Customer Reviews

The Jane Austen Collection

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Let's quickly ammend what the previous reviewer said! First of all, this is an excellent DVD collection of excellent quality. The pictures are all crystal clear, the sound is striking, and the acting is fantastic. BBC and Warner Brothers did a fabulous job of remastering these films from the 70's and 80's and I am thrilled I bought the whole set. You can also buy each movie separately. As for side B of certain movies, the disc specifically says right on it "blank disc." This is because on some of them, the entire movie fits on the first side, thus side B is obviously unused. If the previous reviewer actually watched the movies, they would see that nothing is missing, so let's hope they give their collection another try! I for one am so glad I finally own these older, and more definitive version of Jane Austen's amazing works. Enjoy it, as I have and will continue to do so!

I'm not going to try to convince people who aren't already familiar with the videotape versions that they have to buy these DVDs. However, if you already enjoy them, then you're going to have a nice surprise when you get the DVDs. The DVDs contain scenes not found on the videotapes. We saw that for ourselves when we put on Pride and Prejudice which is one of our favorites. In this case, there's 265 minutes in the DVD version, but only 229 in the videotape version. That's a big difference! Not only do you get more to enjoy, but the DVDs are going to last a lot longer than the videotapes. The picture and sound are fine. This is an outstanding bargain if you already enjoy these versions of Austen's works.

I am a Jane Austen fan, having read all the novels several times and was thrilled to buy the complete set of DVDs. My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice so I watched this video first and was most disappointed in it out of all six (although it is by no means the worst). Probably because I went in with the highest expectations. The acting was good, although Mr. Darcy was a bit stiff. The biggest letdown is that it ends so abruptly immediately after the long-awaited understanding is reached between Elizabeth and Darcy...just when I want even more detail even from the book (dare I criticize my favorite book), the movie fails to provide even that much depth. This movie I give only 2/5 stars You are much better served to purchase the famous A&E (Colin Firth) version.

Emma, I watched next and with lower expectations. I was much fonder of this DVD. The Mr. Knightley comes across more angry and condescending to Emma than I would prefer, but overall I give this one a 4/5 stars.

Sense and Sensibility is fairly true to the novel with the exception of the omision of the youngest Dashwood sister, Margaret. I really liked the Colonel Brandon character/actor. I didn't personally find the Willoughby character all that attractive, making him easier to dislike. My DVD skips in the pivotal scene of Marianne's first encounter with Willoughby in London and this was very disappointing... I don't know if Amazon will replace this yet or not. All in all, this one I give a 3.5/5 stars.

Persuasion is my favorite movie from this set. The acting was good, the ending very sweet. Frederick was not how I pictured him in my mind but one can hardly blame BBC for that. I give this one a 4.5/5

Mansfield Park stays fairly true to the novel except Fanny seems so stern and prudish that it did not seem plausible for Henry to fall in love with her. The ending was also not very romantic making Edmund seem to choose Fanny almost only because he was so let down by Mary...I need romance if I'm going to root for cousins getting married! This one is a 2/5 stars.

Lastly, Northanger Abbey. This one is only 90 minutes and that is plenty for it is horrible! I didn't really like any of the characters even Catherine. Very disappointing. This one I give 1/5 stars.

These are the Masterpice Theater versions of the Jane Austen novels. They have been out on VHS for a long time but the VHS versions were cut and edited. The DVDs restore the shows to their original length.

I have yet to see any production of these novels that beats this set and that includes the A&E production of Pride & Prejudice. I would recomend this set to anyone interested in Jane Austen..

My review is of the box set, not each individual movie. This set is a fantastic deal as it individually these movies would cost over $100 plus shipping. The box set gives you all of the 6 separate movies in their original retail cases, placed together in a nice box. These are of course more than movies, they are each a mini-series of British BBC productions of classic Jane Austen novels, produced from 1972 to 1987. The movies in the set are:
1)Sense & Sensibility
2)Emma
3)Persuasion
4)Mansfield Park
5)Pride & Prejudice
6)Northanger Abbey

The clothes, the sets, furnishings, the actors, all work together wonderfully to bring these 18th century stories alive. The actors really do a good job of bringing these characters to life. These were previously available on VHS, but the DVD's have added additional scenes that were cut from the VHS in order to save tape. In the case of one movie there is 20 minutes of additional footage. As a Jane Austen fan, you will never find a film that you prefer to the books, but these are very well done and respectful of her writing without straying far from the book. "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice" seem to be the stand out favorite from this set with many viewers I spoke to. Sense and Sensibility will always be compared to the big budget theatrical version, but if you avoid comparing the two this is an enjoyable version. I will not take up space in reviewing each individual show here as they are listed individually and reviewed by others at Amazon.com. But for a great way to get the entire collection at once for a good price, this is the best bet.

