Pride & Prejudice [2005] – Blu-ray Disc Review
January 25, 2010 – 2:32 AM - Posted by: Brendan SurplessTags: BD-Live, Brenda Blethyn, Carey Mulligan, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Joe Wright, Keira Knightley, Kelly Reilly, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Simon Woods, Talulah Riley, Universal
has an average rating of 7.8 on IMDb
1080p in VC-1 on a 50gb disc
DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio
includes the original DVD ports
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– 2005
– 129 Minutes
– Universal
– 
This uses 27.2GB for the movie out of 30.6GB total.
Overall Verdict – Perfect Gift for Valentine’s Day
Buy it for $17.99 @ Amazon.com
— Review written by: Brendan Surpless —
The Movie Itself was directed by Joe Wright (known for directing “Atonement“) and is based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen. “Pride & Prejudice” tells the story of an 18th century family by the name of the Bennet’s. Consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters Jane (Rosamund Pike), Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), Mary (Talulah Riley), Catherine (Carey Mulligan) and Lydia (Jena Malone), the family lives on a gentry by the name of Longbourn. With Longbourn set to be inherited by Mr. Bennet’s cousin, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet is wants all five of her daughters married before Mr. Bennet passes away. All five daughters do want to marry immediately with the exception of Elizabeth, who feels one should only marry if they feel true love.
Enter Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), friend of Mr. Bingley and a man who “owns half of Derbyshire”. Elizabeth takes an immediate dislike to Darcy after he refuses her attempts at a conversation. Later on, at a ball in Netherfield, Elizabeth accepts a dance with Darcy and lays out his disgust of him so he understands her side. It’s here that both seem that they can’t refuse one another, to the point where the other guests become disgusted leaving the two of them on the dance floor. While I could keep explaining the rest of the story, I’ll move forward and say that the rest of the film deals with Elizabeth, her sisters and their interactions with their parents, Darcy, Collins and others all while commenting on both 18th century topics like relationships, dance and speech. It’s safe to say that both the novel and the film are both fine works if not only because of their ability to absorb us into the time period via word (novel) and performance (film).
I really feel like this is becoming the norm saying for me lately, but it seems like I can’t comment on a Keira Knightley period film without mentioning that she was built for these types of roles. She brings not only a sense of style, charm and intelligence to each performance, but it clearly shows in each sequence that she puts her all into the role. Capturing each scene isn’t the easiest, but Knightley makes it seem like this is not even challenging. She is complimented by Macfadyen here in a manner that was similar to that of how McAvoy did in “Atonement“. Even though the chemistry between the two here isn’t as moving nor convincing as felt in “Atonement“, which is due to having previously seen the A&E version of the novel, I’ll still mention that the pure, raw emotion is there. Moments exist were we’re all emotions are on display. Truly moving material.
In closing, “Pride & Prejudice” has had the lasting impact it has on literature simply because of Austen’s ability to convey her thoughts on both the time period in a manner that is both intelligent and serious. This 2005 remake is equally as important if only because of the fine performances found here. I’m sure the women around the world have cheered and cried over the film, but as a guy I have no shame in admitting that “Pride & Prejudice” is well worth a watch fellas. You may be surprised as the strength and power the film may have on you.
Video Quality on this release is in full 1080p using the VC-1 codec on a BD-50 (50 gigabyte, dual layered Blu-ray Disc) in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. With its varying locales, the film has a very rich and vibrant color palette. Featuring solid blues, whites and yellows (mostly from the excellent costume design), the film holds great detail. Detail does pop off the screen in many sequences. Again referring to the costumes used throughout, the detail here is simply amazing. Grain levels are in check and there is no evidence of EE or any DNR, which is a blessed sigh. Due to the amount of grain found, I was very pleased with the image here, which felt and looked very film like. There didn’t ever feel like anything was adding in digitally but rather that everything was fully shot by an actual camera. All in all this earns a near-perfect “4.5 Star Rating“.
Audio Quality on this release is presented in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. With this film being comprised of mostly dialogue, dialogue clarity and reproduction is a key factor to a good audio presentation. Luckily the provided DTS-HD track is quite good. Dialogue is consistently kept in check with no instance of drop out. There are a few moments where the film’s score (by ) does tend to require a volume change, but I didn’t notice this more than once. Dynamics are prevalent throughout with solid rear channel presence either from background characters speaking or varying effects. Pans were invisible and the transition between rears was just fine. LFE is somewhat subdued mostly showing up due to a rise in the music. All in all this earns a good “4 Star Rating“.
Bonus Materials are presented in Standard Definition video with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound @192kbps.
- BD-Live: As per all Universal titles, BD-Live is included and gives fans access to current and upcoming trailers and bonus content.
- Audio Commentary by Director Joe Wright
- Audio Commentary with Cast and Crew: This runs 6min17sec and features each cast member commenting on one another.
- Jane Austen: Ahead of her Time: This runs 8min3sec and takes a look at the impact Austen themes and works have had on literature and film.
- A Bennet Family Portrait: This runs 6min2sec and looks into the Bennet family tree and the role marriage played in the novel.
- HBO First Look: This runs 13min8sec and is your a-typical making of with cast and crew interviews, set notes and how director Joe Wright tried to be as true to the novel as possible.
- The Politics of 18th Century Dating: This runs 4min24sec and shows the differences between modern dating and the dating of Austen’s time.
- The Stately Homes of Pride & Prejudice: This runs 15min58sec and shows the various locales the film used.
Blu-ray Disc packaging:
Screenshots:
NOTE: The full-sized 1920×1080 files are in a .PNG file format and uncompressed. Bare with the slow loading times, keep in mind these files are at least 1MB (1 megabyte) in size each.
