Product Details

• Actors: Ioan Gruffud, Roger Rees, Natasha Little, Hayley Mills, Catherine Zeta-Jones
• Directors: Marvin J. Chomsky, John Goldsmith, Ian Sharp, Robert Markowitz
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 14
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005
• Run Time: 1970 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AYEIWM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,126 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A&E LITERARY CLASSICS: The Romance Collection Volume 2 Heart-stopping romance amidst the Napoleonic Wars, the delightful pursuit of love and fortune among the British upper crust, greed and longing during the Jazz Age--just some of the great narratives evocatively brought to screen in this magnificent library of A&E LITERARY CLASSICS. From the 19th century to the Roaring Twenties and Colonial Africa to Tsarist Russia, A&E presents eight original productions that are sure to enthrall any sophisticated romantic. Featuring topnotch production values and powerful performances by today's brightest stars, coupled with stunning cinematography and masterful screenplays adapted from the world's greatest novels, A&E LITERARY CLASSICS: The Romance Collection Volume 2 is the essential 14-disc DVD collection. This Megaset contains: HORATIO HORNBLOWER: There's always time for a dalliance or two in C.S. Forester's thrilling high seas adventures. NICHOLAS NICKLEBY: Love and compassion blossom amidst hard times in Charles Dickens' great tale. VANITY FAIR: A study in contrasts, Becky and Amelia pursue love and fortune in Thackery's trenchant satire. THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA: An unforgettable true account of a young girl's coming-of-age in turn-of-the-century Africa. THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE: From cruelty to redemption, a heartrending masterpiece by Thomas Hardy. CATHERINE THE GREAT: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Omar Sharif and Jeanne Moreau star in this world-class epic. TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES: Abandoned hearts and lost virtues seek redemption in another immortal classic by Thomas Hardy. THE GREAT GATSBY: Academy Award®-winner Mira Sorvino stars in F. Scott Fitzgerald's great American classic. DVD Features: Horatio Hornblower: About C.S. Forester; Nautical Terms and Definitions; Nicholas Nickleby: Charles Dickens episode of BIOGRAPHY; The Flame Trees of Thika: Elspeth Huxley Biography and Bibliography; Cast Biographies; The Mayor of Casterbridge: Thomas Hardy Biography and Bibliography; Catherine The Great: Cast Filmographies; The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald episode of A&E’s BIOGRAPHY; Cast Filmographies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another British winner, July 6, 2008

By 

Phil Giriodi "Phil G. Giriodi" (Scottsdale, AZ & Kailua, HI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection 2 Megaset (Horatio Hornblower / Nicholas Nickleby / Vanity Fair / The Flame Trees of Thika / The Mayor of Casterbridge / Tess of the D'Urbervilles / The Great Gatsby) (DVD)

Typical British quality of film production. Excellent acting, cinematography, writing, directing with beautiful sets and locations. Each film is a total delight.

The only negative is that only some of these films have Closed Captions for the hearing impaired. This is a major short coming for those that do not hear or do not hear well.

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Less than I would have liked..., January 2, 2009

By 

Andrew Raker (PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection 2 Megaset (Horatio Hornblower / Nicholas Nickleby / Vanity Fair / The Flame Trees of Thika / The Mayor of Casterbridge / Tess of the D'Urbervilles / The Great Gatsby) (DVD)

To begin with, I own many DVD collections of classic literature: the BBC Charles Dickens collections, volumes 1 and 2, the BBC Jane Austen collection, the BBC George Eliot collection, and the A&E romance collection, volumes 1 and 2. Of ALL the collections, this is the one that has given me the least satisfaction. Secondly, I purchased this collection online for under $50.00 from B&N during a Christmas sale.

It is not that this collection is horrible; some of the productions are moderately interesting such as "The Mayor of Casterbridge" and "Horatio Hornblower." However, I was disappointed with Nicholas Nickleby. I realize it is a play rather than a motion picture, but I felt the acting was only moderately well-done and the plot even more boring that the most tedious BBC motion picture productions. Also, Horatio Hornblower contains only the first two films, which is disappointing - like A&E wants the buyer to be impressed and purchase the remaining Hornblower films individually for a much higher price.

"The Great Gatsby" was another disappointment. It is not that the film was horrible, but rather that it was no better than other versions of "The Great Gatsby" which could be purchased for far less money. The film also was too short in my opinion.

In conclusion: I would only purchase this collection AFTER purchasing the first A&E romance collection. If you are satisfied with the first collection, by all means, purchase the second even if it is not quite as good. However, if you disliked the first A&E collection, I would recommend you do not purchase the second. Instead, buy BBC collections or the Horatio Hornblower collection (which contains all Hornblower episodes).

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not all are "romance"., June 2, 2009

By 

Denise C. Obidowski "joyful" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection 2 Megaset (Horatio Hornblower / Nicholas Nickleby / Vanity Fair / The Flame Trees of Thika / The Mayor of Casterbridge / Tess of the D'Urbervilles / The Great Gatsby) (DVD)

I like the movies in this collection very much. The only thing that bugs me is "Horatio Hornblower". There's no romance in this story. Where's the eye oogling? Where's the secret looks? Where's the swooning? I want my swooning! Gimme swagger!
Tess of D'Ubervilles I also did not like. However, if you like seeing an innocent girl seduced (cough - raped) and then killed in the end, by all means watch it. You'll love it! But for me, I was rather disgusted.
Yes, I'm the type who sees the world very realistically and knows life can be really dark and ugly at times, so I don't need to 'escape' to more darkness. Give me light and fluffy! Now that's escape!
But I digress..... I did love watching all the other movies in this collection. Becky, in "Vanity Fair" was quite amusing.
Now I only have the mayor movie left to watch. It better be good!
Okay, okay.... if it sounds like I'm complaining, I actually am not because, for the price I paid for all these movies - I'm really very happy - very pleased!