic parson Mr. Collins (Tom
Hollander), but she's drawn to the morose and seemingly snobbish Mr. Darcy (Matthew
Macfadyen), who has lately arrived in town with his loyal friend Mr. Bingly (Simon Woods), a
wealthy bachelor enamored with Jane (Rosamund Pike), the eldest Bennet daughter. Mr. Darcy is
the film's riddle; his intentions are vague, his humorless demeanor unsettling, and a bit of careful
slandering by Lieutenant Wickham—covering up his own transgressions—leads Lizzie to believe
that Mr. Darcy is cruel and unsympathetic. What follows, as the mysteries of Mr. Darcy's actions
are slowly revealed, is a love/hate relationship fraught with dramatic irony and restrained
feelings, all culminating in one of the most pitch-perfect romantic endings in recent
memory.
After watching the film on Blu-ray last night—a sumptuous visual experience that I'll get to later
—I felt the same way as I did five years ago in the theater, almost shocked by how
uncharacteristically involved I was in the romance of Lizzy Bennet and the brooding Mr. Darcy.
Make fun of me if you'd like, challenge my masculinity or taste in film, but I'll readily admit that
while watching Pride & Prejudice I might as well have been tittering like a schoolgirl in
the throes of her first real crush. Near the conclusion, where everyone gets exactly what and
who they deserve, I was smiling so much that my jaw ached and I began to feel self-conscious,
even though there was nobody else in the room. There's a mysterious alchemy to it, I'm sure—a
formula that's unique to each viewer—but how many movies can make you feel like you're newly
in love, like your head is filled with warm milk and your chest burning with bourbon? (I'm not
sure how good of a love metaphor that it, but warm milk and bourbon would make a
horrible cocktail.) Somehow, all of my objections to Jane Austen evaporated and I was
completely engrossed, which leads me to wonder: what is it about this particular version of
Pride & Prejudice that makes my eyes well up while I'm simultaneously grinning like an
over-the-moon idiot?
Let's start with the beautiful Keira Knightley—and this will probably sound pretentious, but I can't
think of any other way to put it—who brings a joie de vivre that buoys the entire
production. There's nothing particularly unusual about how she chooses to portray Lizzie, but she
somehow achieves the perfect mix of self-reliance and vulnerability. You want her to be
in love; she flashes her Cheshire grin and all is suddenly right with the world. Conversely, the
pained exchange she has with Darcy after his botched proposal will send your heart plummeting
down an elevator shaft. While Knightley's performance easily outdoes that of Jennifer Ehle in the
mini-series, Matthew Macfadyen is up against the inimitable Colin Firth, who most Austen fans
agree is the Mr. Darcy for the ages. Still, I like what he does here, playing up the
character's insecurity and social anxiety to make him much more sympathetic when his inner
goodness is finally revealed. And the chemistry between Ms. Knightley and Mr. Macfadyen is
undeniable; this is no bodice-ripper, but the embers of passion are nevertheless stoked. The
surrounding players are equally adept, especially Donald Sutherland, who lends tender fatherly
council, and the brilliant Tom Hollander (In the Loop), whose socially constipated parson
is the film's comic relief. In her brief role as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's vain aunt,
Dame Judi Dench is frighteningly good, shooting stares that could kill a man cold at 700
yards.
And the actors are all in good hands on the production side of things. Deborah Moggach's script is
stuffed with witty banter, and director Joe Wright (Atonement) has a style that's
impressive but never showy, using long Steadicam shots that take us through the Bennet house
with graceful fluidity. All of the usual romantic conventions are in place, the lighting is sublime,
the cinematography is luscious, the costumes and set design are perfect—everything is just as it
should be—but I still can't quite put my finger on why the film strikes me in a way that other
Austen adaptations don't. Like Mr. Darcy, I've simply been bewitched, body and soul.
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.
Following up on our announcement yesterday, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced the technical specs and special features for the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'Pride & Prejudice', which is scheduled to hit store shelves on January 26th. For this Kiera ...
In an early announcement to retailers, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has revealed that they will bring the Keira Knightley film 'Pride & Prejudice' to Blu-ray on January 26th. Not to be confused with the 1995 BBC miniseries of the same name, which was released ...
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