Blu-ray of the Day: Pride & Prejudice

Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Judi Dench, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Carey Mulligan.
Director: Joe Wright.
Screenplay: Deborah Moggach.
Score: Dario Marianelli.
Cinematography: Roman Osin.

This 2005 dramatisation can’t achieve in two hours what the 1995 BBC adaptation did in five-and-a-half. But even pared to the basics of the Elizabeth and Mr Darcy relationship, it’s still a resounding triumph of writing, performance and artistry. Lesser characters become peripheral props but the staging is sumptuous, hence its Oscar nominations for best costume design, art direction and music — all of which stand out out even more in an HD transfer that’s truly sublime. The commentary by director Joe Wright fleshes out what’s not always on screen and there’s a series of brief, fluffy extras about everything from The Politics of Dating and the Stately Homes of Pride & Prejudice to a P&P family tree and The Life and Times of Jane Austen. Best of all, if for all the wrong reasons, is the alternate happier ending that screened theatrically in the United States. Not surprisingly, the Jane Austen Society of North America said this ghastly Darcy farce “insults the audience with its banality”.

Movie: 😀 😀 😀 😀
Image: 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Extras: 😀 😀 😀 😀