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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 195 customer reviews )
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264 of 274 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent Collection for Austen lovers! Sep 03, 2004
By Viewer
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!
177 of 184 found the following review helpful:
Unexpected surprise! Nov 27, 2004
By David P. Graf
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.
164 of 181 found the following review helpful:
 Some good, some disappointing Aug 02, 2005
By R. Goul
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.
35 of 36 found the following review helpful:
Masterpiece Theater Mar 11, 2005
By V. Frazier
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..
32 of 33 found the following review helpful:
Great deal slashes the price by 60% ! Jan 06, 2010
By microjoe
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.
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