DVD releases include two miniseries with roots in ‘Pride and Prejudice’
Who knew that there are enough Jane Austen/time-traveling fanatics to greenlight a television miniseries melding Austen’s popular novel with science- fiction and a modern sensibility?
That’s the unusual, but whimsical, combination in “Lost in Austen,” a 2008 British miniseries that turns Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” upside down and inside out with its story of a 21st century Londoner swept back to 19th century Austenland.
With a lovely touch of serendipity, “Lost in Austen” arrived on DVD this week on the very same day that the much-acclaimed 1995 miniseries of “Pride and Prejudice” debuted on Blu-ray.
In “Lost in Austen” ($27.98, Image Entertainment), Jemima Rooper plays Amanda Price, a modern woman who longs for the courteous, old-fashioned world that lives on in the pages of her favorite book, “Pride and Prejudice.”
A bit down in the dumps and more than willing to curl up with her worn copy of “P&P” (picturing, of course, actor Colin Firth in her mind as the strong-willed Darcy), Amanda is shocked when the story’s heroine, Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton), arrives through a time portal in the bathroom. (Yes, I know, just go with it.)
The two women — clearly looking for a change in their lives — quickly switch places. Amanda arrives in Austenland and stirs things up with her free-flowing hair, unusual clothing and sharp tongue. Viewers will be as thrilled as she is to see Darcy, Elizabeth and the others come to life. But once you mess with that pesky time-space continuum, you’re asking for trouble, and that’s exactly what happens. Austen’s story begins to unravel, and Amanda tries valiantly to put things right.
And let’s not forget about Elizabeth, who is finding modern life — and all of its technology — quite to her liking.
Speaking of Darcy and Elizabeth, the Blu-ray debut of the “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries that aired in the States on A&E was what finally persuaded me to buy a Blu-ray player.
Though I am under-whelmed by the performance of my fancy new machine (more on that at another time), I’m more than happy to add to my sizable “P&P” home video collection that now includes a few worn homemade VHS tapes; a two-disc DVD set; and a three-disc 10th anniversary DVD edition with a making-of book.
The two-disc “Pride and Prejudice: Blu-ray Edition” ($49.95, A&E Home Video, available now) arrives with old and new bonus material.
The new retrospective “Pride and Prejudice: A Turning Point for Period Drama,” examines the unexpected frenzy that surrounded the miniseries. You’ll hear plenty of accolades for the actors, especially Firth (“He personified Darcy,” as one critic says), but also for Jennifer Ehle, who played Elizabeth, and others in the cast.
Fans, of course, will eat up everything said about Firth, and there’s plenty of it. “He does brooding and looking down his nose in a way that few other actors can, and yet he’s sexy at the same time,” says drama publicist Alan Ayres.
Andrew Davies, the go-to guy for adapting classic novels, discusses the miniseries at length, including how he worked with Austen’s novel and why he made the changes, such as adding the famous scene where a fully clothed Darcy emerges from the water. (You’ll love the wonderful homage “Lost in Austen” has to that scene.)
Also new is a featurette on the restoration process. Though it’s a bit technical, it’s well worth watching to see the comparisons between the original and restored film.
Featurettes that also were on the 10th anniversary DVD are “Lasting Impressions” and “Impromptu Walkabout” with stars Adrian Lukis (Wickham) and Lucy Briers (Mary Bennet).
Coming Tuesday
“The Burrowers” (Lionsgate), “Da’ Booty Shop” (Lightyear), “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), “Into the Blue 2: The Reef” (MGM), “The Last Picture Show” (Sony), “Nickelodeon” (Sony), “Notorious” (Fox), “Street Warrior” (Genius), “Wolverine and the X-Men: Heroes Return Trilogy” (Lionsgate) and “The Wrestler” (Fox).•
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