In my opinion, these productions are the best visual versions of Jane Austen's novels -- by which I mean they are closest to the content of the novels themselves. This is due partly to their being four to five hours long, and therefore able to include almost all the characters and plot of the novels. But more importantly, these versions resisted the temptation to change the characters and plot to inject modern points of view -- a temptation that few of the recent spate of movie versions have been able to resist. In particular, these productions preserve Jane Austen's delicate sense of irony, which is such a large part of what makes the novels enjoyable. Everything in the productions contributes to their success: the superb acting, the costuming, and the locations. Translating a novel into a visual production can never be done perfectly, but these versions I believe come as close as is possible to providing a cinematographic experience similar to the literary experience of reading the novels.

While you might find the production values and cinematography, and indeed the actors less appealing than the Ehle/Firth version, I like this one the best becase the screenplay is the closest to Jane Austin's original text. A lot of the nuances and humor are missing in all other Pride and Prejudice versions.

This BBC boxed set has all of Jane Austen's works in one collection. As always the BBC adaptations are one of the most faithful to the novels upon which they are based. The version of Pride & Prejudice was my favorite of the collection. The actress who portrays Ms Eliza Bennett plays her role with wit, charm, and a vulnerability that is juxtaposed against the actor who plays the proud, arrogant Mr Darcy. Persuasion is also well-made, and the story of love lost and found is told poignantly with good performances by the two leads. The version of Emma here is the most faithful I have comes across of other adaptations, but I did not like the lead actress' portrayal of Emma, she seemed too stuffy, and even cold [compared to Kate Beckinsale's and Gwyneth Paltrow's performances in other versions]. This version of Sense and Sensibility was also very true to the novel, but both the main leads appeared plain and washed out [I much preferred Emma Thompson's and Kate Winslet's performances in a different version]. Finally, the version of Northanger Abbey here was truly a departure from the other DVDs in this collection, and that is quite understandable given that Jane Austen did write it in the style of a Gothic romance [whilst still poking fun at the English upper class].

All in all, its a worthwhile collection for any Austen fan, and its good to watch them and compare the scenes to the ones in the books.

I bought this Jane Austen Collection of the BBC made Jane Austen productions and It was one of the best DVD purchases that I have ever made!

I found the movies to be very interesting and I loved them all.

My favorites are Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Persuasion which are all superb.

My least favorite is Northanger Abbey. I liked the acting by Peter Firth as Henry Tileney and I thought Katharine Schlesnger was good as Catherine Moreland and I liked the scenes of Cathy's home in the country and most of the scenes in Bath and at Northanger Abbey but Cathy's fantasy and dream sequences were annoying and strange and made her seem like a weirdo and I though that the movie was too short, too disjointed and the ending was too abrupt! Northanger Abbey isn't horrible but it's a little disappointing compared to the other movies in this collection!

But anyway this is still a superb boxset and I highly recommend it and I'm rating this 5 stars for the 5 superb movies.

I mainly bought the collection to replace my video-tapes of P&P and Mansfield Pk. But I am happy to have them all. As for criticism that the stories feel like plays instead of film, I agree with that criticism for Persuasion and at times for Sense and Sensibility. Persuasion was almost unwatchable because of the stiff, awkward acting and artificially high voices and forced accents. I often felt that Anne was afraid to tip her head for fear her wig would fall off!

But I kept the release dates in mind, and the newer movies were greatly improved. Besides, I appreciate being able to buy the whole collection for what I originally paid just for Pride and Prejudice on video tape!

I have always particularly loved P&P, and even the A&E version hasn't shaken that. I love them both equally well. They are just different in their style and purpose.

Pride and Predjudice: As mentioned, I like this version as much as the A&E version, but in different ways. My family has often remarked that we wish we could take characters from both versions and put them into one. We like the BB version Mr. Collins and Miss Bingly MUCH better, as well as Lydia and the mother. The Darcys, Mr. Binglys, Charlottes and Lady Catherines we like equally well in both versions. I did not care for the silly playfulness they kept having the A&E Lizzy doing, and Miss Bingly was not at all elegant (especially how she kept swinging her arms almost like a man), but I otherwise thought the A&E version was also well done. I liked the A&E scene of Darcy tracking down Mr. Wickam, but do agree with a previous review that it should not have been shown BEFORE it was all resolved, thereby giving away the surprise of it for Lizzy. It would have been much better to show it as Lizzy read Mrs. Gardner's explanation.

Mansfield Park: It's true that Fanny and Edward are both unbearably plain, almost ugly, and the story moves slowly. But it's still a good story that we enjoy re-watching occasionally. I just wish Jane Austin had allowed them to put on at least a dress rehersal of the play before the father came home.

Sense and Sensibility: My only two complaints with this version are Maryanne's fake-sounding English--a constant reminder that she was acting, not living the part--and Eleanor's inability to portray her own deep emotion realistically. Irene Richard was otherwise very suited to the part. Except for those two flaws, I thought the movie otherwise very good.

Emma: I enjoyed it more the second time I watched it. Emma's face and acting are a bit too much like a well-cinched corset, but she does tolerably well. This version does feel very much like a play at times, but what is wroing with watching a play? On the whole I enjoyed it.

Northanger Abbey: Enjoyable, and I like the heroine, but it leaves out so much from the book that makes the characters and plot far more believable.