Jane Austen Collection (Sense Sensibility / Emma / Persuasion / Mansfield Park / Pride Prejudice / Northanger Abbey) | 
 enlarge | Directors: Cyril Coke, David Giles, Giles Foster, John Glenister
Actors: Elizabeth Knight, Anne Maxwell, Katharine Schlesinger, Peter Firth, Robert Hardy
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $59.98
Buy New: $42.96
You Save: $17.02 (28%)
New (31) Used (13) from $36.86
Rating:  131 reviews
Sales Rank: 1776
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 6
Running Time: 1336
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.5 x 3.7
MPN: WARDE1682D
ISBN: 0790770229
UPC: 794051168221
EAN: 9780790770222
ASIN: B000244FFU
Release Date: August 24, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Includes: sense sensibility emma persuasion mansfield park pride prejudice and northanger abbey. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/27/2005
Amazon.com
The socially restricted lives of 18th-century women hardly seems like a subject that would inspire dozens of 20th (and 21st) century adaptations--but the brilliant novels of Jane Austen are flush with sparkling dialogue, razor-sharp wit, marvelously realized characters that range from adorably sympathetic to grotesquely comic, and--above all--ingeniously intricate plots, which arrive at a seemingly inevitable happy conclusion yet keep you seized with suspense every inch of the way. IThe Jane Austen Collection/I pulls together six BBC miniseries from 1971 through 1987, one for each of Austen's much-beloved books.p Unsurprisingly, the gems of the lot are also the best of the novels: IPride and Prejudice/I and IEmma/I. IPride and Prejudice/I, expertly translated to the screen by novelist Fay Weldon, skillfully chronicles the ups and downs of the sensible but quick to judge Elizabeth Bennet (the adorable Elizabeth Garvie) and the snooty Mr. Darcy (played with an imperious scowl by David Rintoul). Any adaptation of IEmma/I rests firmly on its central character, and Doran Godwin wonderfully captures Emma Woodhouse's resilience, determination, and exasperating self-satisfaction. Definitely the funniest of Austen's novels, IEmma/I's satirical humor is perfectly balanced with romantic yearning, and this 1972 version succeeds delightfully. p IPersuasion/I, though more melancholy in tone, has a wonderfully sympathetic heroine in Anne Elliot (played by the graceful Ann Fairbanks), who once turned away the man she loved but is given the chance, seven years later, to set things right. ISense and Sensibility/I suffers from comparison to the star firepower and cinematic sweep of the 1995 movie with Emma Thompson (a must-see for any Austen fan), but the dueling characters of gracious Elinore and headstrong Marianne, two sisters struggling with fallen fortunes, make for enjoyable viewing in this 1981 adaptation. IMansfield Park/I has perhaps the dullest hero and heroine of any Austen novel, yet the story zips along, powered by some of Austen's most outrageous supporting characters, here brought to deliciously comic life by Anna Massey and Angela Pleasence. INorthanger Abbey/I satirizes gothic romances and the overheated imaginations that loved them; but though the tone is more broad and melodramatic than most of Austen, this 1987 adaptation suits the novel and rounds out this very satisfying boxed set. I--Bret Fetzer/I
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| Customer Reviews: Read 126 more reviews...
 Good overall, but slightly dissapointed with two films January 6, 2009
I have enjoyed watching this set I received as a gift. The films seem to follow the books fairly closely with one glaring exception, the elimination of the character of Margaret Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. Something else about Sense and Sensibility bothered me, but I can't quite put a finger on it. I just wasn't able to feel attached to the characters at all and didn't particularly care what was happening to them. I only ended up watching the first two episodes.br /br /The other film I didn't like was Persuasion because the technical sound was horrible. They seem to have misplaced the microphones when filming. Some of the characters were overly loud, almost shouting, while others, seeming barely to murmur, I could barely hear. The sound issue really spoiled the film for me, and I ended up only watching half of it because I didn't want to listen to overly loud voices just to catch what the soft spoken characters were saying. What a way to get a headache.br /br /I thought the rest of the films were well done. I especially loved the interpretation of Northanger Abby. I did get attached to those characters. I thought Mansfield Park was well done as well. While I like the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice best of all that have been made, I did like this version, especially the artwork preceding each episode which depicted the upcoming events. Overall this is a wonderful collection and I am pleased with owning it. br /br /
Love these DVDs January 6, 2009
If you love Jan Austen stories this is a great collection to have. The BBC versions are great and stick closely to the orginal works.
 A bit disappointing, but still okay December 20, 2008
This is not the Masterpeice Theater series that was on PBS a while back! Since PBS replays a lot of BBC productions, that was what I was expecting. These DVDs are a much older version and very, very, very British. It takes a while to get interested in each movie, but they are not too bad.
 Not what I expected December 20, 2008
I somehow didn't realize that these are the original and therefore old Jane Austen movies. They are still good though.
A set of listless versions December 13, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This set is perhaps the most listlessly directed and cast version of Jane Austen ever. Except for Northanger Abbey, I found these dull and difficult to watch. Northanger Abbey has a pair of well cast leads, but it ends much too abruptly to give a feeling of satisfaction.
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